#piaf2015

FESTIVAL COUNTDOWN: 1 DAY How to Talk to Your Friends About the Providence International Arts Festival, #5: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Festival, But Were Afraid to Ask The biggest celebration of the year happens TOMORROW at the Providence International Arts Festival!

We hope you’re continuing to spread the word to friends, family and complete strangers (try not to startle them), and to help everyone prepare we’ve whipped up this handy list of FAQs. From the basics all the way to the nuts and bolts, this should get you ready for the big day. See you at the festival!

Ok, you’ve got me interested in this festival, but I still don’t quite know what it’s all about. What’s the deal? The Providence International Arts Festival is... 3 jaw dropping spectacles 500 artists 40+ public art installations 7 outdoor bars 14 stages 21 participating venues

This is a new signature event for the Creative Capital from June 11-14, produced by FirstWorks and the City of Providence. It is a four-day showcase of art, culture, music, dance, theater, food and just about everything else, featuring talent from around the corner and around the world.

Most of the programming and events will be concentrated in Kennedy Plaza and Downtown along the Washington Street corridor on Saturday, June 13, but there will be activity all over the city from Thursday to Sunday. The big celebration on June 13 is free, as are many other festival events, but a handful of extended events will require tickets.

Where can I find out what’s going on? The full schedules of events are available here, including: a downloadable schedule-at-a-glance for Saturday’s events, extended festival schedule-at-a-glance for June 11-14, and a complete extended events schedule (June 11-14) by category.

There is also an interactive festival map as well as a downloadable version.

Printed programs will also be available during the festival at the information booths; the primary booth is in front of the Alex and Ani City Center (skating rink) at Kennedy Plaza.

You keep talking about this big celebration on June 13. What’s happening? Saturday is going to huge. Events begin around Downtown and Kennedy Plaza at noon, with the big celebration beginning at 4pm and going until about midnight. There will be music, circus performances, theater, block parties, a parade, interactive art installations, film screenings, a WaterFire and we can't even begin to tell you how many other things. Several bars and clubs around the city will be hosting after-events. See the schedules for more details.

Can we bring our kids? Absolutely. Many of the performances and activities on June 13 are family friendly, and some will even feature performances and art by children. This blog also features a round-up of things kids will love. Plus, the big celebration is free, and what’s more family friendly than free fun?

Will there be food? It’s called the Providence International Arts Festival – how could there not be food? There will be food trucks and vendors in various locations throughout the festival area. Here is the list of participating food vendors. The surrounding Downtown area is also full of restaurants. If you’re going to want a sit-down lunch or dinner, we recommend calling a restaurant ahead and making a reservation.

What about drinks? There will be 7 bars throughout the festival area so that everyone over 21 can drink responsibly. You will need to provide a valid photo ID to receive an over-21 wristband and purchase non-refundable drink tickets. The bars are indicated by hexagons on this map. There are also bars and restaurants throughout Downtown.

Where can I park? There are paid lots and garages available in and around Downtown. Check parkdowntownprovidence.com for information and maps. There are also maps of festival parking here. Parking away from Downtown and walking to the festival area is also recommended for those hoping to avoid traffic.

Speaking of traffic, will any streets be closed? On Saturday, June 13 the following streets will be closed: o Washington St. o Fulton St. between Dorrance St. and Memorial Blvd. o Exchange St. from Westminster St. to Washington St. o Eddy St. from Weybosset St. to Washington St. o Union St. from Weybosset St. to Washington St. o Adrian Hall Way from Washington St. to Fountain St.

Street closures are marked in red on this map.

If Kennedy Plaza is closed, is RIPTA still running? Yes, bus service will continue on the regular weekend schedule, but some bus stops may be moved. Check ripta.com for updated information about bus stop locations during the festival.

Will credit cards be accepted at the festival? The majority of vendors will accept credit cards, but we cannot guarantee it for all of them. There are also many ATMs located in and around the festival area.

What happens if it rains? There’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes! The Providence International Arts Festival will be held rain or shine. However, events may be canceled, rescheduled or relocated without notice in the event of severe weather. Check pvdfestival.com, Facebook or Twitter (#pvdfest) for updates.

FESTIVAL COUNTDOWN: 2 DAYS How to Talk to Your Friends About the Providence International Arts Festival, #4: The Festival Beyond the Festival The Providence International Arts Festival officially begins today!

