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GLOW: One Reporter's Opinion
The GLOW festival started at sundown Saturday night and didn't stop until after sunrise Sunday morning. The event was hosted by the City of Santa Monica and The Santa Monica Arts Foundation. It was sponsored by local businesses including The King's Head Pub as well as larger corporations.
There were various installations, performances and exhibits scheduled throughout the night, so the experience changed drastically as the event progressed. Earlier arrivals had many more entertainment options, such as the much-lauded Ferris Wheel Orchestra. Unfortunately for the early birds, there were also hassles like traffic, the crowd, and long lines.
For those of us arriving after midnight, the event was much more chill. Many of the rowdier people bailed at 2am when the liquor went away, leaving behind artists, hard-core "Burning Man" types, half-naked hippie chicks, the helplessly wasted and the very asleep. We spent most of the evening being serenaded by Machine Project's Pirate Lullabyes and being hypnotized by light installations. We didn't even make it to the May Company building. Only two more years until our next chance...
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
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