Arts festival Alive and well
North Vancouver’s Dve Kytary Classical Guitar Duo, Don Strom (left) and Dan Zbytovsky, perform on the Fraser Highway one-way during the 16th annual Arts Alive celebrations held in downtown Langley on Aug. 15.
Email
Print
Letter to Editor
Share
Updated: August 18, 2009 4:01 PM
An estimated crowd of 14,000 attended the 16th Arts Alive festival on Saturday.
“The streets were packed all day and that was nice to see,” said Teri James, co-ordinator of the Langley Downtown Merchants Association which sponsors the annual event.
She said that merchants estimate that the crowd was between 3,000 and 4,000 higher than last year’s.
The festival showcases a broad range of artistic genre, and while it was started to promote local artists, it has proved so popular that about a third of the featured artists are from out of town.
And although the pool of artists who are attracted to the festival continues to grow “we would never turn local artists away,” James assured.
The Olympic mascots were a huge hit, James said.
Arts Alive has also evolved to become a popular event for families, she added.
“Over the years we have seen the value of providing free family festivals, and how they contribute to the community,” James said.
Organizers have not calculated how much money Arts Alive injects into Langley City’s economy, but James said that no merchant has ever complained that it’s a slower day than usual.
Arts Alive, which costs $8,000, receives sponsorship from Coast Capital Savings and the $60 registration fee which DLMA charges to each vendor.
“We appreciate the people who showed up,” James said. “People are obviously interested in art and culture in this community and that is why we continue.”
v2