…So why are we still counting down until the festival? Well, the past few days we’ve really been focused on the big celebration on Saturday, June 13, but the entire festival officially runs from today through Sunday. That’s why we want to mark this momentous occasion by taking a quick look at the events that will keep the party moving all weekend long, all over the city. Here are some highlights: (Please note: some of these events require a ticket purchase. Check our full extended events schedule for more details.)

MUSIC Tonight you can check out Radio Carbon, Mothor, Baylies Band, and Outlaw in Peru or Songwriters In the Round at AS220.

Friday night, Aurora gets in on the act with The Powers, Heidemann, APPEARANCES, and Blevin Blectum, and the Spot Underground will celebrate its new location with Boston Music Award winners and Newport Folk Festival veterans Kingsley Flood.

Saturday will be an explosion of music. In addition to all the performances at Kennedy Plaza, the One Providence Experience and elsewhere within the festival, there will be a number of participating venues hosting their own shows. The WBRU Summer Kick-off at Lupo's features Brooklyn indie dance duo Matt and Kim and Brit-rockers The Kooks. The Dorrance, hosting its own version of a Summer Kick-off Party, will take you back to the jazz era with the New Providence Big Band. And the nonprofit HeadsUp, Inc. hosts a Piano Bar for a good cause.

Sunday you can wind things down with Noose, Laika’s Orbit, Smilebag, and Gnards at AS220’s Psychic Readings.

THEATER Both Trinity Rep and URI Providence will be hosting premieres of new plays this weekend. Trinity presents the world premiere of Tony nominee and Brown alum Sarah Ruhl’s Melancholy Play: A Chamber Musical, about a depressed yet alluringly beautiful bank teller with whom everyone keeps falling in love. Meanwhile, URI Providence features local playwright Frank V. Toti, Jr.’s new solo show, Baggage, about coming out and coming to terms with the baggage of life.

Trinity also hosts a Lunch and Learn on Friday at noon, where you can bring your own lunch and go behind the scenes of the new play.

On Sunday, you can also check out songs and selections from Tenderloin Opera Company’s latest works in Leaves From a Tipsy Tree.

PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE Saturday there will be block parties happening throughout and around the festival area Downtown. The Dean Avenue is a partnership between the Dean Hotel and the Avenue Concept to turn the hotel’s parking lot into an interactive skate park and sculpture lounge, with DJs and dancing during the day and into the night. DayTrill will take over the parking lot behind 102 Washington Street for well-curated nightclub experience, but in the open air and sunshine. The West Side Block Party, just across the highway on the upper section of Washington Street, will offer a family-friendly good time, with music, food, activities and art. (They’ll also be leading a march Downtown to join the parade.)

Things heat up after the sun goes down. The Dark Lady will host The Block After Dark, featuring a drag show and DJ AV8. Local 121, The Stable and Murphy’s Deli & Bar will team up for a Retro Night Block Party featuring DJs Handsome Pete and Pauly Danger. Trinity Brewhouse will also get in on the action with a beer tent and free show from Providence’s own The Silks.

The Salon and The Boombox will both join in the celebration. The Salon has DJ Siskavitch tonight, DJ Moy on Friday and DJ Andy Morris’ Sweatshop Dance Party on Saturday, while The Boombox will let you sing your heart out in its karaoke lounge (or rent a private room) all weekend long.

CULTURE Writers and literary mavens will have two chances to celebrate at Aurora this weekend. Friday’s Writers Behaving Badly is an all-star game show celebration of reading, writing, and Rhode Island featuring Ann Hood, Hester Kaplan and Taylor M. Polites. On Saturday, A Writer’s Feast is an opportunity to talk shop, hear from a diverse panel of local writing groups, participate in free workshops and, of course, eat and drink.

Saturday offers lots of ways to get your culture on. The Providence Preservation Society holds one of its biggest events of the year: The Festival of Historic Houses. This year’s festival spotlights Fox Point, and will feature historic house tours. Meanwhile, the Rhode Island Black Storytellers host a free JUNETEENTH Joy Jam featuring RIBS performers, youth poets from the Davey Lopes Center and a craft tent where you can make something to bring to the parade after. Providence’s Everett Company presents Freedom Project, a multimedia physical theater piece that examines mass incarceration in America. Café S.O.U.L and Christopher Johnson present an evening of Poetry In Public Places, featuring Maximum Impact. Providence’s queer art magazine, Headmaster, celebrates the release of its new issue with its AV Club, featuring an installation of non-narrative video from local and regional artists.

