Highlight: Celebrating the New Year with Music and Fun
Photo by Montgomery Sheridan.
The 2018 loss of Burlington’s First Night festival was unfortunate, particularly to those who have attended annually. A Burlington tradition for over thirty years, First Night was a New Years festival dedicated to showing off a variety of local art for anyone and everyone in the area. After years of financial strain and cold temperatures dragging down attendance, the local festival folded, but was not forgotten.
Today we can think of First Night like a phoenix, because now (much like the mythical bird) a new festival has risen from its predecessor’s ashes to take its place, and ensure that Burlington doesn’t go a year without a New Years show.
Highlight 2019 is produced by Signal Kitchen and Burlington City Arts respectively, and aims to bring together “Vermont’s leading artists, doers and thinkers,” and showcase them to the community. In planning Highlight, the folks at the Bright Ideas Project knew it had to both perform well and reflect the Burlington’s current artistic persona. For this reason, they turned their ears to the community for suggestions and ideas for events. Everyone from artists, musicians, designers, community leaders, and even chefs have contributed to Highlight 2019’s expansive roster, for reasons ranging from entertainment to education to socializing.
Across the event’s catalogue is an array of local musical talent, starting with the Girl’s Rock Vermont Variety Show in the FlynnSpace, set to display the hard work done by the Girl’s Rock Vermont summer camp and its pupils, who have been using Big Heavy World’s studio as a practice space.
Alongside them stands events such as the one held by Jacob Greenberg, Mary Bonhag, Jessica Allen and Evan Premo as they perform works by American composer John Cage through the course of three separate rooms; or the one by Brett Hughes, who’ll be playing and jamming with honky-tonk and bluegrass players for six plus hours in the Soda Plant.
Even discounting those, the variety within Highlight’s musical arena is vast. Those seeking something more aimed at children can find the Mister Chris and Friends Band shows in the FlynnSpace, well known thanks to the “Mister Chris and Friends” PBS television show. At the same time, someone looking for a more classical show can attend Playing For Good, a string quartet of close friends and colleagues whose performance is set to feature the music of Mozart, Nordic countries and local Vermont composers, too.
Music, of course, is only one aspect of Highlight 2019. The festival includes plenty of gatherings and events of all varieties, such as the 2020 Ball: a ball on Burlington’s waterfront made to resemble those of the roaring 20s; or The Moth, a vast gathering of people from which ten are randomly selected to tell a story, each in hopes of telling the best one. Other events include improv comedy, circus arts, lantern making and even bonfires. Trust us when we say Highlight has you covered.
The festival runs from 11:30 AM to 12 PM on New Years day, with each event happening at its own place and time, the exact details of which can be found online on the Highlight website. We look forward to seeing you there!
Text by Thomas Himmield.
Photo courtesy of Highlight.