LEAF Festival Returns to Lake Eden: Honoring ‘World Changers’
Thousands are once again set to gather at Lake Eden in Black Mountain for the annual LEAF festival this October. Organized by LEAF Global Arts, the festival has gained renown for its focused steering of global cultures straight to Black Mountain through various forms of art, especially music. With a unique theme each year that is pressed into the fabric of the festival, this year’s theme beams brightly as ‘World Changers’
Jennifer Pickering, the founder and co-executive director of LEAF Global Arts, has expressed that the current theme aims to celebrate artists who have been pivotal to their communities. As she puts it, “Recognizing how artists who are so dedicated to their music, to their craft, to their culture, to their traditions, They’re doing their working in their communities and beyond, not just for enjoyment, but also to make social change.”
Community Involvement and Artistic Variety
LEAF, while being a festival of global reach, also strives to be a local festival. The organizers make deliberate efforts to include and represent the community as much as possible. According to the artistic operations coordinator, Kyrie Antoinette, the selection of artists to headline at LEAF follows a ‘roadmap’ that aspires to achieve a beautiful range of genres and cultures. By promoting diversity, the festival underscores the presence of world music in Appalachia.
“It really is in that mix of so many different genres and places and spaces that make up the area,” Pickering explained when asked about the festival’s wide-ranging appeal.
New Features at This Year’s Festival
Among some of the freshly minted features this year, audiences can look forward to a global fashion show created specially for children and the introduction of a World Drum Day. Drum circles, a longstanding tradition at LEAF, have been reimagined to be accessible for all ages. A more family-centric approach to the drum circle has been adopted to promote inclusivity.
The idea for the World Drum Day, according to Pickering, sprung from a simple notion drafted at the Bush Farmhouse, with the thought to unify the world at a time when it seems to be tearing apart. The World Drum Day will be launched at LEAF on Oct. 19 and will continue until noon the next day. All will be invited to participate, whether they are on site at the festival or not, using any drum-like objects from pots and pans to laps, as long as they are drumming.
A Festival for Generations
The endearing charm of LEAF has secured the loyalty of many festival goers, who return year after year, memories being made and connections being forged within the community space of Lake Eden. Pickering aptly describes the festival saying, “LEAF is really the festival if you want to do something with your whole family or you want to bring your kids or bring your grandkids. You don’t grow out of it, you just grow into a different way of being at it as your life changes.”
The 2024 LEAF festival is booked for Oct. 17-20 at Lake Eden. Festival-goers are encouraged to secure tickets via the festival’s official website – theleaf.org.
