Wow, what a festival!
Ignite the Arts was again a hit, not only with locals and tourists, but with the merchants in Penticton’s downtown.
The 10-day festival -- highlighted by the final three days of marquee events -- concluded Sunday at various venues peppered throughout five blocks in the downtown.
“It’s been an amazing weekend, a remarkable week,” said Penticton Art Gallery curator Paul Crawford, Sunday afternoon outside The Dream Café, one of 12 participating venues. “It’s been an incredible celebration of community, of art, of culture and coming together as people and being enriched together.”
Crawford and his wife Julie Fowler founded and operated a similar festival in Wells for 17 years. The festival eventually folded due, in part, to a shortage of accommodations. The Wells and Ignite the Arts events, although similar in philosophy and with two of the same people involved, are two separate entities. Wells is attempting a comeback, with different organizers, this coming August long weekend.
“Every year grows (at Ignite the Arts) as we did in Wells… maybe double in crowd and interest. I can’t complain. We’ve had good capacity at all venues, they’ve felt full. It’s great to see people out on the streets going from venue to venue and connecting with each other. If you walk around town, you can’t avoid it.”
While the Easter weekend seems like an odd time for a music and art festival, all of the musicians are available because there are no other competing events. Crawford said there’s many other advantages to hosting an arts festival during Spring Break.
“It’s all about building community and the artists have all heard about us and want to play here,” he said. “It’s a blessing and a curse because I can’t say ‘no’ to people. I’ve been asked why we have so many artists. I’ve got all sorts of people showing up anyway and the least I can do is provide a venue for them to perform and show their art.”
The final weekend kicked off Friday with 300 people participating in The Parade for No Reason, a colourful walking event from the Elks to the art gallery, complete with a brass band.