The 38th annual Flurry Festival returns to downtown Saratoga Springs Thursday, Feb. 13 through Saturday, Feb. 15, filling the Saratoga Springs City Center and surrounding venues with traditional music and dance. More than 3,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which features 222 sessions across the three-day event.
The festival brings together a large range of genres, including contra, swing, Cajun and Zydeco, Balkan and Scandinavian dance, Irish, tap, Latin and English country dance. Saturday evening will include a Mardi Gras-themed track, while late-night offerings feature technocontra, squares, blues and balfolk parties, and DJ-driven fusion dancing.
Jonathan Greene, Program Curator of the Flurry Festival, emphasized the event brings energy to the city during a quiet time of year and invites the whole community to participate. Programming extends beyond dancing to include concerts and showcases, instrument workshops, singing sessions, presentations and discussions, jams, storytelling, family programming, and food and craft vendors.
The festival welcomes beginners and people of all ages and abilities, with no partner required and instruction offered at multiple levels. A newcomer orientation takes place at 5 p.m. Friday, followed by a 6 p.m. “Discovery Hour” of introductory sessions designed to help participants sample new styles. Four Friday afternoon pre-festival Intensive workshops provide focused instruction in Swing Dance, Latin Dance, Waltz Dancing or Vocal Harmony.
Saturday family programming will be free and open to the public at the Saratoga Springs Public Library from 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., including songs, stories, crafts, movement games and a family dance. Children’s, family and teen programming continues throughout the weekend, with intergenerational participation being a hallmark of the Flurry experience.
Full- or partial-weekend tickets are available at a discount online through Thursday, Feb. 6, with tickets for all days also available at the door. Special rates are offered for seniors and attendees under 26, scholarship tickets are available, and children 12 and under attend free.
For full schedule details and tickets, click here.
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