Sat 9/21 @ 2-11PM
Because it’s out in Lorain, a lot of arty Cleveland types don’t know about the FireFish Festival, even though it’s been going on since 2015. It brings together creatives in the alleys and buildings around downtown Lorain’s Broadway to showcase work that artists, young people and community members have been creating in FireFish’s art programs throughout the year to turn Lorain into what they call “a living art tapestry.”
The day-long festival features music, dance, art installations, interactive family art activities, artisan vendors, food trucks, kinetic wind sculptures by Chuck Karnak (who created a memorable event on the Detroit-Superior Bridge trolley level earlier this summer), and circus performances by Sky Circus and Taylor Elana/Royal Rouge Circus, activating the downtown street into a bustling hive of creativity.
It all leads up to the big finale: the community parade to the waterfront and the burning of the FireFish. This year’s FireFish, they tell us, is the Salmon of Knowledge.
“The story of the Salmon of Knowledge is an Irish mythical tale that begins with a salmon living in a still, dark pool in the shade of the overhanging hazel trees,” they say. “The salmon eat the hazelnuts that fall into the Well of Wisdom, gaining all the world’s knowledge. Anyone who eats the salmon gains this knowledge.”
But there’s still more following the big burn. There’s an open mic session in which the audience can share their poetry, song or anything else they’ve created.
FireFish is free. Go here for more information.