The 2nd annual Elevate Arts Festival is just around the corner
…and Downtown Courtenay is set to be transformed into a cultural kaleidoscope of live music, art, craft, poetry, participatory art, media projects, projections, tattoos, dj’s, puppets, spoken word, dance, fire and urban reclamation. From June 4 till June 8th the back alleys, halls, plazas, pubs, restaurants, galleries, nooks and crannies of Downtown Courtenay will be populated by a wild and wonderful array of culture creators and culture lovers.
With over 200 artists and performers taking part in 20 venues of activity over 5 days, the Elevate Arts Festival is making a major mark on the cultural core of the Comox Valley. Participants come from the local community and from across Vancouver Island, Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast. From Juno Award Winning Reggae Artist Elaine Lil Bit Shepherd to local soul pop wonder kid Des Larson and from shadow puppets and fiddles to circus arts and fire spinners, Elevate 2013 is shaping up to be a phenomenal week of arts and culture magic!
Over 50 local and visiting musicians will be sharing their songs and sounds with the community between the 4th and 8th. Elevate attendees will enjoy live music events at Zocalo, Union Street Grill, The Avalanche, The Venue Formerly Known as Joe’s Garage, Billy D’s, The Bridge and on small stages scattered throughout downtown. Be sure to check out the quirky and bizarre at the 2nd annual Underground Art Fair and discover unique exhibits at the Comox Valley Art Gallery and the Muir Gallery. Take a workshop in dance, music, knitting or photography. Create chalk art mandalas, build jet packs with the kids, watch screenprinters in action, join a CrowdSong, pick up a hula hoop, ride the bus for special surprises and dance dance dance in the streets!
Community Partners for Elevate 2013 include Imagine Comox Valley, Comox Valley Community Arts Council, Comox Valley Art Gallery, Sid Williams Theatre, Project Watershed, Downtown Courtenay BIA, City of Courtenay, BC Musician Magazine, Comox Valley Hospice, Elks Lodge #60, Aids Vancouver Island and many many others.
For detailed schedules, performer and artist bios, event details, maps and last minute opportunities get involved check out THE EPIC LIST. The Elevate Arts Festival is a grassroots, DIY, family friendly, volunteer-run cultural project. Elevate is FREE to the public and aims to break down barriers between culture creators and culture producers, to elevate the role of arts and culture in lives community and to encourage us to use culture as a tool to re-imagine the future of our community and the planet.
Are you the audience or are you the event? Find out at the Elevate Arts Festival!
