Staff report
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — September 25, 2025
The Lotus World Music & Arts Festival opens tonight in downtown Bloomington, launching four days of global music, visual arts, and community celebration that runs through Sunday.
The festival begins with an opening concert at 7 p.m. at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater featuring the Krista Detor Band and Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Singer-songwriter Krista Detor will set the tone with her blend of humor and heartfelt storytelling, while two-time Grammy winner Simien promises a high-energy mix of Zydeco, funk, reggae, and blues.
Alongside the music, visual art will be on display throughout the weekend. The Seeds of Memory exhibit, honoring the artists and volunteers who brought the Lotus Festival parades to life over the years, opens tonight at the John Waldron Arts Center and runs nightly from 6 p.m. to midnight through Sunday. Admission is free.
The festival continues Friday and Saturday with a packed lineup across multiple venues, including performances from international acts such as Zar Electrik from Morocco/France, Cecilia from Canada, and Tsha from Finland, alongside U.S.-based groups like House of Waters and The Holiday Playboys. Sunday closes with afternoon shows at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, featuring Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer with Chao Tian, followed by a performance from local favorite Krista Detor.
Organizers from the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation say this year carries added importance as arts organizations nationwide face budget cuts. In a letter to the community, Lotus board chair Erica Penna and vice chair Daniel Reed emphasized the need for local support to sustain the festival’s mission of cultural diversity and artistic exchange.
“We made it through the pandemic, which sunk many great arts organizations,” the letter reads. “Now we are navigating the difficult waters of 2025, which has brought unprecedented cuts to diversity, educational and cultural programs and institutions nationwide.”
Festival passes and single-event tickets are available, with details and full schedules posted on the Lotus website.
The post Lotus World Music & Arts Festival kicks off tonight, runs through Sunday first appeared on The Bloomingtonian.
Forza Horizon 6 suffered a significant leak after the entire game was reportedly made available…
May 10, 2026 Imagine if the biggest, most influential businesses in this country came together…
Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss has released this week’s update as promised, and it adds…
It took nearly 50 years. WKRP in Cincinnati is no longer just a TV sitcom.…
The Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its 2026 Four-Person Scramble Golf Tournament Friday…
Growing up and spending all of his 44-years in Lead Hill and living on the…
This website uses cookies.