** This story has been updated
Surrey will be home to a new arts festival starting a year from now.
Two years in the making, so far, Surrey Festival of the Arts aims to feature music, theatre, dance, visual arts and more.
Details about the “major new cultural arts initiative” were announced Friday (Aug. 18) during an hour-long launch event at Surrey Civic Plaza.
The inaugural festival is planned as a two-day event at Cloverdale’s Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre in August 2024, according to John Kearns, chair of the not-for-profit society organizing the festival.
“We hope people get engaged in what we hope will be a signature Surrey event over the coming years,” said Kearns, who welcomes sponsors and partners to get involved in planning the arts festival.
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^^ Spirit of Surrey dance group at launch event of new Surrey Festival of the Arts, coming in August 2024 to Cloverdale. pic.twitter.com/ELEOGZ2S61
— Tom Zillich (@TomZillich) August 18, 2023
Orchestral “Sweet Child o’ Mine” at launch event for Surrey Festival of the Arts, coming to Cloverdale Fairgrounds a year from now. Sponsors and backers sought. @SurreyNowLeader
— Tom Zillich (@TomZillich) August 18, 2023
STORY: https://t.co/SbX06JK8fS pic.twitter.com/Y37lJ2j1nc
The Surrey Festival of the Arts concept was born in May 2020 during the COVID lockdown, said Kearns, general manager of Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel.
“Our short-term vision is to have an event next year at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds and we’d like to see this grow to become a borough-by-borough festival that would include Newton, Cloverdale, South Surrey and other neighbourhoods — that’s our five-year vision, let’s say.”
The event will aim to be multicultural and attract participation from all of Surrey’s “diverse and multicultural communities,” Kearns added.
“We looked at it initially as a ticketed event but there’s a lot more work to be done on it, planning, so we’ll have more to say about that over the next few months, into next year.”
On a stage set up in the plaza, performers Friday included Surrey City Orchestra, bluegrass band Jackson Hollow, Spirit of Surrey Dance group, singer/guitarist Gaz Beaumont, vocalist Karen-Lee Batten and Folk Star Arts Academy.
Speakers were co-emcees Bruce Hayne (treasurer of the festival’s organizing committee) and Neesha Hothi, along with Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and Kevin Kelly of Kwantlen First Nation.
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Ellen Farrugia, co-founder of Surrey City Orchestra and member of the arts festival board, said the festival will focus on professional artists who live in and around Surrey, with evening headliners.
“It will feature all that Surrey offers in terms of the arts, which is a lot,” Farrugia said. “We’d also like to showcase young musicians and artists who live in Surrey and hopefully won’t leave Surrey — but many of them do.”
Potter Pat Schendel, who has lived in Surrey for more than 40 years, worked on her art during Friday’s launch event.
“I think a festival like this is a wonderful opportunity to bring artists together, to bring people together, those who appreciate art,” she said.
“The festival will be a showcase for our art displays, our pottery, and I would hope to have some friends of mine from the Fraser Valley Potters Guild there, too. I’m representing the guild here today,” Schendel added.
“We have a group of more than 100 members and our base is at Kwantlen university. We’d like to show a cross-section of our work and have it there for sale. It’s a wonderful outlet.”
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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