The third annual Fire & Story festival had people excited, both before and after the event.
Held this past Jan. 22-24, down by the waterfront off Granary Avenue, this event was produced by Paper Whale, a Bellingham-based nonprofit that aims to cultivate community in Bellingham.
One attendee who missed the event last year said they were eager to come this time: “I’d never been to another event quite like this, and I was curious to see! I love campfires and performing arts, and there’s lots of talented performers in Bellingham.”
The festival featured five stages – each with different types of art. The Lore Pavillion, for example, acted as a forge, with demos of blacksmithing and glassblowing.
The stages were all open to anyone, with the exception of the Fable Lounge, which was 21 and up. The event’s other main attractions included food trucks, stories, live music, dancing, saunas, art displays, and games.
Many of the musicians featured on the Song Stage or Fable Lounge stage were local acts like Smooth Kiwi, Checker Bloom, and The Hot Tomatoes. The final performance was from a Queen cover band from Seattle, Queen Mother.
“The Queen Mother performance was definitely my favorite,” said another attendee of the festival. “Seeing that concert outside in the freezing cold made it more fun – seeing the singer’s breath and being able to hear everyone singing in the open air.”
The other two main stages were the Wonder Dome and the Story Stage. The Wonder Dome held all manners of activities throughout the days, from crafts to dancing to music and light shows, and was geared more towards the younger audience members, many of them children.
The Story Stage, by contrast, showcased comedians, indigenous writers such as Rena Priest and Caskey Russell, and other dynamic storytellers.
Around the festival grounds, the many artistic displays included large light-show contraptions like the “Nautilus Deep Sea” by Sparks Designs, as well as a plethora of artistic firepits, which attendees would gather around.
One attendee from North Carolina said that the firepits were their favorite part of the event, and so too did Nick Hatrich, Paper Whale’s Executive Director and Co-founder.
“So many great fire installations, featuring incredible work from fabricators and metal artists in our community,” said Hatrich. “We take pride in our attention to detail and the overall vibe curated at this event.”
Another attendee said that the best part by far was “running into old and new friends, and performing onstage with the Shrimp Street Schnaaps Strumpets.”
The festival wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though: it was actually quite cold, as the attendee from North Carolina noted, wistfully wishing for “more indoor options.”
Another attendee noted too that “It would be great if the events were spread evenly throughout the festival hours,” particularly the majority of the final attractions taking place in the 21+ area, younger festival goers felt left out of the later antics.
Paper Whale assured us, however, that they were always taking actions to improve the festival.
“With our third festival underway, we’re always looking for ways to improve the attendee and artist experience,” noted Hatrich. “We’re focused on creating a safe environment that is also family-friendly. With 6 months of planning for a three-day event, we are prepared for most anything.”
Like many of the other festival attendees, Hatrich is already looking forward to next year.
“Sharing a diversity of stories is a big part of what we love to do,” explained Hatrich. “We work to recruit talent and showcase artists whose values reflect kindness, community, and always building towards something greater than the individual.“
This article was initially published in the Horizon’s sixth magazine issue, with a release date of April 22, 2026. Please check out the magazine on the newsstands while copies last!
