Upside Downtown festival marks return for AAC events

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on March 22, 2022.

Herald photo by Justin Seward Paul Kype & Texas Flood played at the Upside Downtown Music Festival.

The Upside Downtown Winter Festival allowed many local musicians to play in front of a crowd during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Southminster United Church on Saturday.
“It really is about providing our local performers an opportunity and an opportunity for the people of Lethbridge to come and support them,” said Tara Gillanders, projects manager for the Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge.
“It’s been an extremely hard two years for our performing artists here and so the federal government has supporting this festival and it’s just a great opportunity to listen to live music again.”
Gillanders agreed that this was the first large indoor event that the Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge has hosted in over two years.
“It’s what makes Lethbridge a wonderful and vibrant arts city – an arts city to live in – and we need to support our performing artists and they haven’t had places to play and they haven’t had opportunities to be paid.”
Attendees could listen to new edgy performers and blues music throughout the course of the weekend.
The AACL will be hosting an Upside Downtown Summer Edition at Rotary Square throughout July and August.