March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 51 F

Columbia Festival of the Arts announces summer 2017 lineup

Columbia Festival of the ArtsThe Columbia Festival of the Arts is back in full swing this June with an exciting lineup of free and ticketed events.  The goal is to bring the community together to celebrate Columbia’s 50th birthday and the Festival’s 30th anniversary.

Free Opening Weekend on the Columbia Lakefront June 16, 17 & 18
This FREE weekend-long event on the lakefront in Columbia Town Center includes live music, an invitational arts and crafts show, special activities for the kids, and strolling performers.  As always, there will be plenty of food and drink, including a food festival sponsored by Whole Foods Market and a Howard County beer garden from Clyde’s of Columbia.

Dominating the LakeFest landscape and soaring 35 feet in the air throughout the weekend will be the United Kingdom’s Architects of Air: Katena Luminarium, a lighted inflatable sculpture that has been wowing audiences all over the world.  Festival goers will enter the sculpture on foot and be transported into an amazing world of architectural beauty, filled with subtle and saturated hues, creating a unique visual arts sensory experience.

Invitational Fine Arts & Crafts Show
The Festival’s juried, invitational show returns with 60 extraordinary artisans displaying and selling their one-of-a-kind artwork representing a breadth of media including functional and wearable art at a wide range of prices. Booths located through the Festival grounds.  Show hours are Friday, June 16, 5pm – 9pm, Saturday, June 17, Noon – 9pm, Sunday, June 18, Noon – 7pm.

Kids’ Arts & Crafts Activities

Presented in Partnership with KidzArt Howard County and . Children are invited to explore the visual arts with unique activities led by KidzArt, Howard County’s celebrated advocates of child creativity. Each session will last approximately 45 minutes. On-site registration is required as space is limited. There will be a special Father’s Day project for dad and child at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.  The Olenka School of Music will also be providing musical activities for the kids.

LakeStage Music Lineup

The LakeStage will be rocking all weekend with music from every genre.

Friday, June 16
5:00-6:00 p.m. – Cynthia Marie Trio.
6:15-7:15 p.m. – Columbia Concert Band
7:30-8:45 p.m. – Seth Kibel
9:00-10:30 p.m. – Donegal X-Press

Saturday, June 17
12:00-12:45 p.m. – Chaquis Maliq
1:00-2:15 p.m. – Columbia Jazz Band
2:30-3:45 p.m. – The Shrapnels
4:00-5:15 p.m. – Elikeh
5:30-7:00 p.m. – United States Navy Band Cruisers
7:00-7:20 p.m. – Happy 50th Birthday Columbia Celebration!
7:20-8:35 p.m. – Laney Jones and the Spirits
8:50-10:20 p.m. – Nelly’s Echo

Sunday, June 18
1:00-2:00 p.m. – Sarah Ragsdale
2:15-3:30 pm. – Anthony “Swamp Dog” Clark
3:45-5:15 p.m. – Junkyard Saints
5:30- 7:00 p.m. – Glenelg Jazz Ensemble

Aaron Neville Kicks Off Festival Ticketed Events 

Following the LakeFest Free Weekend, the soaring falsetto sounds of the Aaron Neville Duo, the legendary ambassador of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues, kicks off 7 days of ticketed events with a one performance only concert at the James Rouse Theatre on Sunday, June 18 at 7:30 pm.  Over his multiple Grammy-winning solo career, Neville has scored a string of hits including 1966’s #1 hit “Tell It Like It Is,” memorable duets with Linda Ronstadt including “Don’t Know Much” and a hugely popular cover of Main Ingredient’s “Everybody Plays the Fool.”

Other not to be missed 2017 Columbia Festival of the Arts performances include:

Stoop Storytelling Series: 50 Years of Cinema on Friday, June 23, 8 pm at Smith Theatre, Horowitz Center at Howard Community College.  The Stoop Storytelling Series is a popular event the Baltimore area in which 7 people get 7 minutes each to tell a true, personal tale on a shared theme in front of a live audience. Since its founding in 2006, The Stoop has featured the stories of close to 1,000 Baltimoreans.

Sprout Film Festival (Presented in Partnership with the Arc of Howard County and Autism Howard County) on Saturday, June 24, 4 pm, Monteabaro Hall, Horowitz Center at Howard Community College.  Poignant, beautiful, humorous and thought provoking short films created by, for and about individuals with disabilities. Sprout showcases films related to the field of developmental disabilities, fulfilling its mission to make the invisible visible.

Manual Cinema: The End of TV on Saturday, June 24, 8 pm, Smith Theatre, Horowitz Center at Howard Community College.  According to Ben Brantley of The New York Times, “This Chicago troupe is conjuring phantasms to die for…”  Told as a song cycle with live visuals, and set in post-industrial Detroit, Manual Cinema’s “The End of TV” peers through the neon reflections of late 20th century advertising and television culture and into the American imagination as it existed at the onset of the internet age. Using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multi-channel sound design, and a live music ensemble, Manual Cinema transforms the experience of attending the cinema and imbues it with liveness, ingenuity, and theatricality.

Sundance Shorts on Tour on June 25, 1 & 4 pm, Monteabaro Hall, Horowitz Center at Howard Community College.  Over the course of its 30-year history, Sundance has been widely considered the premier showcase for short films and the launching pad for many now prominent independent filmmakers.

Tickets are now on sale.  To secure your place at this year’s Festival, visit columbiafestival.org or call the Festival offices at 410-715-3044.

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