A popular waterfront festival is returning to Bellingham to kick off the new year.
Paper Whale is the organizer of the upcoming Fire and Story festival, which will take place in the same location as earlier festivals, near the pump track. This year, Paper Whale plans to include more fires and more Immersive art, as well as larger family and children’s areas, and a larger food court.
This is the third year for the festival, a three-night event that includes metalsmithing, fire dancing, performance art, music, indigenous storytelling, and saunas. The event is held outdoors both to honor the spirit of winter and the sometimes wet and frigid weather. Organizers suggest that attendees dress in layers, wear muck boots and rain gear, and bring an umbrella, something most people in the Pacific Northwest never use.
This year’s event is still being finalized but should follow the design of previous celebrations. Last time, there were six firepits spaced around the perimeter: story; food and drink; fable 21+; song; sauna grove; and lore. This year there will be five, each one creating a performance space where people can gather and listen to songs and stories from live performers.
Over 100 performers will take part in the three-day event, each creating stories and visuals for audiences of all ages. Fire and Story is scheduled for January 22 weekend. Events like this can benefit from colorful advertising, which organizers can create using poster printing.