Finally, on Sunday you can get up close and personal with industrial arts like iron pouring at the Steel Yard’s Fire Camp, a free, family friendly event where you can even make your own cast iron art piece.

SHOPPING Spend Saturday afternoon strolling and shopping the East Side as the Hope Street Merchants Association features sidewalk sales and local artists during the afternoon. The country’s oldest indoor shopping mall also gets in on the fun with The Arcade Style & Stroll, featuring cool vendors and more local artists. And on Sunday, the open-air Providence Flea will delight treasure hunters, vintage seekers and anyone else looking for cool finds.

FESTIVAL COUNTDOWN: 3 DAYS How to Talk to Your Friends About the Providence International Arts Festival, #3: Let's Get Visual The last couple of days that we’ve been discussing the festival, it has mostly been about the vast array of music, theater dance and other performances on Saturday, June 13 (though we did touch on public art yesterday). Of course, all of that excitement will be accompanied by a staggering array of visual art. Let’s take a quick walk through some of the highlights:

Etam Cru and Natalia Rak What: Huge murals by internationally known Polish street artists, courtesy of the Avenue Concept. Where: Rak’s will grace the Mathewson Street parking lot behind the George C. Arnold Building at 100 Washington Street, while Cru’s can be found on the opposing wall of the Mathewson Street United Methodist Church (134 Mathewson Street).

TapeArt What: Colorful, temporary illustrations of huge catfish made of nothing but painter’s tape from this Providence-based, nationally-reputed art collective. Where: On buildings along the Washington Street corridor.

Dean Avenue What: An “activisual experiment” by the Avenue Concept and the Dean Hotel to create a skate and interactive sculpture lounge. Where: The Dean Avenue parking lot at Washington and Snow Streets.

Avenue Concept Mini-Grants What: Temporary sculptures and interactive installations by over a dozen local artists, funded by the Avenue Concept. Where: Along the Washington Street corridor.

Seen/Unseen What: Powerful portraits of Providence residents by photographer Mary Beth Meehan. Where: On buildings along the Washington Street corridor.

Winter King Hawthorn What: The debut exhibit from the new Providence Biennial for Contemporary Art, an installation from nationally-known RI artist Lynne Harlow. Where: Gallery A, 180 Westminster Street.

Imprinted: Posters by Providence Artists and CityArts Youth What: Showcase of Providence’s rich tradition of poster art. Where: CityArts Gallery, 891 Broad Street.

The State of the Arts What: The collected works of the arts communities in our three state schools, URI, CCRI and RIC. Where: URI Feinstein Providence Campus Gallery, 80 Washington Street.

New Life What: Brightly colored depictions of butterflies by Providence artist/TEN31 Productions (you know, the living statues) co-founder Eric Auger. Where: The windows of the URI Feinstein Providence Campus Library, 80 Washington Street.

Stimuleye What: Art installation by Janet Croog and Dan Cogan that examines the eye in a cool, colorful way. Where: Providence Optical, 210 Westminster Street.

The Moving Gallery What: A RIPTA bus turned into a gallery for photography from AS220 Youth. Where: Um, it’s called the moving gallery.

Adrian Hall Way What: A skate lounge and interactive art installation from high school students enrolled in DownCity Design’s after-school program. Where: Between Fountain and Washington Streets, adjacent to Trinity Rep.

Buy Local RI Marketplace What: An open-air market featuring a wide array of wonders from local vendors, including – you guessed it – lots of local art for sale. Where: Burnside Park at Kennedy Plaza.

Creature Aquarium What: A periodic spectacle of intergalactic creatures and weirdness from Providence’s favorite puppet troupe, Big Nazo. Where: The windows of the Big Nazo Lab at Eddy and Fulton Streets.

Live to Draw, Draw to Live What: The first exhibit of new work by local artist John Jacobson since his battle with cancer. Where: The Drawing Room, 479 Washington Street.

AIA-RI Gallery Show What: Works by RISD and Roger Williams University design students, presented by the American Institute of Architects, RI chapter. Where: AIA RI Window on Architecture Gallery, 158 Washington Street.

Nine Locks Upon the Wonder What: New works from local artist Aaron Peterman. Where: AS220 Project Space, 93 Mathewson Street.

Fisherman's Woman/Fractal Edge What: New works from painters Claudine Metrick and Robyn Thomas, respectively. Where: AS220 Main Gallery, 115 Empire Street.