PHOTO: During her visit to the Arts Alive children’s venue, Maria Loconte, three, showed her artistic side as she contributed to a community painting, presented by Opus Art Supplies. (Troy Landreville photos/Langley Advance)
The one-way section of Fraser Highway in downtown Langley closed to traffic and turned into an outdoor art and performing studio on a sizzling hot Saturday.
The annual Arts Alive festival celebrated not only local artists, sculptors, potters, and performers from Langley, but from throughout the Lower Mainland.
A total of 240 artists, artisans, and crafters took part in this year’s festival, along with seven bands and one magician.
Despite the heat, between 20,000 and 25,000 people attended the event Aug. 20.
The difference from past years, noted organizer Teri James, was that due to the extreme heat, attendees didn’t stay as long as they had in past years.
But as far as the festival itself, James said it was “wonderful.”
“It was probably one of the most seamless that I’ve ever experienced in terms of the flow; vendors coming in and taking down,” James said. “Everybody who came had a good time, and with the vendors, I had nothing but positive feedback. They all thought it was awesome. I can’t remember the last time I had negative feedback from people.”
