The COVID-19 pandemic was still tearing across the globe when Penticton art crusaders and hubby and wife Paul Crawford and Julie Fowler opted to get serious about a concept Crawford had been pondering for some time.
The concept? A hugely ambitious multi-day, multi-venue arts and culture festival right here in Penticton, at a time of year when tourism is traditionally deadsville and locals are zombie-fied by three-plus months of winter.
And in March of 2022, Crawford, the curator of the Penticton Art Gallery, and Fowler, a consultant and co-creator of the celebrated Arts Wells Festival in Wells, BC, along with a ton of help and a horde of artists and performers, brought their vision to life.
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They called it Ignite the Arts. And it performed…pretty good.
As expected in a debut venture, some events worked while others weren’t quite so successful. Crowds ranged from standing room-only to tepid.
But considering it broached an entirely new frontier during an entirely new annual time slot, the signs of hope far outweighed the signs of negativity.
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That it also injected a dose of artsy vitality to humdrum pre-Easter Penticton certainly didn’t hurt. If you patronized the best events, you had a great time. And it quickly became one of PentictonNow's fave local happenings.
Now, two years later, we're just a few weeks from the third generation of Ignite the Arts. And it’s never looked better.
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This year, there are more venues, more artists, more events and more chances to see and/or experience something cool than ever. And more enthusiastic voices preaching its strengths too.
The Festival, as always, is divided into two distinct segments. The first, running seven days from Friday March 22 to Thursday March 28, is called "Community Week." It's quieter and calmer and made up of low-cost and no-cost local-ish events.
The second, running three days from Friday March 29 to Sunday March 31, is called "Festival Weekend." It's three straight days absolutely stacked with seemingly non-stop ticketed entertainment, all happening at nine downtown venues within walking distance of each other.
Nothing else in the entire calendar year can match it. But the full schedule (which you can find here) is absolutely massive.
So we thought we'd use our experience with the Festival to put together a guide of sorts – a wrap-up of the best bets during the 2024 Ignite the Arts Festival, in semi-chronological order and mixed in with a few comments from those most involved.
And lotsa pics.
Note that the schedule has not yet been finalized, therefore times are approximate.
Here then is our preview:
This is the opener of the entire festival. It's fun and it's casual and it's got a lot of beer and it features the always-lively unveiling of the latest batch of "Mini Murals" that ten lucky regional artists were commissioned to design and paint in January.
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In the past, this was known as the "Square Mini Mural Project." But this year artists have the option to create rectangular 4' x 2' paintings as well as square 4' x 4' ones. So "Square" has been dropped.
Each work will hang at the Cannery 'til the fall, when they'll be auctioned off to astute buyers.
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"Art Walks," where folks journey around town to galleries and art studios, partaking in a little entertainment and/or appies and refreshments along the way, have become a modern tradition in artsy Penticton.
A couple dozen venues, ranging from "Cormier's Studio" on Vancouver Hill in the east to the Cannery Trade Centre in the west (a big Art Walk hot spot headed by studios like "Speckled Row"), will participate in this one.
And Tristan Boisvert, managing director of Art Walk organizing body Penticton & District Community Arts Council, wants folks to know they're super psyched about both the Walk and the Festival.
"In fact," they said, "we're looking to expand and improve upon the Art Walk to take it beyond simply going from place to place."
We asked for details and Boisvert obliged.
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"We're looking to bring back street entertainment to the Ignite Art Walk and to future Art Walks," they said. "Any interested business or gallery, part of the Walk or not, or any buskers or street performers can contact us for more info."
As for Ignite, the P&DCAC is more enthusiastic than ever.
"We’ve had some really big Ignite the Arts meetings this year," they said. "Far bigger than last year. There's momentum now. People believe Penticton can become the arts and culture capital of BC."
Technically one of the stops in the Community Art Walk above, Aurora Matheson Gallery in the 200 block of Martin -- and its adjoining outdoor space -- is entirely worthy of its own listing.
PentictonNow dropped by during the 2023 Art Walk and found a glorious amalgamation of art and entertainment where one could easily hang out for an hour or more. This year promises to be upgraded beyond even that.
