The Women from Space festival is celebrating its fifth anniversary of creating joy with music and art.

The Women from Space Festival is coming back in full capacity this year from March 8 to 11 at the 918 Bathurst Centre for Culture, Arts, Media and Education.

The festival will feature more than 30 artists who play music, dance or create visual arts elements over the four nights. These artists who will come from around Europe and America will engage in an exchange of their creative works and collaborate with each other to bring new art experience to the audience.

Each night from 7:30 to 11 p.m., there will be three performances put on for the audience.

Performances at the festival are different from what one would normally expect. Instruments such as saxophone and flute will be incorporated with visual art elements and dances in some acts.

“Our line-up is incredible this year. It is definitely the most adventurous we have gotten yet. We also have several international artists. alongside Canadian artists,” said Kayla Milmine, founder of Women from Space.

One of the highlighted performances is a collaboration between two musicians, Coco Elysses, the chairwoman of the association for the advancement of creative musician (AACM) and Nicole Mitchelle, an award-winning flutist and composer.

Milmine says the idea behind the name of the festival popped into her head one day.

“I was at work one day, and the name ‘Women from Space’ appeared in my head, and I thought to myself, I need to use this for something.”

The festival is meant to provide a space for women to explore music together in new ways. Other than enjoying performances, participants can hang out at the bar at the venue or grab some beverages during or after the show.

Milmine says volunteers are needed every year to help on-site during the festival. They will be checking tickets, assisting directions and answering questions from the audience. The volunteers may have the chance of watching the show for free.

Students are welcome to volunteer and be involved in the festival. For those who are interested, reach out to the organizer at info@womenfromspace.com.

To get tickets for the festival, visit https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/women-from-space-festival-5th-anniversary-early-bird-passes-tickets-516246295567.