Fire and Water Cultural Festival celebrates Nova Scotia's unique cultural diversity

The annual Fire and Water Cultural Festival starts Friday, bringing two nights of live music, art, dance, storytelling and more to the Halifax area.

The free festival celebrates Nova Scotia's unique cultural diversity and offers something for every age.

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The two-day event will have interactive cultural exhibits including:

• Indigenous teachings
• African drumming
• blacksmithing
• henna tattooing
• Celtic storytelling
• live Acadian music
• all-ages craft station
• five local, diverse food trucks

Laura Selenzi and Kristin Langille are part the grand finale which will feature fire performances from Serpentine Studios.

Selenzi, who's from Dartmouth, N.S., says she loves the chance to perform in her home region.

"I just love this space. We're right on the waterfront and it's such a great festival with all different cultural groups involved, and it's a good vibe," she said.

Langille says because they often see returning spectators, they're always doing their best to keep their performances fresh and new.

"So, we've got new costumes, new acts, new props, a welder has made some custom props that will be a surprise and we're very, very excited to use," said Langille. "And it's just a good time. Outdoor festival, it's gorgeous. The backdrop is beautiful."

This year's fire performance will be their biggest show yet, with a four-person team, lasting about 20 minutes.

"We've got all sorts of stuff. We've got fire fans, fire breathing, fire eating, some surprises," said Langille.

Due to the dangers of such a unique performance, Selenzi says many safety precautions are in place.

"To make sure that we're safe, the audience is safe and it's just really exciting I think," she said.

"It is one of the more dangerous artforms but what I do is I try and limit my exposure. We have to practise to get everything perfect of course. But it's really neat to see, especially at night," said Langille.

The Fire and Water Cultural Festival takes place at the Alderney Landing Event Plaza Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.