Six acrobats soar 60 feet up in the sky, attracting a multitude of “oohs” and “aahs” from an audience of over five dozen wide-eyed onlookers in Kennedy Plaza.
Italian performing troupe eVenti Verticali’s aerial dance was just the first performance of PVDFest, the city’s signature outdoor arts festival. The celebration, which took place in the heart of downtown Providence on Friday and Saturday, featured art installations, international and local performances and a variety of local cuisines.
“PVD fest is a complete and total celebration of every aspect of our creative capital,” said Chachi Carvalho, one of the grand marshals of this year’s festival.
Providence’s Department of Art, Culture and Tourism partnered with local arts organization FirstWorks, as well as other local businesses, to host the festival, Carvalho added.
“It’s a big old fun street fair with a lot of great food,” said Alex Ferlise, who has attended PVDFest for years. It’s a “great opportunity to showcase the community,” she added.
Anyone was welcome to apply for a spot in the festival “to shine on a big stage with international and nationally recognized artists,” Carvalho said. According to Joe Wilson Jr., art, culture and tourism director for the City of Providence, the festival has launched the careers of many budding local artists.
Sidy Maiga, a long-time Rhode Island resident who headlined the Saturday stage, started out performing at PVDFest and is now a global artist, Wilson said. The Afrika Nyaga Drum and Dance Festival — which Maiga leads — aims to “celebrate West African music and dance, and fosters artistic exchange across cultures,” according to the PVDFest website.
According to Wilson, the festival is “important to Providence’s cultural and creative sector.” Many artists depend on the event to showcase their art to the local community, he explained.
Along with the opportunities for artists, “it’s an opportunity for neighbors to come together, to see each other, to be with each other, to laugh with each other and to be in wonder with each other,” Carvalho said.
Last year, the festival moved away from Kennedy Plaza to the I-195 Innovation Park. But after community members complained about the location change — as well as the ban on open containers of alcohol and restrictions on block parties — the festival returned to the heart of downtown this year.
“It’s party vibes in Kennedy Plaza, which is not always the vibe,” Ferlise said.
For Ginny Wisniewski, a Chicago resident who happened to be in Providence in time for the festival, the vibes were “cool” and the “music (was) great.”
The benefits go beyond just entertainment, said Carvalho, noting how public events help build community. “It makes you feel like you have access to big things right where you’re at,” he said. For him, art, murals and music “unify the city.”
Maya Kelly is a Metro senior staff writer who covers health and environment. When she's not at The Herald, you can find her hanging from an aerial silk, bullet journaling, or stress-baking.