Like last year, Aurora founder Renee Matheson promises nifty stuff like in-person sculptor exhibitions, in-person painter exhibitions, lots of artsy displays and the cool song stylings of Yanti and friends.
And a "Family Sculpture Contest" that any familial entity can enter.
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But this year there'll also be an ice sculptor (highly regarded Canadian ice sculptor Aaron Grant) and freshly made Mexican fare from the Fiesta Mexicana food truck.
The place will be a mini party with tons to see, hear and do...and eat. For more info on Sculpture Day, including the lowdown on registering for the Family Sculpture Contest, head here and click the "Show More" button.
The opening of Ignite the Arts means an exhibition opening at Penticton Art Gallery too. And this year, that exhibition will be, as it often is with Paul Crawford in charge, thought-provoking.
The main exhibit is entitled "Gifts of Madness." To quote the Art Gallery media release, it's a "Mad Pride mental health-themed art exhibition that will show the Yin Yang duality of both the negative and positive experience and all the grey areas in between the complex spectrum of living with a mental illness."
Considering how many Canadians will suffer from some form of mental illness in their lifetime (some estimates are as high as one in three), Gifts of Madness should appeal to many.
The companion exhibit is "M.A.I.D. in Canada," an exploration of Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Program. This is especially topical right now as the Canadian government just recently delayed 'til 2027 the expansion of assisted dying to include those suffering solely from mental illness.
These are difficult subjects, but we suspect Crawford and team will handle them with the dignity they deserve.
A new event to the region, Snpinktn Speaking is a monthly gathering that celebrates the art of the spoken word performance.
The freebie happening presents local poets and performing artists and also features an "open mic" session for anyone brave enough to step up and get involved.
Your reward? We hope it's a bevy of coffee-house beatniks snapping their fingers.
We’ve heard good things about Snpinktn Speaking from people like Renee Matheson of Aurora Matheson Gallery, Tristan Boisvert of the P&DCAC and Ignite co-founder Paul Crawford. It's free to attend.
One of our favourite events during last year's Ignite the Arts was the Youth Songwriting Camp. We stopped by for the learning/rehearsal phase during Community Week, then again for the final performances during the Festival Weekend. Both were immensely impressive.
Apparently we weren’t the only ones who thought so. This year, there's not only another Youth Songwriting Camp, there's also one for grown-ups.
Registration for both will continue through to March 20. And according to Academy executive director Catherine Jones, there's still plenty of space available. For more info and/or to register, go to the Academy site here and click the appropriate buttons.
A multi-hour showcase of high-grade Indigenous musicians, songwriters and performers, the 2Rivers Remix Movable Feast is a hugely entertaining event now in its third iteration that's made that much better by being in the acoustically awesome confines of Cleland Theatre.
One other thing. It's absolutely free.
So why hasn't it drawn oodles of fans in each of its previous two years? We asked Ignite co-boss Paul Crawford, and he's at the same loss we are. It deserves the attention.
This year the Moveable Feast features peeps like Leela Gilday, The Melawmen Collective and Saltwater Hank. To attend, pre-register here and/or just get yourself to Cleland for 7 pm, March 28.
Ignite the Arts swings into high gear with this, the wild and crazy kick-off to the three-day entertainment extravaganza known as "Festival Weekend."
The action begins at 6 pm Friday evening at the Elks Hall parking lot with a traditional welcome, then continues with the formation of the third annual "Parade for No Reason."
Proudly raucous, the parade, now bigger than ever and led by unofficial Ignite signature band Balkan Shmalkan and anyone who wants to dance and/or make noise, will snake through the downtown core, stopping for pics and general revelry along the way.
Once back at the Elks Hall, there'll be a mesmerizing outdoor "firespinning" routine that leads into several hours of indoor partying.
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Looking for a place to get a little freaky, maybe a little zoned out, maybe a little mellow, man? There'll be few better bets this spring than the ambient/experimental music stage set up during the final Ignite weekend at collective art gallery Legacy Den in the 400 block of Main.
Festival co-founder Paul Crawford is especially psyched about this one, drawing our attention to it early and calling it "really cool."
"They'll have several renowned analog synth players," he said. "People like J Daniel Cramer, Shawn Pinchbeck and Heidi Chan."
