About the Event
Mayor Brett P. Smiley, the City’s Department of Art, Culture, Tourism and Producing Partner FirstWorks once again host PVDFest, Providence’s signature outdoor arts festival. This year’s festival returns to the beating heart of Downtown, animating the streets of the Creative Capital with astonishing international and local performances, art installations, parades, artisan markets, and world-class cuisine. Discover a vibrant, cultural experience unlike anything else in the region.
Featured Events:
FirstWorks Spectacle:
Italy’s eVenti Verticali aerial dance
Friday and Saturday - times TBD
After spellbinding performances at PVDFest 2019, the gravity-defying Italian aerialists return with SPHERE, a thrilling new 30-minute spectacle delivered by five aerial dancers suspended from a crane some 60 feet above the ground. The performance begins with the “stage,” a transparent sphere, deflated and shapeless with one aerialist suspended inside. The sphere is raised high overhead by the crane, becoming a gigantic, fully inflated and stunning globe, transforming into a place where everything comes alive. Five aerialists take the audience on a journey reflecting on our miraculous lives here, on our planet earth.
Cultural Heritage Festivals:
Cultural Heritage Festivals are what make Providence, Providence!
A cornerstone of City life, these festivals activate and engage public space in the City. Public celebration of culture continues to be an indelible feature of how we activate public space in the spring and summer. We are proud to platform this work at PVDFest and highlight the important work of these organizations in the landscape of our city. These varied organizations will be on the footprint of the festival curating participatory activities, market spaces, and are available to all to gain knowledge of these annual activations.
Maker Spaces:
Makers are at the heart of Providence’s economy and identity. Historically, shipbuilders, jewelry makers, and the textile industry were the cornerstones of our economic foundation. Today, these makers and designers not only produce goods, but also lead the way in workforce development. This year, PVDFest will showcase this work with interactive demonstrations and opportunities for the public to create something with us!
12th Annual Afrika Nyaga Drum & Dance Festival:
Saturday, September 7, Main Stage
Sidy Maiga returns to PVDFest with the 12th annual Afrika Nyaga Drum & Dance Festival, a ground-shaking celebration of West African music and dance and its influence on the African diaspora.
Maiga envisions Afrika Nyaga as a sonic synthesis of African traditions and Rhode Island’s diverse communities. The festival nurtures artistic exchange through the universal language of music across cultures, ages, and nationalities. Local acts brew their beats alongside world-class contemporary artists, resulting in a fête that celebrates the vibrant variation of African rhythms.
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