PROVIDENCE
– After months of preparation, city officials, organizers and some local artists on Wednesday expressed their excitement for this year's PVDFest with Mayor Brett P. Smiley touting there will be "something for everyone to engage in and to participate in, for all ages.”
“We are proud and excited to welcome everyone back...to experience the energy and creativity that is uniquely Providence,” he said in front of a recently installed mural on Snow Street created by artist Lauren YS.
Asked what he is most excited about for the upcoming festival being held in the city's downtown area Sept. 6 and 7, Smiley chose the city’s inaugural mural battle planned in Burnside Park, featuring muralists AGONZA, Niko Tolentino, Elton Duarte and Natural.
Joe Wilson Jr., director of the Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism touted the art installations, artisan markets, “People’s Parade,” live music and the food truck village in Kennedy Plaza, which he said will combine to “activate our public space," creating "an opportunity to gather, to engage, and to celebrate all that makes our creative capital so vibrant and special."
“Their work is some of the most exciting and striking pieces that we have,” he said.
The administration faced some criticism last year for relocating the 2023 festival to the Interstate 195 District Park along the Providence River. A March PBN poll showed 60% of respondents agreed that bringing the festival back downtown was the right move.
Heavy rains last year forced a shelter in place order before the festival's final day was cancelled outright. In response, the administration this year announced a Sept. 8 rain date.
In the three years that PVDFest was held before being downsized in 2020 and 2021 in response to the pandemic, total attendance exceeded 100,000 people and the city's economic impact ranged between $3 million and $4.3 million.
The administration has coordinated an “all hands on deck” public safety plan along with the Providence Police Department and Department of Public Safety for this year's festival.
"We know there have been some public safety challenges over the last couple of weeks. And we are working to address those," said Smiley, calling recent incidents "isolated."
“We treat this as the largest scale event that we do,” he said. “Our emergency management team has been preparing for weeks as we’ve done before. Everyone should feel confident they will have a safe experience.”
Smiley said there will be no public consumption of alcohol allowed though attendees can visit the several permitted beer gardens and block parties.
“You will be able to enjoy a drink there and support local business,” he said. "But you will need to finish your drink there before moving on to your next stop.”
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com
