PHOTOS
29th Annual Lotus Festival showcases 23 artists







Amman & Ayaan Ali Bangash perform as part of the 29th annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival on Sept. 24, 2022. They both play the sarod — a staple in Indian music.
Olivia Bianco | IDS
Finnish folk band Kardemimmit performs Sept. 23, 2022, at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The group of four has been a favorite at the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival for almost a decade.
Alayna Wilkening | IDS
Audience members TJ Bloomfield and Adriana Caro-Gomez dance to the rhythm of traditional Middle Eastern music Sept. 23, 2022, during the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. Members of Salaam, an Arabic band, have performed across the nation spreading a message of peace.
Alayna Wilkening | IDS
Joanna Hyde plays the fiddle Sept. 23, 2022, on the Lotus Local Stage. Hyde is in an Irish traditional band with bandmate Tadhg O Meachair.
Alayna Wilkening | IDS
Members of Flying Balkan Laikas perform Sept. 24, 2022, at the 29th annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. The group is a Slavic folk and rock group.
Olivia Bianco | IDS
A member of Flying Balkan Laikas plays the guitar Sept. 24, 2022, at the 29th annunal Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. The festival began Thursday evening and ran through Sunday.
Olivia Bianco | IDS
A member of LADAMA sings Sept. 24, 2022, at the Fourth Street Tent at the 29th annunal Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. LADAMA is a group consisting of four women who describe themselves as "sisters in song, rhythm and spirit."
Olivia Bianco | IDS
Lemon Bucket Orkestra plays Sept. 24, 2022, at the Sixth Street Tent at the 29th annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. The group is a Balkan folk-punk brass band from Toronto.
Olivia Bianco | IDS
Salaam band founder Dena El Saffar plays the oud, a traditional Iraqi instrument, Sept. 23, 2022, during the 29th annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. El Saffar founded the band while studying at the Jacobs School of Music.
Alayna Wilkening | IDS
Members of the Volo Bogtrotters perform Sept. 23, 2022, at First Christian Church during the 29th annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. The ensemble played old-time fiddle music from the American midwest.
Alayna Wilkening | IDS
A member of the Nyansapo Highlife Band smiles at the crowd during an energetic set Sept. 23, 2022, at the 29th annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. The Chicago-based African band brought high energy and a variety of instruments to its performance.
Alayna Wilkening| IDS
A member of the Nyansapo Highlife Band plays the trumpet Sept. 23, 2022, in the Sixth Street Tent during the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. The group has over 30 years of experience and has been nominated for the Best African Highlife Band several times in the Chicago Music Awards.
Alayna Wilkening | IDS
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