Lotus Festival Returns to Echo Park, But Not for Long

We thought the world dying budget cuts put an end to the annual Echo Park Lotus Festival forever, but that's not the case, reports Eastsider LA. The festival will return to the picturesque lake in July, and the fact that very few lotuses blossomed in '09 wasn't the cause of last year's cancellation--instead it was boring old budget cuts by the parks and recreation department. This year's festival will be smaller than past parties, with the nonprofit Los Angeles Lotus Festival, Inc. taking over the event and spending around $80,000 to "cover costs and figuring a way to provide many of the services once provided for free by the city's Recreation and Parks Department," which spent almost half a million on Lotus festivals during the glory days of the mid-Aughts. Expect food, live music, boat races, and community booths, but don't get attached. A water-quality clean up project is in the works that will require the lake to be drained and the park to be off-limits to the public for two to four years. [Image via takesunset. It's not clear if the lotuses will ever blossom again]
· Lotus Festival to Bloom Again [Eastsider LA]