Last year’s Fire & Story Festival brought audiences and artists en masse to the Bellingham waterfront. Between eclectic performances, light art and three massive fire pits, the event defied categorization — and its premise proved a welcome distraction from the usual January blues.
Now Fire & Story is returning to the waterfront for three more nights of song, story and community. The second annual festival runs Jan. 23–25 and is presented by Paper Whale, a nonprofit based in Bellingham.
Executive Director and Co-Founder Nick Hartrich said the scope of this year’s festival is a “significant leap.” Its lineup includes more than 70 performers, with acts ranging from poetry to performance art, music, storytelling, cirque, dance, metalworking and more. Festival goers can also enjoy more light art, a Nordic whiskey lounge and even a custom-built “sauna grove.”
With such a breadth of attractions, Hartrich said Fire & Story is carving a unique niche in the North American festival scene. He described the event as a “choose-your-own-adventure”: Whether you’re into folklore, fire dancing or experimental DJs, everyone has the freedom to “go and explore your own story.”
“Somebody’s into punk and metal fusion? Great. Go get that,” Hartrich said. “You want to go explore puppetry and dance and readings from a folklore library? You got it. If you would just want to cuddle up next fire and talk to strangers, you got that too.”
As for what ties it all together? Artistry and community are crucial, but Hartrich said the key is something more primal: wood-burning fire.
“Fire is in our DNA,” he said. “There’s something super sacred [and] mysterious, but familiar, about fire — and that’s the magic ingredient.”
Novelties in 2025
January isn’t usually prime festival time, but Hartrich said Fire & Story’s timing is intentional: “There’s a real need for people to connect with each other, with their community, in the darkest times of year.” That statement is backed up by numbers: More than 4,000 people showed up to the inaugural festival.
As with 2024, multidisciplinary performers are spread across themed stages, each anchored by sculptural fire pits made from reclaimed metal. Three of these “zones” — the Story, Song and Lore stages — will return in 2025 with scaled-up tent infrastructure. They’ll be joined by the Fable Lounge, a 21-plus zone with Doc Swinson whiskey, local brews on tap, live performances, DJs and even a “nightcap” variety show on Friday evening.
Other novelties include additional light art installations from femme metalwork collective Sparks Design dispersed throughout the festival site. Ticket holders can also reserve 50-minute slots in three custom-built saunas, located by a private fire pit and lounge area.
But while certain attractions are geared toward adults, Fire & Story is ultimately a family-friendly affair. Paper Whale is leaning further into interactive, all-ages performances like puppet shows and fire dancing.
Performer previews
This year’s Fire & Story will feature about double the number of performers compared to 2024. Many performances are participatory, inviting audience members to join the presenters in song.
Music lovers can enjoy shows from Jet Black Pearl and Bellingham’s own Energy Pyramid at the Song Stage. Additionally, writers and poets — including Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi, Becky Mandelbaum and Tennison S. Black — will read their works live at the Story Stage.
Storytellers range from Moth Story Slam winner Travis Abels to Nooksack elder/junior storytellers Skwetslátse’emót and Skwetslátse’elhót/Si’li’xw’tunawt, as well as Saanich Nation tribal member Paul Chiyokten Wagner.
“Storytelling is a very mild word in the English language, but for us, it’s our teachings, it’s our understandings, it’s our histories and our truths,” Wagner said. “ … It’s extremely important — relevant, rather — that [Fire & Story] is happening at this time when we would be doing these epic, three-day stories that some of us still tell.”
While Wagner specializes in Coast Salish stories and flute music, Abels is currently touring his one-person show, “Things I Hide From Dad,” about “growing up as the son of a Midwest preacher.” The Portland-based performer was intrigued by Fire & Story’s goal to “infuse a dark time with so much warmth and light.”
“There’s an inherent risk involved, to share some part of yourself with the outside world. In taking that risk, we open up the possibility of connecting a little bit more,” Abels said. Straying further from that comfort zone — or rather, telling stories in the cold — “can only enhance the possibility for connection.”
Other acts are experimental in nature, particularly those at the Lore Stage. Friday’s lineup includes spoken word, dance, puppetry, live glassblowing and more. On Saturday, Orcas Dance Collective will perform against a backdrop of live music and metalwork demonstrations.
But not all the artistry at Fire & Story is performance-based. All four fire pits were constructed by local fabricators — Blackfin Design and Fabrication, Tilt Shift Design Studio and David Kitts Metal Arts — who normally work on residential and commercial projects.
“Everybody’s an artist in their own right,” Hartrich said. “One of Paper Whale’s goals is to find all of these unique artists in our community and bring them together, so that we can celebrate and showcase their art collectively.”
Last year Kitts created Virgil, a spinning fireplace named in homage to the Roman poet. Now he’s building an additional 12-foot-tall fire pit for the Fable Lounge, which features artwork by local artist Sienna Dawn. Virgil will also make a return, and Kitts recruited his roommate to construct a sphere-shaped “ornamental burn piece” for the installation.
For Kitts, Fire & Story fosters both inspiration and a “growing camaraderie” with other local fabricators and artisans. It’s also an excuse to stretch creative boundaries: “If we get to keep doing this event for the coming years,” Kitts continued, “you might see some pretty spectacular stuff down there.”
Cultural impact
Bringing Fire & Story to life required four months of continuous work, despite limited staffing. But while the event sounds ambitious on paper, Hartrich said that’s what Paper Whale does best: “We choose an ambitious project, and we execute it well.”
As a 501 c-3 nonprofit, Paper Whale’s work is made possible through community support, business sponsorships and grants from the City of Bellingham, Bellingham/Whatcom County Tourism and the Port of Bellingham. The nonprofit also hosts the Noisy Waters Mural Festival in August.
Hartrich believes thriving communities need artists; to keep up with planned development in Bellingham’s Old Town, Paper Whale will convert their fabrication studio into a workshop and performing arts space in 2025.
Half of this space will serve as a high-end architectural shop, and the rest will be Paper Whale’s production/performance studio. Hartrich also hopes to host educational events and continue Paper Whale’s speaker series.
“Paper Whale is really good at experimenting in the public space … trying things out, innovating, throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks,” Hartrich said. “We’re still super young, but we’re evolving to really fit those needs that the community is asking for.”
Fire & Story runs Thursday–Friday, Jan. 23–25 at the Bellingham waterfront. Single-night passes are $15, and three-night passes are $30. Performer lineups, schedules and maps can be found online. Info: fireandstory.com.
Cocoa Laney is CDN’s lifestyle editor; reach her at cocoalaney@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 128.
