In its 21-year history, the downtown 91原创 Arts Alive festival has gone through some dramatic changes and experienced 91原创enal growth.
Event organizer Teri James, executive director of the Downtown 91原创 Business Association, has been around through much of that evolution 芒鈧�� at least during the past dozen-plus years.
A few days ahead of this year芒鈧劉s festival, she took a moment to reflect on the metamorphosis, and said most of the changes have been 芒鈧搃ncredibly positive,芒鈧� and she predicts nothing but good things for the event芒鈧劉s future.
As any show of this magnitude continues to grow, James said people have to expect 芒鈧�� and she hopes embrace 芒鈧�� change.
This year, for instance, they芒鈧劉ve relocated the children芒鈧劉s venue to the old CIBC parking lot at 204th Street and done away with one of the entertainment stages 芒鈧�� instead bringing in more buskers who will mingle and perform on the street, amid the crowd.
They芒鈧劉ve moved all the live bands and entertainers to a main stage in the recently revitalized McBurney Plaza.
With art and artists still being the backbone of the event, James announced that more vendors than ever before are coming. To accommodate the jump from 120 to 140 booths this year, the show has been extended past St. Andrew芒鈧劉s Plaza to 206th Street. It now runs the full length of the one way, James said, noting that this year there will also be more interactive booths 芒鈧�� rather than just sellers 芒鈧�� and more artist demonstrations.
芒鈧揟his little festival of ours is attracting such an array of artists,芒鈧� James said, tongue-in-cheek about the 芒鈧搇ittle.芒鈧�
This year芒鈧劉s show has the traditional painters, potters, and sculptors, plus glassblowers, wood carvers, metalsmiths, musicians, quilters, authors, fabric artists, and jewelry designers, to name a few.
New this year, James said her office is fielding multiple calls from participating artists and guests alike 芒鈧�� from the B.C. Interior and the western U.S. 芒鈧�� asking about accommodations because they want to come to 91原创 to be part of this show.
芒鈧揟his has never happened before, not to this magnitude,芒鈧� James said. 芒鈧揟hat has to help drive local tourism numbers.芒鈧�
Among other changes, Soroptimists of 91原创 remain the only food vendor at the festival, but James said at least half a dozen of the restaurants in the vicinity have approached her this year about developing new and different ways to engage with festival goers.
芒鈧揂ll in all, if the weather is nice 芒鈧�� which it sounds like it is going to be 芒鈧�� it will be an awesome day,芒鈧� she said. 芒鈧揝ee you Saturday. 芒鈧�
