With the sound of live music being heard up and down the street and the smell of various types of food, Bloomington was brought together to celebrate art and music in the community for the second night of the 31st annual Lotus Festival on Oct. 4.
The annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival celebrates world music, arts and cultures with lively performances from artists all around the globe for four days. This year, the festival showcased over 25 different artists and groups from around the world.
Performances were held in various locations in downtown Bloomington, such as the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, the Waldron Auditorium and First Christian Church. On Friday, artists like Maryna Krut, a Ukrainian singer and specialist on the bandura, and Las Guaracheras, an all-woman salsa group of six from Cali, Colombia, performed.
Outside of the venues, attendees were able to walk to the event’s food truck village or the arts village along Kirkwood Avenue in between watching performances or enjoying the lively nightlife of Bloomington. Some of the food truck options included The Crepe Outdoors, Pili’s Party Taco and Kebab on Wheels. In the arts village, kids were scattered around playing with hula hoops and sidewalk chalk with prompts like “draw your favorite animal” written on the ground.
As attendees explored the outside areas, music could be heard up and down the street from a few performers playing various instruments, such as the guitar and bongo drums. There were numerous things to experience both inside and outside at the festival.
While sitting in the arts village, one of the attendees, Nathan Bethel, a local Bloomington resident, said he was waiting to see the Indiana Slavic Choir, a group at IU that focuses on celebrating the East and South European folk singing traditions. The choir drew in a large crowd of people for their performance located in the middle of the arts village. A returning visitor said he tries to go to the Lotus Festival one or two nights every year, and he enjoys the opportunity to hear music that he would not ordinarily listen to.
“I mean, I think it’s a great thing for the community,” he said. “It’s one of the times where I think that IU and Bloomington kind of all get together and do something cultural.”
All around the event, there were volunteers helping to guide people or just answer questions about the event. A first-time volunteer, Marilyn King, said that the arts was one of the most important aspects of the Lotus Festival and that the attendees were able to see creativity and self-expression by the musicians and artists that performed.
“To be quite honest, I don’t think this festival would be possible if it weren't for the people that were just helping it happen,” she said. “So other people could just, you know, experience art and music from other cultures.”
People who enjoy going to Lotus Festival and are interested in becoming a volunteer can apply on their website.
More information about the Lotus Festival and the musical artists that performed this year can be found on their website.
