Lotus World Music & Arts Festival
October 1-4th, 2026
About The Festival
Lotus World Music & Arts Festival is a cornerstone of cultural enrichment dedicated to presenting more than 40 world-class musical performances and arts experiences with 25 top-tier musical artists over four days. Rooted in a deep tradition of exceptional music from around the world, Lotus is the premier world music festival in the Midwest, hosted in downtown Bloomington, IN.
The festival opening concert begins on Thursday at 7pm, Friday and Saturday evening showcases begin at 6:00pm, and the Sunday closing concerts begins at 3:00pm.
On Saturday afternoon, enjoy a family friendly immersive arts experience for all ages.
Lotus Education & Arts Foundation
We enact this mission in many ways. The Lotus World Music & Arts Festival is our most well-known initiative, but we offer a robust spring program called Lotus Blossoms as well. We also manage the Lotus Firebay, our community space for workshops, performances, and gatherings.
Communities we engage
A cornerstone of Lotus programming is a focus on engagement with under-served urban and rural communities. By presenting global music and arts experiences, Lotus strives to inspire a love of diversity in these communities.
Lotus Blossoms also serves populations that have limited opportunities to engage with in-person musical experiences, including those in retirement homes, preschools, detention centers, or economically disadvantaged communities.
Lotus through time.
By choosing the name “Lotus” for the Festival, the founders wished to equally honor our local heritage as well as the international scope of the musicians who come to perform. We are proud to celebrate Indiana musician Quinten “Lotus” Dickey as a partial namesake for our Festival, alongside the Lotus flower which has deep meaning in many cultures and religions and blooms all over the world — including right here in Indiana.
A gifted folk singer, songwriter, and musician from rural Orange County, Lotus Dickey (1911-1989) wrote beautiful songs that still speak to people from all walks of life.
Each year, the Lotus World Music & Arts Festival honors both Lotus inspirations: our logo evokes the flower, and we honor Lotus Dickey’s memory with a set of music, an interactive workshop, or a designated “Lotus Dickey Artist” that introduces new audiences to his music and the old-time traditions of the United States.
The History of the Lotus Festival
The first Lotus Festival was in 1994 (three small venues downtown; about 800 people attended). It was launched by a handful of people on the local music scene, including James Combs, (a rock musician in a band called Arson Garden), Shahyar Daneshgar (a classically trained musician from Teheran who had settled in Bloomington), and Lee Williams (a former booking agent).
The first Festival committee thought about calling the event the Bloomington World Music and Arts Festival but decided to go with “Lotus” instead for two main reasons. 1) The lotus flower grows all over the globe (including Lake Lemon in Monroe County); it expresses beauty and universality. 2) Many of the Festival planners had known the Orange County old-time musician Lotus Dickey (1911-1989). Lotus was a kind, curious, talented, and generous musician, and that spirit was something the planners wanted to capture with the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival.
Looking for a past artist?
The Lotus Team
Staff
Katarina Koch
Executive Director
Tamara Loewenthal
Artistic Director
Kirsten Payton
Associate Director of Production
Jenny Whittington
Administrative Assistant
Chaz Mottinger
Associate Director of Engagement
Todd Riggins
Volunteer Coordinator
Board of Directors
Yael Ksander, Vice Chair
Kathleen Hugo, Secretary
Wayne Jackson, Treasurer
Connie Cook Glen
Camryn Greer
Linda Handelsman
Mark Hurley
Brigitt Nasby
Daniel Reed
Steve Volan
Advisory Board
Scott Burgins
Jane Clay
Doug Eibling
Bob Flynn
Candice Foss
Kim Gray
Brandi Host
Jim Krause
Jillian Kinzie
Laura Plummer
Jennifer Riley Simone
Bridget Rinehimer
Michael Shermis
Peg Stice
Annie Stowers
Michael Valliant
Impact Reports
Over the last 25 years, Lotus has hosted nearly 575 artists or ensembles from 120+ different countries or culturally distinct regions. The Festival regularly attracts an unusually multi-generational audience, participation from local and regional ethnic/cultural communities, and a significant out-of-town population from across the state and across the country. Estimates in partnership with our local Visitors Bureau calculate that Bloomington enjoys an annual economic impact of ~$500,000 on each Festival weekend.