For coverage of this year’s Marfa Lights Festival, The Big Bend Sentinel hosted a competition among Marfa High School’s Journalism class, who were tasked with writing about the festival for prize money and publication. To read more about the competition, click here.
MARFA — The Marfa Lights Festival is a yearly celebration of the community named after the town’s famous mystery lights. Our little town has become quite popular with lots of people — there are always tourists chasing art or aliens. But, this event, Marfa Lights, which began as a local gathering, has evolved into a happy celebration of Marfa’s community and culture over the last 37 years.
The origin of the Marfa Lights Festival dates back to the early 1980s. Initially, it was a simple event to bring the community together and draw attention to the mystery lights that dance across the horizon. The festival was created as a way to celebrate the town’s uniqueness. Over the years, it has grown, attracting tourists from around the world who travel long ways to see our small town for lots of reasons. Mostly, though, the Marfa Lights Festival is for locals, unlike many of the other events that happen throughout the year here. Marfa Lights is often a homecoming for those who have moved away from Marfa or the Big Bend, where there are few job opportunities outside of hotels or tourism. For example, my brother Levi, who lives in Big Lake and works in the oil fields, would never miss a Marfa Lights. You would never catch him at, for example, the Trans-Pecos Music Festival.
Levi, who was in town this weekend, said, “I come home for the Marfa Lights Festival, mainly for the food and live music. Also as a reunion for my friends (who live all over the place) and I to see each other.”
One of the main attractions contributing to the festival’s popularity is its diverse range of activities. The Marfa Lights Festival goes from Friday through Sunday every Labor Day weekend and features a variety of events made for all ages. From live music performances and local art exhibitions to food vendors and craft stalls, there is something for everyone. The festival also includes a parade, which has become tradition, showing the creativity and joy from the Marfa community. The parade has firefighters, alumni from the high school over lots of years (2014 was prominently celebrating 10 years this year), the Rotary Club, and all kinds of local, civic clubs and organizations that make up the backbone of our community. The event is put on by the Chamber of Commerce, a volunteer organization that is all about people who work hard for our town.
The Chamber of Commerce brings in vendors from all over the place, and many return year after year. The booths are also incredibly local: they feature unique products, crafts, and food that showcase diverse cultures and talents. Some of the things you can get at other times throughout the year, but it would be an hours-long drive to get everything from everywhere. Once a year, for Labor Day, everyone is gathered in the same place!
One of my closest friends, Star, is involved in the festival with her family. Her parents own a food truck that comes every year and sells Mexican-style meals. So, I asked her what they think about Marfa Lights. Star said, “Every year we come to celebrate the festival whether it’s as a vendor or as a participant.”
I then added on by asking what they thought had changed and stayed the same over the years. Star’s parents replied, “Marfa Lights has mostly had the same food vendors since we started coming here. Every year, it’s true, the prices rise. But the people stay the same.”
They added on by saying,“We close at night depending on how busy it is. We stay open late, so as the music goes on, and people dance and have more fun, we keep selling. Sales were down a little this year, but not by much.”
I ended the interview by asking what was different this year. “This year, especially, there were more kid-friendly activities during the day. Everyone seemed really happy.”
So, Marfa Lights Fest has come and gone once again. This time of year is so fun and important for those of us who grow up here and value this community.