The annual Living Windows Festival will return to Columbia on Friday. Dancing ballerinas and live music have all been part of The District’s downtown Living Windows Festival in the past.
The Living Windows Festival is an event in which participating downtown businesses stage performances in their shop windows. Each participating business has its own theme usually accompanied by performances.
Past performances ranged from “Jingle Bells” inspired musicals to “Alice in Wonderland” plays.
Bluestem Missouri Crafts has been participating in the festival for over 25 years of the 33 years it’s been in business. Its living window performances have been different each year. Back in 2013, Bluestem staged a “Jingle Bells” musical, and the theme for this year includes a crafted train filled with letters to Santa, written by children who walk by the shop during the festival.
Sandy Litecky of Bluestem said the business takes downtown events very seriously, and tries to create living windows that entertain people.
“We all take this very seriously, so we think about it, it’s not something you throw at the last minute. You have to prepare for it and decorate your window,” Litecky said.
The event is competitive. Katie Essing, director for the Downtown Community Improvement Board, said that judges walk around downtown from business to business judging performances.
The first and second place winners receive advertising from, the Columbia Daily Tribune, the festival sponsor.
The majority of the event is located between 8th and 9th street, and takes place on Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.