Fredericton’s Flourish Festival is happening this week. With an incredibly diverse lineup of art and performances, there truly is something for everyone.
Matt Carter
Photo by Tyler Cudmore.
By now, if you live in Fredericton, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Flourish, the multidisciplinary arts festival that has been helping many of us welcome the warm weather for the past six years. Since launching in 2014, Flourish has helped establish a place where contemporary art, music, theatre and comedy can coexist in a celebratory atmosphere grounded in equity, diversity and equality. And in doing so, they’ve helped broaden our idea of what a festival can be. If you thought you understood diversity in programming, think again. There truly is something for everyone happening under the Flourish banner. And this year, despite the continued challenges facing festivals around the world, is shaping up to be the most ambitious Flourish event yet.
Here’s what to expect:
Thursday June 10
The Guide: a Handbook and Workshop for becoming a Dungeon Master | Online Event | 7-9 p.m.
The Guide: a Handbook and Workshop for becoming a Dungeon Master is a workshop hosted by Emily Blair on being a Dungeon Master for Dungeons and Dragons. This will include a live discussion accompanied by The Guide. The Guide, written by Emily Blair, is meant to assist and encourage people to engage in a collaborative act of storytelling and playfulness that is unique to the world of roleplaying. Learn more.
Flourish Literary Show | The Cap Patio | 5:30 – 8 p.m.
Live reading and performances from Rebecca Salazar, Jenna Albert, Kelsey Klip, and Jocelyn Anderson. Digital readings from David R Elliott and live music performance by Lazermortis. Learn more.
Digital Dream Series | Live and Online | 9 – 11 p.m.
Free digital screenings of special live performances featuring Eliza Niemi, Eve Parker Finlay, Post Coal Prom Queen, Crystal Drew, Albert Dalton, and Maky Lavender. Learn more.
Friday June 11
Max Basics To Get The Ball Rolling | Online Event | 7-9 p.m.
Max Basics To Get The Ball Rolling is workshop for developing basic skills in Max 8 to seed ideas for future creative works, installations and sonification. Max8 is a visual programming language for the specialized needs of artists, educators, and researchers working with audio, visual media, and physical computing. Learn more.
Digital Dream Series | Live and Online | The Cap | 9 – 11 p.m.
Free digital screenings of special live performances featuring Book Buddies, Century Egg, LXVNDR, Dope.gng, Crystal Drew and Cryptozoologists. Learn more.
Motherhood + Flacko Finesse + Stephen Hero | Live at The Cap | 7 – 9:30 p.m.
What would a festival be without some live music? Better yet, what would a Fredericton arts-based festival be without a set from Motherhood? Feels like home. Learn more.
An-Laurence Higgins Artist Talk: “Come closer, I’ll tell you what I forgot.” | Online | 6-7 p.m.
Artist and musician An-Laurence will talk about the creative process at the origin of the story-telling solo performance “Come Closer, I’ll tell you what I forgot”, a work embodying the lost memory of transnational adoptees from China born under the birth planning policy (1979-2016). Learn more.
Saturday June 12
Comedy Brunch + Artifiseer + The Firey | The Cap | 10:30 – 2 p.m.
Comedy brunch featuring comedians Line Woods, Indigo Porier and more. PLUS live musical performances from Artifiseer and The Firey. Learn more.
Talking Troubles Workshop | Online Event | 2 – 4 p.m.
This 2-hour workshop will teach participants how to create and perform their own poetry by introducing them to the fundamentals and differences of the spoken word art form. Learn more.
Keith Hallett + Lil Omar + Emily Kennedy | The Cap | 3:30 – 6 p.m. | Learn more.
Three Fredericton musicians united for an afternoon of live music. Remember live music?
Sunset Superbloom Drag Show | All-Ages | Charlotte Street Arts Centre | 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Live and digital performances from: Freeda Whales, Heather Silk, Justin Toodeep, Luna Lafleur, Shelissa Dior and many more. Learn more.
Three of Cups | Live at Bellwether | 7-10 p.m.
Three of Cups is a multidisciplinary art project blending installation, ambient soundscapes, and tarot readings. Viewers will be asked to engage with the tarot cards on a guided journey through their innermost selves, led by an experienced interpreter, in a space whose sights and sounds will be artfully designed to be conducive to introspection. Learn more.
Keith Hallett + Klarka Weinwurm + Heat $heets | The Cap Patio | 7-9 p.m. | Learn more
A little louder, a little noisier. Two homeowners and a Sackville import. Guaranteed fun.
Midnight Superbloom Drag Show | Charlotte Street Arts Centre | 8:30 – 11:00 p.m.
Live and digital performances from: Freeda Whales, Heather Silk, Justin Toodeep, Luna Lafleur, Shelissa Dior and many more. Learn more.
Digital Dream Series | Live and Online | 9 – 11 p.m.
Free digital screenings of special live performances featuring Zamani, La Bise, Wrin, Cluttered, Designosaur, Crystal Drew, and illestpreacha.Learn more.
Sunday June 13
Les Hay Babies + Marian + Sadie & Fashion Show | 2:30 – 5:30 p.m. | The Cap
Live music from Les Hay Babies, Marian and Sadie PLUS Olivia Chrysostom and Sabrina Thibodeau present Queens of Colour (Fashion Show). Learn more.
Art Installations
Let’s not forget the wealth of artwork that will be on display throughout the downtown core. Combining various disciplines from audio and video, painting, knitting to multimedia interactive works, this year’s Flourish Installation series is guaranteed to blow your socks off.
You can find full descriptions of all the work on display plus an interactive map for your self-guided touring pleasure at flourish-fest.com/installations.
