From June 1st to 4th, PVDFest will turn the Creative Capital into a stage! Now in its third year, this eclectic festival brings the local arts community together with the best creatives from around the world for live music, dance, food, and visual art installations. As Mayor Jorge Elorza described at a press conference today, PVDFest is accessible to all, and the experience is entirely free!

Produced by the City of Providence, the 2017 festival is headlined by Oakland, CA based Bandaloop, a troupe of vertical dance pioneers that will collaborate with local poet and spoken word artist Christopher Johnson on a community driven performance, #PVDPublicCanvas. Others include longtime collaborator Daniel Bernard Roumain, a Harlem-based composer/violinist; Mexican folk musicians Las Cafeteras; Troker, a mariachi band from Guadalajara, and jazz master Etienne Charles.

In 2016, the festival attracted more than 75,000 spectators and featured more than 500 artists, 70 vendors, and 30 food trucks. Downtown had 13 stages, 13 outdoor bars, and 10 temporary visual art & participatory art projects. We can expect all of that and more this year!

Once again, much of the downtown area will become a pedestrian-only zone, with Washington Street and portions of Westminster Street closed to traffic. Check out The Dean Hotel, which will host part of AS220’s Maker Faire and all day outdoor block party on Saturday, June 2nd. The Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy will also activate Burnside Park with family friendly programming from noon into early evening, with dance, puppets, storytelling, and more. Sponsor and volunteer opportunities are available. Mark your calendars for this amazing event, and visit pvdfest.com for more updates as it approaches.