Author: Danny Esten

Since 2015, PVDFest has brought thousands of people together for a one-of-a-kind celebration, with truly unmatched and unforgettable experiences. From public art installations to vibrant musical performances, to innovative food and drink offerings, and more, this family-friendly festival has something for everyone. And while the festival’s show-stopping headliners deservedly receive a lot of attention, the City’s local artists and hometown favorites are what make PVDFest uniquely Providence.

“Providence isn’t the Creative Capital on its own, and PVDFest serves as a tried-and-true outlet for the City’s creative energy,” said Mayor Jorge O. Elorza. “Our local artists are this festival’s DNA, enriching our city year-round with their diverse talents and important perspectives. I have no doubt that this year’s PVDFest will once again be one for the books, and I hope everyone joins us with their family and friends.”

Local artists will perform eclectic music from a wide variety of genres and flavors, including stylings from singer Alexus Lee and her band, and a mashup of musical genres, based in hip-hop with elements of pop, soul, Caribbean & R&B music, from An Artist Named Flizzl. The festival will also feature vibrant music and dance by Amaré Beyan and the sweet sounds of retro-pop with Alsarah & The Nubatones of Brooklyn, NY.

This year’s festival will also feature a stage dedicated to the magnificent art of dance, featuring folks like DJ Spinn from the electronic collective Teklife for an outdoor, interactive party. Other exciting performances will include the Middle Eastern belly-dancing wonder of The Azama Dance Company and the Bollywood rhythms of Dance BFF. The art of “Banig,” or Filipino mat wrapping, will be presented by Bhen Alan, accompanied by a performance by Filipino-American Community Dancers. All of this talent will be joined by Chicago dance group The Era Footwork Crew, who have pioneered the battle dance known as “Chicago footwork.”

Maybe dancing in the streets and music aren’t your thing? Fear not. Other hometown performers participating in the festival represent a wide range of talents, including unique performances by Amy the Mime, magical sleight of hand by Amazing Ivan, and artistic demonstrations by Gather Glass Blowing Studio that will blow your mind. See what we did there?

PVDFest is a family-friendly festival, with fun for all ages in all places. Squonk returns to PVDFest with their latest outdoor spectacle, Hand to Hand; a joyous, participatory event propelled by their irresistible music and signature giant purple puppet hands, each the size of a house and rigged like a sailing ship. Additionally, the Community Libraries of Providence are bringing CLPVD Library Fun, featuring fun activities and library information, and Circus Dynamics will offer a fun, interactive, fast paced, roaming variety show, complete with face-painting.

“PVDFest shines a bright light on the amazing talent we have here in Providence,” said Lizzie Araujo, Director of Art, Culture + Tourism. “I hope you’ll come join us for three days of performances and fun as we celebrate being back together again.”

Finally, look out for the festivals within the festival at PVDFest. On Sunday, June 12, bring your family and friends to the showcase of incredible music, dance and drums of Africa and the diaspora at the 10th Annual Afrika Nyaga Drum and Dance Festival. On June 11-12 at the Rink downtown, join thousands of participants in honoring the spire of fire “chama da Portugalidade,” a cultural ceremony bridging tradition, values, and instilling community pride during the Day of Portugal Festival. This will truly be a weekend of community, culture, and celebration!

PVDFest relies on the contributions of the hard-working volunteers to make the event a memorable experience for everyone. Be a part of the magic by volunteering for a few hours or a whole day this year by signing up today.

For more information about PVDFest, please visit PVDFest.com and follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for many more exciting announcements in the weeks ahead.

And meet us outside for the comeback!

March 23, 2022

Providence’s signature arts festival to reignite Downtown after two years of scaled back festivities

PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, Council President John J. Igliozzi (Ward 7), the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and founding partner FirstWorks today announced details for PVDFest, Providence’s signature arts festival, happening June 10-12, 2022. This year’s festival marks the first time since 2019 that artists from around the corner and across the globe will meet in Providence’s Downtown neighborhood, coming together once again to celebrate the City’s world-renowned artistic, cultural, and culinary communities.

