‘Illuminate the Night’ expands Winter Solstice celebration

LEAVENWORTH — On the longest night of the year, local musicians are inviting the community to join for song, movement and connection with the annual Illuminate the Night event on Dec. 20.

“Each year, this gathering takes on a new life of its own,” said Benjamin Jay Thomas, a member of Shine Song Collective and founder of local nonprofit Bring Forth.

Now in its fourth year, the winter solstice celebration has established itself as an annual tradition in the Leavenworth area. This year, the gathering will be presented by Bring Forth, and will expand into a full-evening event that is “part concert, part ceremony, part dance journey.”

“It’s about honoring the darkness and the quiet, but also celebrating the spark of light that emerges from within and among us. Especially now, practices like song and dance are super vital… they connect us to one another, bring us back to our bodies, and help us remember who we truly are,” said Thomas.

The night will feature Shine Song Collective alongside performances by Thomas, Nora B. Heath, A Hundred Miles, Hernan Savastano, Terry Pooler, and others. The evening will also include ecstatic dance guided by DJ Klarity, leading into a closing song and celebration as the solstice night unfolds.

The event will flow from intimate performances to Shine Song Collective’s guided concert, into a collective dance experience, closing with a circle of shared singing.

Illuminate the Night will be held at the Canyon Wren Hall at Icicle Creek Center for the Arts on Dec. 20. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the evening running until 11 p.m. Attendees are welcome to come for a portion of the evening, or stay for it all. Tickets and information are available at icicle.org.

Illuminate the Night is presented by Bring Forth, a Leavenworth-based songwriting studio and record label nonprofit cultivating and amplifying heart-centered creativity as a pathway to healing, transformation, and connection. Shine Song Collective is a community-driven initiative composed of individuals who share a passion for music and expression, celebrating the universal language of song.