or 16 years we have celebrated the renewal of our town of Phoenixville with the Firebird Festival through the myth of the Phoenix. After the closure of the steel mill, Phoenixville suffered a cultural and economic downturn. Over time, our town experienced an emergence of art and culture. Phoenixville has gone through a renaissance, and that is worth celebrating. The burning of the Phoenix is about letting go and experiencing the void that creates the possibilities for something new to arise. Looking at where the world is today, in some way, we are all in that void. So much of what we took for granted before, is not possible anymore. As the Phoenix, we are coming out of the ashes, and in my mind that is what this year’s Firebird Festival is about.

In the past we have celebrated the Firebird Festival through building a wooden Phoenix sculpture, which we then lit on fire, taking small clay birds out of the ashes the following day. But this year, so many more ways of expressing the re-emergence are possible.

I am proud of our town’s response to the Coronavirus. With new game rules, we now have a pedestrian-only street half of the week, and we still have a successful Farmer’s Market every Saturday. With a changed world, new possibilities open-up.

How have those changes affected you? What creative explorations have filled your new world?

We want to create a patchwork video of all the creative sparks from you, which we will share on Winter Solstice December 21st. I believe we are all artists, it is an integral part of human expression.

Growing up in Denmark, singing songs are a big part of our culture, and when the virus hit, one of the TV stations created a program of shared singing. Most of Denmark sang along and sent in videos of their family singing. You saw videos of people on their balconies all singing along. Such a simple act, yet so profound, gave a feeling of unity. Something like that is what I envision with our Phoenix video montage, us all getting awed and inspired by abundance of creativity. The symbolism of the Phoenix myth of rebirth, rising out of the ashes can be expressed in many ways. Surprise us, and yourself! Write a poem, paint, bake a cake (maybe flambé a bird shaped cake), do origami, build a small Phoenix (glue-gun and popsicle sticks works well), choreograph a dance, create a new song.

The details of the practical components are evolving. When we have more answers we will share on this website and across our social media channels. How to submit your video or creativity? Where and how we will announce and share with the community? These answers are forthcoming. Stay tuned.

-Henrik