“So much has changed since we last danced in the streets of Downtown,” said Mayor Jorge O. Elorza. “After two very difficult years, this year’s PVDFest is the opportunity we have all been waiting for. We will meet downtown for three days of unforgettable performances and installations, continuing our tradition of elevating local talent and supporting the exchange of creative ideas. Our creative community needs our support now more than ever, and I know Providence is ready to come together and celebrate.”

Since its creation in 2015, PVDFest has featured over 4,400 artists, performers, and curators, and has brought 481,000+ attendees during the festival weekend into the heart of Downtown. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, PVDFest was reimagined as a decentralized festival in 2020 and 2021, offering smaller outdoor events to keep attendees safe while keeping the spirit of the festival alive. PVDFest has grown year after year, providing new and exciting ways to bring people together through creativity. PVDFest encourages participants to experience what Providence means to them—while exploring artistic activation around every corner.

“Providence is open! PVDFest is a great opportunity to welcome back old friends and make new ones,” said City Council President John J. Igliozzi. “Visit our historic and culturally diverse city, check out our eclectic arts community, and dine in our world-class restaurants. You will not be disappointed. The City Council has always financially helped support PVDFest, and this year is no exception.”

With Founding Partner and Providence-based non-profit FirstWorks at the helm, patrons of this year’s festival can expect astonishing spectacles, world-class music and dance performances that light up Downtown, and international stars performing side by side with local favorites.

“FirstWorks is delighted to transform downtown Providence into a multistage arts extravaganza for all ages,” said Kathleen Pletcher, Executive Artistic Director, FirstWorks. “Families can share the joy as they animate giant puppet hands as big as a house. Everyone can dance in the streets to an amazing array of musical wonders: from Friday evening’s New Orleans get-down bands to Latin Jazz legend Eddie Palmieri’s Salsa Orchestra. Artists and audiences are brimming with energy to create indelible memories together. This will be a festival of pure joy!”

The Grammy Award-winning Rebirth Brass Band is set to kick off the weekend in style, bringing with them pure vibrancy and fun for all. Their unique sound pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition, seamlessly mixing elements of jazz, funk, soul, and R&B. The band has collaborated with a venerable who’s who of the music industry, with everyone from the Grateful Dead to the Red Hot Chili Peppers singing their praise and will bring the French Quarter to Providence for an unforgettable night of music.

Joining the opening evening line-up is trumpeter/vocalist Kermit Ruffins, an ebullient entertainer who is often compared to his own hero, Louis Armstrong. The original co-founder of the Rebirth Brass Band, Ruffins personifies the laid-back vibe of New Orleans, and is laying it on this year’s PVDFest.

Headlining Saturday night will be one of the world’s best living pianists, eight-time Grammy Award-winner Eddie Palmieri. A legendary bandleader, arranger and composer of salsa and Latin jazz, Eddie will lead his 11-person salsa orchestra in a concert that will ignite joy on the dance floor of Downtown Providence.

PVDFest veterans Squonk return with their latest outdoor spectacle, “Hand to Hand,” a joyous, participatory event that brings audiences together for a humorous, uplifting visual extravaganza. Propelled by Squonk’s irresistible music, the show features two giant purple puppet hands, each the size of a house and rigged like a sailing ship. Squonk invites audience members on stage to power the giant fingers, creating a larger movement and web of connections through their individual dance. Inspired by a desire to bring people together in a time of isolation and divisiveness, “Hand to Hand” provides a thrilling moment of unity and community in a safe, public, outdoor space.

One of Peru’s most sought-after indie bands, Hit La Rosa, will close out PVDFest weekend with a bang, combining Cumbia and pop music, folklore, jazz, and dancehall, and bringing it to Providence for a magical night of music. Lead singer and lyricist Chaska Paucar aims to “bring healing to people” by deconstructing and embracing the darker sides of life, and inviting listeners along for the ride.

Today’s festival announcement featured a delicious taste of what’s to come in June, with Sidy Maiga and his son performing, kicking off the countdown to PVDFest in a way that festival-goers have come to expect and enjoy. In partnership with the City’s Department of Art, Culture and Tourism, Sidy will bring the 10th Annual Afrika Nyaga Drum and Dance Festival back to PVDFest in collaboration the Providence Foundation on Sunday, June 12, with Vieux Farka Toure, Chachi Carvalho, Satta Jallah, Natural Element, and Haus of Glitter.

