Fire & Story

Fire & Story A mid-winter gathering of folk, light & lore in Bellingham, WA 🔥 January 27–30, 2027

If you’re missing the vibrant and creative charge from January, just know that we're feeling it too. But the fire doesn'...
02/26/2026

If you’re missing the vibrant and creative charge from January, just know that we're feeling it too. But the fire doesn't end with Fire & Story. Check out a few upcoming events from our friends around the region where art, ideas and community are still glowing:

✨ Rising Tide Series
Artist and changemaker Aaron Asis leads Paper Whale's speaker series on March 13 with a conversation about how art activates our cities, surfaces hidden stories and deepens connection.
Tickets: https://www.paper-whale.com/event-details/rising-tide-the-public-impact-of-public-art

🔥 Pilchuck Glass School
Ever watched molten glass move like fire? Pilchuck’s 1–2 day craft workshops and Spring Tours (April 22–25) let you step onto their historic campus and witness the magic up close.
Register: https://www.pilchuck.org/event/tours

🖼️ Seattle Art Museum
When the days feel gray, wander somewhere filled with light. Community programs like Body + Mind Sound Healing and exhibitions including Anila Quayyum Agha: Geometry of Light and Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest offer warmth in all the right ways.
Event calendar: https://seattleartmuseum.org/whats-on/exhibitions

🌲 Imagine Music & Arts Festival
Sept. 11–13, 2026. Three days in the Orcas Island forest where music, art and workshops blur together into something deeper than a typical festival weekend.
Tickets: https://imaginegathering.com/

Different spaces than Fire & Story, but all fueled by the same spark. Go find the fire and light up your winter.

02/24/2026

The night before Fire & Story, things could have gone sideways.

Instead, Bellingham Millwork Supply Co. stepped up. Fast. They rallied materials, executed a backup plan and made sure had what we needed to open.

With help from Instinct Builders, they also built and supplied most of the benches you saw across the site—including the swinging benches that barely sat empty at the Story Stage. Through performances, songs, stories and laughs, those seats stayed full.
⁠
Putting on a festival take a village, and our local businesses showed up.

Thank you, Bellingham Millwork, for having our back.

Every January in Bellingham for the past 3 years, Fire & Story seems to appear overnight. An empty downtown lot is sudde...
02/19/2026

Every January in Bellingham for the past 3 years, Fire & Story seems to appear overnight. An empty downtown lot is suddenly bewitched with lights, tents and blazing fires...

But what looks like magic is months of plotting, permits, phone calls, spreadsheets, site walks, late nights and a small crew of humans strong-willed enough to believe winter deserves its own gathering.

And alongside this team? The partners who help us with the heavy lifting so it feels effortless. Huge gratitude to our 2026 title sponsors:

🔥 City of Bellingham
🔥 Foundation Restoration
🔥 Soulcraft All Stars
🔥 Port of Bellingham

They helped us raise the structures, host the artists, power the lights and welcome thousands of people into a midwinter ritual, without ever breaking the spell.

Swipe to peek behind the magic and see the transformation they helped ignite.

If you’ve ever walked into Fire & Story and felt that spark, drop a ❤️ and help us thank the folks who made it possible.

📷️ :: +

One month later and we’re finally finding the words.Turns out when something hits that hard, you need a minute to sit wi...
02/17/2026

One month later and we’re finally finding the words.

Turns out when something hits that hard, you need a minute to sit with it.

Fire & Story may be behind us, but the afterglow is still very real. This year felt different. More wonder, more excitement, more warmth that hit us to the core. There were hilarious and heart-stretching performances. Flames and fire that quite literally danced across the night sky. Music that exploded through the silence of the dark. And a community that glowed brighter than the big firepit sculptures themselves. To all the artists, thank you for reminding us why art matters.

Deep gratitude to the sponsors and local businesses who helped bring this festival to life and stepped in wherever we needed support. And to the volunteers who showed up, rolled up their sleeves and became part of the Paper Whale community in the process, you are the backbone of this thing.

