The big day is Saturday when hundreds of artists will occupy Hemisfair from 7 p.m. to midnight. The festival continues Sunday with art workshops and brunches at Hemisfair during the day, and a performance by chamber group Agarita and artist Chuck Drew in the evening at Mission San Jose on the South Side.
The mission is “to bring the arts to downtown, but also to bring the arts to as many people as we can for free, and openly accessible,” Luminaria Executive Director Kathy Armstrong said.
This year, three quarters of the artists are from San Antonio in tribute to this city’s tricentennial celebration. There are more than 52 groups represented over the two days, but the number of artists range in the hundreds, Armstrong said.
On Saturday night, the main stage includes performances by Volcán, Nina Diaz and Buttercup, among other musical heavy-hitters. Other stages will feature more music, theater, poetry, dance and other performing arts.
“A really magical place this year will be along the River Walk near the Convention Center,” Armstrong said. “There will be an operatic piece performed down there; there will be interactive art.”
Browse our slideshow or visit Luminaria’s site to learn more about the featured artists.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Community Arts Day at Hemisfair will be composed of workshops, including one on DJ-ing and another on glass blowing, and brunches offering folks a chance to meet the artists. It will also include an artists market with CDs and artwork for sale. The brunches cost $35 each. A $5 donation is suggested for the workshops. Visit Luminaria’s Sunday schedule for more info.
At 4 p.m. Sunday at Mission San Jose, chamber ensemble Agarita will perform numerous pieces set to visuals by artist Chuck Drew.
“It’s a very ambitious program to get access to a historic site of that caliber, and to be able to have artists interpret that site and our history is pretty phenomenal,” Armstrong said. “That doesn’t happen every day.”
Contact Ben Olivo: 210-421-3932 | ben@saheron.com | @rbolivo on Twitter