Just like in years past, the re-emergence of PVDFest, spearheaded by both our headliners and local talent, is sure to attract visitors from far and wide. And after a difficult two years, our tourism industry welcomes the inevitable early-summer boost.

“We’re thrilled here at Graduate Providence to invite the community to celebrate with us this June as we ring in the 100th birthday of the Biltmore property,” said Graduate Hotel General Manager Scott Williams. “We are honored each and every day to call this historic, local landmark home and can’t wait to team up with our partners at PVDFest to throw an unforgettable celebration.”

PVDFest is made possible in large part by the generous sponsors who continue to support Providence’s creative culture year-round, including the Providence City Council, the Providence Tourism Council, Waste Management, the Boston Globe Rhode Island, Tufts Health Plan, Neighborhood Health Plan of RI, ProvPort, Waterson Terminal Services, LLC, WPRI Media Group, iHeart Media, Bank of America, Citizens Bank, Delta Dental, and others. In addition to sponsors, PVDFest relies on the contributions of the hard-working volunteers to make the event a memorable experience for everyone. Be a part of the magic by volunteering for a few hours or a whole day this year by signing up today.

More information about PVDFest will be released in the coming weeks leading up to the downtown celebration. For more information about PVDFest, please visit PVDFest.com and follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for many more exciting announcements in the weeks ahead.

And meet us outside for the comeback.

PVDFest sizzles with the Pops, Creole Soul and legendary Hip-Hop musical stylings

August 5, 2021

PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and founding partner FirstWorks today announced details for PVDFest Summer Happenings in August, serving up an unmatched lineup of free music and artistic events throughout the summer. PVDFest Summer Happenings, part of Providence’s signature arts festival, continue citywide and culminate in downtown Providence the weekend of September 25-26, 2021.

“Since we launched PVDFest Summer Happenings in July, we have seen a real re-emergence of creativity and artistic expression in our City,” said Mayor Jorge O. Elorza. “PVDFest is a transformational art experience that allows residents and visitors alike to celebrate the vibrant talent of our local community and beyond. Whether you enjoy orchestral music or hip-hop and dance, our festival truly has something for everyone.”

Since its inception in 2015, PVDFest has featured over 5,000 artists, performers, and curators, and has regularly drawn more than 100,000 attendees annually into the heart of Downtown during the festival weekend. Throughout July, PVDFest Summer Happenings saw over 45 artists contribute to 15 events with hundreds of attendees. A genuinely unique arts festival, PVDFest has grown year after year, providing new and exciting creative experiences that spotlight the Creative Capital. The festival is co-produced by the City’s Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism in partnership with Founding Partner FirstWorks, a Providence-based arts non-profit.

“PVDFest displays the Creative Capital as a gem of a vibrantly diverse and creative city,” said Kathleen Pletcher, Founder and Executive Artistic Director of FirstWorks. “Reimagining PVDFest with amazing events across the entire summer builds momentum for a uniquely Providence experience on September 25 and 26, 2021. FirstWorks is thrilled to curate special projects involving festivalgoers, students, and our artistic community. PVDFest fosters new partnerships and collaborations between artists from around the globe and those who make their work in Rhode Island’s Capital City. It is a joyous experience that weaves together the cultural fabric of our city.”

August is jam-packed with programming throughout Providence neighborhoods. Whether it’s orchestral, pan-Caribbean or hip-hop, there is music and celebration for everyone throughout summer happenings in August. As part of the PVDFest in the Parks series, you’ll find some of Providence’s best-loved artists sharing live music, dance, storytelling, and more.

PVDFest is working with presenting partners to bring a wide range of cultural programming to Providence. Check out the PVDLive x PVDFest Fashion Show at the BankNewport City Center on August 5. Also at BankNewport City Center, “The Pageant for Providence” (August 13-15) will offer an artistic audio walking tour of the City produced by more than 70 Rhode Island-based writers, artists, historians, and community leaders.  Be sure to visit the All Black Lives Matter mural on Washington Street, a PVDFest public art installation designed by local artists, while you are downtown this summer!

