The annual South Pasadena Eclectic Music Festival & Art Walk was a huge hit for over a decade. Like the rest of the world, it took a break during the global quarantine. But planning is under way to bring it back in 2022, although it's run by the Chamber now, and I'm only a fan, not on the team. My partner Brad is - he curates the music, and performs there as well.
Launching that festival feels like a great measure of success. What I'm so happy to see is the institution of an idea that was the right fit for the community, and a product of its own untapped resources. Its one that had both a spark and a momentum of its own — I simply nudged it here and there, connected people and interpreted between them from time to time. Now, it has legs of its own, as the saying goes.
Several smaller events were spun off, quarterly. We called them Arts Crawls. After almost a decade of these, the City of South Pasadena gained new art galleries, art and music schools, hip restaurants and unique boutiques. Downtown South Pas maintained its Indie vibe and fought off the chains. Its merchants found new customers from all across the region. Its residents, some of whom had forgotten the resources in their own back yard, rediscovered them. And a few of them, ranging from Grammy winners to garage bands, got a chance to play for their friends and neighbors. Building Community. Creating a strong local economy through the arts. And doing it in a way that was organic, inclusive of locals yet appealing to outsiders, was the key.
Sometimes people with different skillsets but the same interests need an interpreter to connect. Sometimes merchants who are more comfortable working alone need an invitation to pull together for an evening, as a team. Sometimes musicians need promotion so their voice can be heard. Sometimes locals need to listen to hear what's right in front of them. All these concepts become a part of the visioning, budgeting and promotion of an event that's designed to brand a community or a destination, and become an interesting, lasting and bankable tradition.
Having been the captain of a few of these efforts and discovering ways that worked, and ones that didn't, I can assist you in creating your own arts event.