The fourth annual Alaska World Arts Festival kicks off in Homer on Sept. 9.
The festival first came to fruition in 2019. After finding inspiration at another world arts festival, Festival Producer Sally Oberstien said she recognized that many of Homer's residents also had an affinity for the arts — so she went for it.
“We just went forward with a bunch of different ideas in terms of workshops and presentations, and everything from comedy, theater, music, dance — everything we could think of, the list is long. And I've met people all over the world in my travels and invited them. And here we are, year number four,” Oberstien said.
This year, the festival returns for 13 days of live, in-person events throughout the community. Homerites, along with out-of-state and even out-of-country attendees, are welcome to flock to the various locations around town or join virtually to enjoy the convergence of artist and audience.
Brad Anderson, executive director of the Homer Chamber of Commerce, said the festival is not just a celebration of Homer’s arts community. As the local tourism season winds down for the year and visitors start migrating out of Homer, he says local businesses will benefit from the late-season economic boost to stay open a bit longer into the fall.
“The timing of this is perfect, because we're always looking for ways to try to stretch out our season here and to bring visitors down while everything else is starting to wind down on the fishing side of our community,” Anderson said.
The festival ends Sept. 22 and will transition into the 18th annual DocFest put on by the Homer Theatre.
You can buy tickets and check out all of the events online at alaskaworldarts.org.
You can listen to the whole Coffee Table conversation here or on your favorite app.
