Blowing Out the Lamps: An Equinox Celebration of the Mills
Date
Saturday, March 29th, 2025
Location
UTEC Lowell
35 Warren Street Lowell, MA
Price
$45 standard/$35 student and new graduate
Time
7:00pm - 10:00pm
Category
Tickets Required
Join Footwork & Frolick to celebrate the Spring equinox and honor the history of New England factory work!
During the height of mill operation in Lowell and other industrial centers in the northeast, the tradition of “blowing out balls” on the spring equinox lit the streets with light, music, and cheer each March. On the equinox, people across the city would come together to celebrate the lengthening of daylight: from the next day until the fall, an entire 12-hour shift could completed without the use of dim and noxious oil lamps.
Footwork & Frolick is excited to honor this tradition with an evening of merriment in a location that could have witnessed an original “blowing-out” fete: an 1839 building in the heart of Lowell’s historic district. Join us for an evening of beginner-friendly dances from the 1830s - 50s, years when lamplight (and blowing-out time) was a critical part of workers’ yearly cycle. All dances will be taught throughout the evening, and no partner is necessary to attend!
Historical costumes of the “crinoline era” (1830s-50s) will be admired, but are not required. Guests are encouraged to wear whatever makes them feel elegant.
The Footwork & Frolick Society is a 501(c)(3) public charity located in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Our mission is to promote historical education through the research, recreation, performance, and instruction of eighteenth and nineteenth century dance and other active pursuits rooted in the social traditions of the American Northeast.
We believe that everyone benefits from learning about the past in a hands-on format, and we are proud to contribute to the rich historical landscape in the area by running historical social events and sharing our research! Everyone should be welcome in modern historical spaces regardless of race, religion, gender identity or presentation. Our work is intended to make learning about dancing and movement in the past engaging and fun - not to mythologize the “old days”. F&F classes and events are open to all, and we do not tolerate bigotry in our spaces.