Over 25 international artists come together September 28 – October 1 in Bloomington, Indiana, for the 24th annual Lotus World Music & Arts Festival. The four-day festival packs nine downtown venues with internationally recognized artists representing over 20 countries, including Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, Ethiopia, Denmark, India, and beyond. The music is as diverse as the geography, showcasing notes of folk, parranda, Ethio-jazz, Latinx alt-rock, polyphonic vocals, French fusion, Appalachian African-American, big Balkan brass, and more.

As the flagship program of the non-profit Lotus Education & Arts Foundation, the Lotus World Music & Arts Festival is one of the oldest world music festivals in the U.S. and the only one of its kind in Indiana. Established in 1994, the Festival now attracts more than 12,000 people to downtown Bloomington each fall for 4-5 days of music and arts from around the globe. Through the Festival, Lotus creates – on a grand scale – the rare opportunity for audiences to experience places far removed from their everyday routines and to broaden their worldview through the arts. In doing so, the Lotus World Music & Arts Festival contributes to the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation mission: to create opportunities to experience, celebrate, and explore the diversity of the world’s cultures, through music and the arts.

Festival passes and one-day tickets will be available beginning August 1. Free activities, family fun, parades, and visual arts are also available on Festival weekend. Preview artist and event details at lotusfest.org.

Science Sprouts is a new weekly science enrichment program designed especially for toddlers and their families. Toddlers are natural scientists, and Science Sprouts is a time for them to explore, experiment, and build a range of skills from physical development to social emotional development. Science Sprouts activities are designed and facilitated by early childhood specialists and involve hands-on exploration, live music, body movement, and a commitment to accurate science!
Two Sessions: 9:15 a.m. and 10 a.m.

John Cleese silly walks his way to the stage for an unforgettable afternoon of conversation and Q&A following Monty Python and the Holy Grail on the big screen. You just may finally find out the air-speed of an unladen swallow.

Learn to code from coding experts! At CoderDojo, children ages 7 to 17 learn skills such as building a website, creating an app or a game, and exploring technology in an informal, creative, and social environment. The program is free, laptops are provided, and it is co-taught by local computer programmers/engineers and WonderLab educators.