In addition to the PVDFest performing arts events, PVDFest Ideas events continue throughout the month of August. PVDFest Ideas is a forum for big thinking in public and this year’s programs explore themes of “Commemoration and Legacy”. Take a living history walking tour of Broad Street with Rhode Island Latino Arts on August 1 or August 9. Meet the tour at “Aqui Me Quedo en La Broa” at Roger Williams Park Broad Street entrance. On August 21, Doors Open RI will offer three multidisciplinary journeys of “Providence Waterways”, a multimedia, collaborative, storytelling project. Through a combination of online and onsite experiences, Providence Waterways invites you to immerse yourself in place-based stories, sounds, and events that explore Providence’s water. On August 23, The Womxn Project will mark the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition with projections and readings at Brown’s University Hall.

Food and craft vending applications for PVDFest weekend, culminating in downtown Providence September 25-26, are now being accepted online. Additional details and events will be released in the coming weeks and events are subject to change due to inclement weather. For more information visit PVDFest.com, follow @PVDFest on Twitter, @PVD.Fest on Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

August PVDFest Happenings:
PVDFEST IN THE PARK: POPS IN THE PARK
Thursday, August 5, 7:00 PM
Location: Roger Williams Park, Temple of Music

Tonight, Rhode Island Philharmonic will perform their annual concert! Pops in the Park is set to make a triumphant return with “A Tribute to the Human Spirit” at the Temple of Music after a one-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The annual concert began in 2016 and has since become a signature Providence event, evolving and expanding its reach with each passing year. Pops in the Park is a free event for all ages to enjoy.

Emergence: An Open-Air Showcase
Thursday, August 5, 7:00 PM
Location: Adventure Time Mural, located at 94 Washington Street

As local arts organizations and businesses reopen, celebrate a cultural moment of transition at “Emergence,” an open-air showcase. Local writers will read stories, essays, and poetry on the theme of emergence against the backdrop of the iconic Adventure Time mural at 94 Washington Street in Downtown Providence. Commissioned by The Avenue Concept, the mural’s image of a door opening into a new world aligns with the theme of the evening as we honor artist Natalia Rak and the work before it is transitioned later this fall. This event is hosted by What Cheer Writers Club in partnership with The Avenue Concept and in collaboration with PVDFest.

PVDFEST IN THE RINK: A PAGEANT FOR PROVIDENCE
Friday, August 13, 11:00 AM; Saturday, August 14, 6:00 PM; Sunday, August 15, 6:00 PM
Location: Select a self-guided neighborhood tour, end at BankNewport City Center

The Pageant for Providence celebrates the Providence community, provides space to reflect on and reckon with the past year, and offers an opportunity for healing and catharsis as we dream into what post-pandemic life will look like. The Pageant begins as an artistic audio walking tour of the City and concludes with a short ceremonial performance at the City Center Rink. Guests may choose one of six possible tours featuring new unique work by more than 70 local writers and musicians.

FIRSTWORKS LIVE—MUSIC AT ROGER WILLIAMS PARK: CARNIVAL!
Sunday, August 15, 1:30-6:00 PM
Location: Roger Williams Park, Providence

See the FirstWorks website for additional Carnival! Music Workshops and PVDFest Ideas Panel Discussion times and locations. Shake off those blues and celebrate with the sounds, ideas, and spirit of Carnival right here in Providence! Joyful sounds + smoking rhythm section + hot horns = all the ingredients to ignite a dance party at the height of summer.

Headliner: Etienne Charles, Creole Soul
Sunday, August 15, 2021, 5:00-6:00 PM
Location: Roger Williams Park Bandstand

If any single musical artist today can embody the rich spectrum of Caribbean musical traditions, it is Etienne Charles. This Trinidad-born jazz trumpet master defies easy categorization. The New York Times hailed him as “an auteur” and JazzTimes described him as “a daring improviser who delivers with heart-wrenching lyricism.” Charles is a student of pan-Caribbean music, as fluent in the riffs of New Orleans second-line brass as he is in the many rhythms of the islands.

As both a bandleader and sideman Charles has worked with some of the finest talents in jazz today and played with legends like Roberta Flack, Wynton Marsalis, and “the grandmaster of calypso” Lord Kitchener.

Charles and his band bring “Creole Soul” and the sounds of his newest album “Carnival: The Sound of a People Vol. 1” to the FirstWorks Live stage, leading an excursion into the varied acoustic sounds, grooves, chants, and rituals of his native Trinidad & Tobago Carnival.

