Planning underway for Word On The Street festival

With summer upon us, fall isn’t the first thing on most people’s minds, but at the Lethbridge Public Library, planning is long underway for one of the largest outdoor fall festivals in southern Alberta.

The seventh annual The Word On The Street festival will take place on the streets surrounding the Lethbridge Public Library (LPL) on Saturday, Sept. 23 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In maintaining the library’s commitment to get involved in and give back to the community, LPL has continued to support and grow the Lethbridge chapter of this national festival over the last seven years, which celebrates reading and promotes the importance of literacy and the written word.

By hosting The Word On The Street in Lethbridge, along with many other sponsors, we aim to better connect literary arts groups and literacy to the southern Alberta community, build bridges across cultures with performances and displays from Canadian authors, musicians and storytellers, as well as represent the diversity in our community while creating an event that is lively, accessible and fun for all ages.

Last year, there were over 50 local exhibitors, 25 sponsors and partners, and an attendance of approximately 5,000 people, with projections to grow in each category again for 2017.

This year’s festival is jam-packed with something for everyone! With more than 20 authors across six stages that will include the Kids’ Corner, a teen tent, two adult author stages, workshops and panels on the Word in Motion stage, a new comic and graphic novel venue, and music on the B93/Country 95 Main Stage, you can be sure to find something to suit a specific interest or that the entire family will enjoy.

Join us for a display of local food vendors, a library scavenger hunt, storytelling, face painting, and a bustling marketplace full of community groups, authors and publishers, and local businesses. And the best part is, it’s all free! For further details, the latest on all our visiting authors, and to stay up to date, please visit thewordonthestreet.ca/lethbridge or facebook.com/lethbridgeWOTS.

The Lethbridge Public Library is continuously seeking sponsors, partners and volunteers for The Word On The Street. To view a sponsorship package and learn more about volunteer duties, please visit the event website or contact the event coordinator at word@lethlib.ca.