Special to Independent Newsmedia
The city of Glendale is celebrating the arts in a big way in February.
The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance, Local First Arizona, and the city are collaborating to bring more than 100 artists, musicians and interactive arts experiences to the community. A week before the Big Game (Super Bowl LVII) kicks off in Glendale, the heart of downtown will welcome the community to connect and celebrate through arts and culture.
The Downtown Glendale Arts and Culture Fest will go from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at Murphy Park, 5850 W. Glendale Ave.
Preparations are underway for the outdoor fest, which will feature Arizona arts and culture offerings. Murphy Park will serve as the backdrop for the event with live music performances, an artisan market, local wine and beer garden, live painting, art installations, and food vendors for visitors and residents to experience and enjoy.
“Our goal is to provide a quality family-friendly event that highlights Downtown Glendale and our diverse communities to Arizona residents and visitors alike,” Glendale Arts & Culture Program Manager Mojgan Vahabzadeh shared in a news release. “We strive to grow partnerships that help strengthen the relationship between people and their public spaces through engaging arts experiences.”
The festival will go beyond the park’s boundaries, and encourages participation from the diverse businesses that make up this walkable shopping district.
Attendees will experience pop-up performances at local businesses consisting of live painting, acoustic music performances, artist demonstrations, and performance art.
Already confirmed as featured performers are VESSEL and Flam Chen. The atmospheric theater performance by VESSEL will transform the street into a stage. Performers weave in and out of audiences and public space creating a visual kaleidoscope. The performance will be from noon to 3 p.m.
A showcase featuring Flam Chen starts at 7 p.m. in Murphy Park’s E. Lowell Rogers Amphitheatre. The collaborative performance will incorporate costuming, choreography, puppetry, stilt-walking, music, and other circus and fire arts. A full schedule of events, activations and performances will be available in January.
Applications are available here for artisans, food vendors and exhibitors interested in participating in the event.