The Vermont Performing Arts League (VPAL) was established in 1978 to promote and support performing arts activities, particularly those involving the folk arts and international exchanges. VPAL is a nonprofit, tax-exempt Vermont corporation, supported in large part by private donations, business sponsorships and grants. Our office is located at our North End Studio A, 294 North Winooski Ave. in Burlington.
North End Studio A and North End Studios at the O'Brien Center in Winooski provide: affordable rental spaces for artists, organizations and individuals to hold all kinds of events, special reduced rates for non-profit and local community organizations, technical support services, especially sound and lighting, for on and off-site events, a year-round schedule of performing arts events, and fully handicapped-accessible spaces in which to enjoy the arts.
VPAL's roots started with the formation of The Green Mountain Volunteers and Vermont FolKids, two projects that have fostered friendship and cultural understanding through the arts between Vermont and people from around the world. Through these two projects, Vermonters have traveled the globe, sharing and exchanging our music, songs and dance at international festivals in many lands.
In 1986 the idea to host a huge International Festival was introduced to the city of Burlington, based on the same grand style and scale that has been so popular in Europe. This Festival became known as “Interfolk-86”. The Interfolk-86 Festival included eight days of parades, concerts, dance and music, workshops and international foods and crafts and featured groups from India, Poland, Scotland, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Canada and US.
Interfolk proved to be a bigger event in all ways than ever imagined! The festival brought the world to Burlington’s door step and introduced a new interest in ethnic music, dance and culture. The magnitude of this event made the idea of continuing it as an annual event impossible. But its roots laid the foundation for a new idea.
The Interfolk organizers proposed to the city of Burlington a plan for a smaller International Festival that the city could support. Interfolk’s concept became the scaled down model of a new event, at first called “The Vermont International Craft Fair and Cultural Expo”. The event brought together international vendors, musicians, story tellers, dancers and craft people in a fun weekend of education and entertainment. Now called the Vermont International Festival, it is held at the Champlain Valley Exposition, Route 15 Pearl Street, Essex Junction, VT.
Each December, VPAL presents the Vermont International Festival, a celebration of cultures from around the world, bringing their crafts, food, and music to our doorstep. One of the most essential components of the Vermont International Festival is its focus on school participation in the event. Through the funding generated by the schools, the festival has been able to continue as an annual winter event.
Four important components of this celebration are:
294 North Winooski Avenue
Burlington, VT 05401