Performance: Providence Drum Troupe
Sunday, August 15, 2021, 4:00-5:00 PM
Location: Roger Williams Park Bandstand

Born from the pandemic, this troupe of acrobats, fire-arts, stilt-walkers, hoopers, lasers and dancers from near and far create funky beats with positive interactive energy demonstrating that living in harmony with one another is not an antiquated notion.

FIRSTWORKS LIVE—MUSIC AT ROGER WILLIAMS PARK: HIP-HOP DANCE PARTY FEATURING LIVE PERFORMANCE BY CHACHI CARVALHO AND THE INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS

Sunday, August 29, 5:00-6:00 PM
Location: Roger Williams Park Bandstand

One of the most prolific and enduring artists on the local hip-hop scene, the positive messages and everyday struggles reflected in Chachi’s lyrics have earned him a loyal fan following. Rooted in classic hip-hop, Chachi’s sound is constantly evolving, seamlessly incorporating both live instrumentation and his Cape Verdean roots. This repeat PVDFest headliner can be relied on to uplift the party with beats, rhymes, and life wherever—and with whomever—he takes the stage.

PVDFest in the Parks • August 2021

Movies and other community-building events presented in partnership with Providence City Councilors encourage audiences to discover new places to eat, shop and play in Providence neighborhoods. All events are free and family-friendly.

• August 6, 6:30PM at Billy Taylor Park: The Ward 3 Ultimate Lip Sync Battle
• August 7, 7:00PM at Brown Street Park: Friends of Brown Street Park’s Movie Night in the Park
• August 7, 12PM at Dexter Training Grounds: Slater Community Jamboree
• August 7, 8PM at India Point Park: Ward 1 Movie Night
• August 8, 3PM at Billy Taylor Park: Ward 3 Old School Dance Party
• August 10, 5PM at Riverside Park
• August 11, 5PM at Burnside Park
• August 12, 5PM at Dexter Park
• August 17, 5PM at Dexter Park
• August 18, 4PM at Harriet and Sayles Park
• August 19, TBD at Billy Taylor Park
• August 19, 5PM at Prospect Park
• August 24, 5PM at Dexter Park
• August 25, 5PM at Burnside Park
• August 26, 5PM at Dexter Park
• August 28, 12PM at Billy Taylor Park: Billy Taylor Day
• August 31, 5PM at Fargnoli Park: Back to School Block Party

About Providence’s Department of Art, Culture + Tourism

The Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism ensures the continued development of a vibrant and creative city by integrating arts and culture into community life while showcasing Providence as an international cultural destination. The Department envisions a Providence that is a global destination for arts, humanities, and design, where neighbors celebrate diverse cultural and artistic experiences, and where all residents and visitors feel that a relationship to arts practice, making, and culture is a part of their everyday lives.

About FirstWorks

FirstWorks is a non-profit based in Providence, Rhode Island whose purpose is to build the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of its community by engaging audiences with world-class performing arts and education programs. Since 2004, FirstWorks festivals, performances, and programs have attracted more than 600,000 participants.  FirstWorks Arts Education combines the power of the arts and experiential learning and reaches over 5,000 students in person across 40 public and charter schools in Rhode Island. Virtual Learning opportunities have expanded that reach, creating new ways for the arts to propel learning. Embracing collaboration, FirstWorks has fostered over 90 community partnerships across business, social service, government, arts, and education sectors. FirstWorks is the founding partner of PVDFest, collaborating with the City of Providence to produce the City’s free signature arts celebration since 2015. In this role, FirstWorks curates internationally celebrated artists and astonishing street spectacles to activate the public spaces of Providence and engage the community with spectacular performance experiences. Featured FirstWorks artists at PVDFest have included Angélique Kidjo, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Bandaloop, and artists from across the globe. Visit first-works.org to learn more.

For the seventh year, Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, the City of Providence’s Department of Art, Culture+ Tourism and founding partner FirstWorks will host PVDFest, Providence’s signature art festival this summer and fall. Providence’s world-renowned art, culture and culinary community join forces with artists from around the corner and across the globe to deliver a once in a lifetime experience. Live music, dance, food, and visual art installations transform the city in a multi-day, multi-arts take-over of public spaces, parks and outdoor stages in the heart of Providence, Rhode Island.