Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Burien’s magical 2017 Arts-A-Glow event will feature dozens of light art installations scattered throughout Dottie Harper Park’s mature fir tree forest this Saturday, Sept. 9.
Brazilian marching band VamoLa and polka band Smilin Scandinavians will provide the soundtrack to the free event, which runs from 5 – 10 p.m. Everyone is invited to walk in the lantern parade that winds through nearby Burien neighborhoods – beginning at 8 p.m. – and costumes are encouraged!
From small beginnings to a beloved community tradition – the history of Arts-A-Glow:
With the support of a Burien Arts & Culture grant, local artist Denise Henrikson created a small lantern making station and procession at the 2008 Burien Art Walk. In 2009, the Glow was transformed into a standalone event at Town Square Park that included lantern installations and music. The event continued to expand, and in 2011 it moved from Town Square to Dottie Harper Park to take advantage of the park’s forest beauty. That same year, local performer Lucia Neare performed an opera and performance piece, featuring dancing mice and clocks, to a crowd of 1,000 people.
“It was a spectacular event,” said Gina Kallman, Cultural Arts Supervisor and event manager for Arts-A-Glow. “That’s when we knew the Glow had reached a whole new level.”
Arts-a-Glow has been held at Dottie Harper Park ever since and continues to attract bigger crowds, growing from 50 people in 2008 to more than 2,500 in 2016. Each year, different artists and performers are invited. In addition to lantern making, there will be face painting, food trucks, and this year’s new bubble station! The variety in programming is part of what keeps people coming back each year. Even if you’ve attended in the past, you are guaranteed a new experience this year.
The B-Town Blog is proud to be a sponsor of this great local event, and here are some of our videos of previous ones:




Arts-A-Glow is sponsored by 4 Culture, Phoenix Tea, Burien Arts Association, The B-Town Blog, Westside Seattle, Washington State Arts Commission, Ignition NorthWest, Recology, and Collins Chiropractic.
The Arts-A-Glow Lantern Festival is a free event open to the public:

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, 5 – 10 p.m.
WHERE: Dottie Harper Park, 421 SW 146th Street (map below).

Learn more at www.burienwa.gov/GLOW.
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One reply on “REMINDER: 'Arts-A-Glow' promises a magical night this Saturday, Sept. 9”

  1. Along with her classical singing and her troupe of performers, I think it good history to recall that Lucia Neare was the person who helped the City of Burien “rediscover” Dottie Harper Park, which, at the time, had something of a seedy reputation among residents. Lucia really pushed for moving the festival to Dottie Harper Park, because she saw the park’s potential. And I think that move, along with Lucia’s transformation of the space with her performance, not only reinvigorated this wooded area but also helped propel Arts-A-Glow to a new level of celebration and participation.

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