If you attended, today’s the final day to complete the attendee survey and help shape next year’s festival. We’re listening. Share your thoughts at the link below.

And if you haven't already heard, Fire & Story returns January 28–30, 2027...and the anticipation for next year has already ignited.

Photos by , +

Complete the festival survey at: https://forms.gle/GH9riwLPFxVqjdhn9

Some of us got lost in the magic over the weekend. Some of our things did too.If Fire & Story carried you away along wit...
01/27/2026

Some of us got lost in the magic over the weekend. Some of our things did too.

If Fire & Story carried you away along with your jacket, water bottle, keys or other items, we’ve got a Lost & Found pickup window to come find your stuff.

Wednesday
6–9 PM
Paper Whale Blowhole
707 Astor St., Bellingham

Can’t make it then? Shoot an email to [email protected] and we’ll help reconnect you with whatever didn’t make it home.

We’ve lit the fire. We’ve fell in love with the stories. We’ve filled the night with sound, sparks and laughter.Tonight ...
01/24/2026

We’ve lit the fire. We’ve fell in love with the stories. We’ve filled the night with sound, sparks and laughter.

Tonight is the final chapter of Fire & Story 2026.

The schedule is packed, the weather is clear and dry, and the festival grounds are glowing with hands-on demos, heart-pumping music and performances that spark imagination for kids and grown-ups alike. It does get cold after dark (so bundle up!) but the fires, movement and energy will keep you warm when you need it.

If you’ve been on the fence, this is the night to wander in. One last chance to experience Fire & Story this year. Gates open at 4 PM this afternoon, and kids 12 & under are free with a ticketed adult. Come close it out with us.

Tap the link for tonight's schedule, and grab your ticket online. https://www.fireandstory.com/schedule-soon

Night two of Fire & Story brings a pulse all its own: Mongolian throat singers, mystical dance, flamenco vocals and soul...
01/23/2026

Night two of Fire & Story brings a pulse all its own: Mongolian throat singers, mystical dance, flamenco vocals and soulful stories that cut straight to the bone. See who’s playing at Fire & Story tonight. Get your tickets for Friday or Saturday now, online or at the gate at 4 PM.

https://www.fireandstory.com/schedule-soon

01/23/2026

Night One did not ease us in. It ignited us.

Fire & Story kicked off with wonder everywhere you turned—eyes chasing light and shadow, sparks flying from metalsmiths, heat radiating from glassblowers. Dragon puppets that talked back, goats hauling firewood like it was just another Thursday. There was dance BINGO, parades made of fish, light emerging from the Salish Sea. There were dancing flamingos and flamenco dancers playing with fire. The ground was on fire…and overhead, too. And a whole city was glowing with warmth, mischief and magic.

Bellingham showed up last night, and it felt unreal. We do it again tonight. Night Two is calling. It starts at 4 PM.

Single-night tickets for Friday & Saturday are on sale now. Available online or at the gate.

Come fill your senses. Bring your curiosity. Let the fire find you.

https://www.fireandstory.com/tickets

Fire & Story begins tonight the way it should: with light. 🔥✨⁠⁠Join us at Waypoint Park at 5 PM tonight for the Opening ...
01/22/2026

Fire & Story begins tonight the way it should: with light. 🔥✨⁠
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Join us at Waypoint Park at 5 PM tonight for the Opening Ceremony—free and open to the public. Watch performers emerge from the Salish Sea carrying embers of light and marking the start of 3 nights shaped by fire, story and shared presence.

They’ll carry the magic back to the festival grounds in a short procession, where we’ll ignite the first fire together. Wristbands are required upon return to the festival grounds.⁠
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Don't want to miss a single moment? Single-night tickets for Thursday are now available online, or at the gate starting 4PM if not sold out. Friday and Saturday tickets will be released online at 12AM on their respective days. ⁠
⁠
Hit the link below for tickets before they sell out, and let the stories begin. https://www.fireandstory.com/tickets

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1100 Granary Avenue
Bellingham, WA
98225

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