May 10, 2017 — The third annual FireFish Festival will once again transform downtown Lorain into an exciting stage for sizzling fire, arts performances and installations set to the rhythms of local and world musicians on Friday, October 6 from 5 to 10 pm and Saturday, October 7 from 2 to 11 pm. Bringing vibrancy and artistic sensibility to downtown Lorain, FireFish will continue to shine a light on the city's great beauty, with its miles of lake and river front and its majestic classic architecture as well as its long history of support of the arts.

The excitement of the FireFish Festival with its performances in unexpected places and percussion parade culminating in the burning of the ceremonial fish will be built upon this year expanding into two separate experiences with a concert on Friday night featuring an eclectic array of regionally acclaimed music groups to kick off the celebration. Visitors can join the party, dancing to the music from a main stage on Broadway, enjoy the dramatic art installations that will transform Lorain's store fronts and abandoned buildings and take in the make shift art galleries along Broadway. They can return on Saturday for non-stop family fun with music, dance, theatre, art and fire performers galore, both on stages and in the hidden alleys, empty storefronts, balconies and fire escapes on Broadway Avenue leading up to the festival's fiery finale. The 2017 festival will be even more unique than previous years, challenging visitors' sensibilities by transforming Broadway Avenue itself into a live piece of artwork including Kevin Jackson's brilliant video installation in which Lorain's old post office will come alive at night in an animated vibrant palette.

According to Executive Director James Levin, "We are excited to expand the Festival this year to two days, offering more opportunity for Northeastern Ohioans of all ages to experience this unforgettable one-of-a-kind festival. We are thrilled to be attracting high profile artists wanting to be a part of the creative FireFish experience and hope to continue to draw thousands of new visitors to this hidden gem on the water that is becoming known as an art mecca."

Teen arts apprentices from the FireFish Arts Summer STEAM Academy, located this year at the new LCCC Campana Center of Ideation and Invention will again be creating the centerpiece of the festival -- a giant FireFish sculpture that comes to life spewing fire. In this eight week intensive arts and job training program headed by artist Jim Gundlach, teen apprentices learn about themselves, work and life responsibilities by engaging in personal self-expression while also creating elements of the FireFish Festival with professional artists and staff at the Campana Center for Ideation and Invention's Fab Lab.

"We are proud to support the FireFish Festival and cultural events in the communities where we live and work," said Dee Lowery, president of the FirstEnergy Foundation, the presenting sponsor of the festival for the third year. "This is just another way FirstEnergy works to improve the quality of life for all our customers."

The FireFish Festival is part of FireFish Arts, founded in 2013, which is creating a bold new vision and model of arts event-based civic engagement, commerce, and enterprise through which downtown Lorain, the community, and region can work toward building a renewed creative economy.