The annual Lotus World and Music Arts Festival is Thursday through Sunday in downtown Bloomington. This will be its 32nd year, with over 40 performances and about 19 artists from around the world.
It is an all-ages event giving the community a chance to experience different cultures, Lotus Education and Arts Foundation Executive Director Katarina Koch said. Besides performances, the festival will have dance workshops, art galleries, film screenings, live interviews with artists and food trucks.
Artists from China, Costa Rica, Estonia, Zimbabwe and Sweden will be part of the event. In its 32 years, the festival has had over 145 artists from different cultures and countries, Koch said.
“Diverse music is so good for your brain, so good for your heart, and it connects people together as community, and that is one of the most important things for us,” she said.
The festival will be spread out among different venues downtown, with the main sites being the Buskirk Chumley Theater, First Christian Church, the John Waldron Arts Center and 6th street.
Over $25,000 was raised to bring back the 6th street outdoor venue this year. The arts and food truck village has been expanded as well.
“Last year, we had to come up against some financial realities, and it pushed us to reduce, we had to reduce venues and we had to reduce artists and make our footprint smaller,” Koch said.
This year, Koch said it will be a larger and more vibrant experience. The event is ticketed and times vary each day.