There'll also be opportunities for the public to try out their synthy skills and even experiment with a theremin (think Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations"). Crawford says to expect "freeform jamming" and hopefully a light show too.
Britbar (formerly Brexit Pub) owner Martyn Lewis has become one of Ignite the Arts' biggest fans. Buoyed by a successful partnership last year, Lewis opened his venue completely to festival organizers in 2024, and they responded by loading his club with 20-plus hours of funky grooves spread over two days.
Performances will begin at dinner hour Friday and finish at midnight, then pick up again at noon Saturday and not stop 'til 3 am.
We're talking primarily hip hop and EDM (electronic dance music), though there will be splashes of other styles/subgenres too.
Expect a lot of skilled rappers (like Vancouver's lightning-fast Kia Kadiri), a lot of multitalented DJs (like spinner/flautist "Lady of the Mist"), and workshops during the daytime hours for those trying to develop their chops.
"I think Ignite is the best thing Penticton's got," said Lewis, "with Fest of Ale coming in second. It's way better than the hype that surrounds it. If anything, it should be more hyped. It's amazing."
You know those adult and youth songwriting bootcamps we referenced earlier? This is the weekend they get to show off all they've learned.
The grownups take the Dream Café stage Friday evening at 8, the kids do the same Saturday morning at 11. We watched the latter in 2023. It was awesome.
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One could argue, quite effectively, that the Elks Hall is the Festival Weekend epicenter. The March 29 opening parade starts there, followed by a ton of entertainment on both floors over the next three days.
And Elks prez Laurie Kidd couldn’t be happier.
"As a club," he said, "we're working real hard to make a transition from solely an old people's club to a community club, a meeting place.
"So Paul and his crew at the Art Gallery got this thing geared up last year and we were one of the major venues. And we were totally blown away by the quality of the acts and the variety. There was something for everybody."
Kidd's right. It was a non-stop variety show.
Lineup highlights this year include celebrated kids/all-ages entertainer Al Simmons (Friday evening 7:30 and again Saturday afternoon at 4), two straight hours of kids' programming featuring singers/dancers/part-time clowns "The Myrtle Sisters" Saturday afternoon, and a Saturday evening dance party with a bevy (there's that word again) of talented musicians.
Ignite co-founders Paul Crawford and Julie Fowler are emphatic – building bridges between the original occupants of this land and those who colonized it is key.
And with the Wolf Trail Fashion Show, an entirely new Ignite the Arts event held inside the SS Sicamous, they feel they're taking steps in that direction.
"We had a meeting with the Sicamous," said Fowler, "and we connected them with the Ullus Collective, a group of Indigenous artists across the Okanagan, and now it’s come together that we'll have an Indigenous fashion show called the Wolf's Trail at the Sicamous."
"It's all about building bridges and Indigenizing spaces," added Crawford, "and it's kind of cool that these two unlikely partners are creating what will probably be a pretty remarkable event."
PentictonNow somehow got in the door of a sold-right-out Tempest Theatre during the 2023 Ignite the Arts Festival to experience one of the event's star attractions – the One Minute Play Festival.
The audience was going bananas and for good reason. The product they were enjoying – a string of one-minute plays written and performed by anyone who'd submitted an approved script – was riotous. And sometimes just impactful.
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In 2024 the One Minute Plays (and the judging) begins at 6 pm, Saturday March 30 and last a couple hours. And that's followed by a series of four Ten-Minute plays starring the Tempest Ensemble. It's sure to be one of the hippest and most involving theatrical evenings of the year.
Those who'd like to participate can submit their One-Minute Play script in advance right here.
By dinner hour Sunday, March 31, the 2024 Ignite the Arts Festival will be all but over. And there'll undoubtedly be a bunch of sleepy people in Penticton.
But for those with a little energy left over, there's always the final gig of the event – two hours at the Elks Hall upper floor stage with a dynamic live band that's toured all over the country and a whole bunch of the world too.
They're called Shred Kelly and they lay out an infectious blend of alt, folk and rock.
Should be a solid end to the biggest Ignite yet.
Remember, for more info on the full festival, including all the stuff we didn’t have time for, head to the Ignite website here. To get a Festival Weekend all-access pass, do it here and use the discount code "FLAMEANDFORTUNE" to save yourself $25.
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