Downtown concert series returning to Casa

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on June 6, 2024.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Joel Stretch from Starpainter performs during the announcement for this year's Upside Downtown concert series, on Wednesday at Casa's Rotary Square.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

The Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge has announced this year’s concert lineup for the Upside Downtown concert series that will take place at Casa throughout the summer at Rotary Square.

Steven Foord, manager of engagement for the AAC, talked to media about the series prior to a launch event Wednesday.

“We’ve been running them since 2001 outside in front of Casa primarily featuring local talents, like local bands and also an art element,” said Foord.

The event is free and is family friendly, where everyone can attend every Thursday through July and August from 5 to 7 p.m.

“We’ve been very fortunate, we’ve had a kind of a built-in audience so it’s a great way of exposing some of these new and emerging bands,” said Foord.

He said Lethbridge is very rich in talent when it comes to music and the arts in general, but the concert series focuses on the musical side of things.

Those in attendance can enjoy a variety of food trucks while seating in the shade through the hot summer days of July and August listening to local talent.

Foord highlighted the importance of having this type of event in the downtown core, as a way of giving people an opportunity to take in the vibrancy of the area.

“You’re walking around downtown, you hear the music and wonder where the music is coming from, you come down and just participate and it’s really good to see people out in the downtown area,” said Foord.

He said the concert series in only one of the many events taking place over the summer downtown . Also, while taking part in events, residents are encouraged to check out the surrounding areas, where they can find galleries and other ways to enjoy the art side of Lethbridge.

“The gallery will be open, we actually have some art kiosks that will be on the square here as well including sort of a mobile piece that will be out just for these upside downtown concerts,” said Foord.

He added that those attending concerts can take the opportunity to venture inside Casa to check out the art displays as well as to learn about the different programs being offered.

Foord also suggests checking out the Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge website to get information about the various events and other activities that can be enjoyed across the city, while people are out and about and do not want their outing to end just yet.

“The best place to do that would be yqlarts.ca which will lead you to our new comprehensive arts calendar which has a little bit of everything that’s going on in Lethbridge,” said Foord.

He said people can look up what is happening around them by location, including activities like concerts, comedy shows and workshops among many others.

“You can be at a restaurant and you want to know what’s going on tonight, you can find the different events around you within a kilometer radius,” said Foord.