Open Arts & Music Festival returns to Glendale Saturday
The Open Arts & Music Festival, featuring live music, craft beers and various workshops, will return to Glendale for its second year on Saturday, but this time its location will change to the 200 block of Brand Boulevard, between California and Wilson avenues — a move from last year’s Central Park location.
The free event will be anchored by the performances of nine Los Angeles-based musical acts, which will include the indie folk group Run River North, Boogaloo Assassins — a 12-piece Latin band — and the Armenian folk group Element Band.
Jess Castillo, special events manager for Glendale Arts, which manages the Alex Theatre, said organizers searched for musical acts that were culturally and geographically relevant as well as those who could keep the attendees, who come from diverse backgrounds, entertained.
“We looked at who are the music artists in our community and who have been around but still offer exciting and surprising connections to the area,” she said. “For example, Element Band is a group that has deep connections with the Armenian community in Glendale.”
After getting feedback from the first event, the festival will change its previous format, which focused on children during the day and switched to programming for adults in the evening. This year, there will be activities for all ages throughout the event.
A craft beer garden stocked with concoctions from local and neighboring breweries will be in the forecourt at the Alex Theatre, accessible to adults. A kids area equipped with activities, such as a rock-climbing wall and petting zoo, will also be available.
In addition to the musical performances, an art market with more than 20 vendors will line Brand, offering activities for all ages as well as do-it-yourself workshops.
San Fernando Valley-based multimedia arts collective Y_NIS will return this year and set up various science, technology, engineering, arts and math programming inside an inflatable dome “garden” structure. Video projection art will be displayed during the evening.
Ruby Ríos, a co-founder of Y_NIS, said the bio-dome will drive the collective’s mission to integrate technology, art and design to create active installations in the community that reach children and adults.
“For this year, the dome garden is an immersive educational experience,” Ríos said. “We want to focus on creating a better empathetic integration with nature through our workshops.”
The Open Arts & Music Festival, presented by Glendale Arts and the Downtown Glendale Assn., will be held from 2 to 10 p.m. on Saturday.
For more information, visit openartsmusic.com.
Twitter: @JeffLanda
