- The festival runs Friday and Saturday (Sept. 6-7) with a rain date on Sunday
- The festival is back in downtown
- There will be nine roving performers
PROVIDENCE – PVDFest is back in downtown this year and centered around Kennedy Plaza.
Festivities will start on Friday evening (Sept. 6, 5-9 p.m.) and go through Saturday (Sept. 7, 12-8 p.m.). Unlike 2023, Sunday has been designated as the rain date.
Highlights of performances include Italian aerialists, West African drummers, an all-women salsa dance group, hip-hop and R&B performers. Block parties will abound and makers and artists will be hawking their wares. There is also a parade on Saturday.
Hungry? In addition to downtown restaurants and outdoor, walled-off drinking, a "Food Truck Village" will feed the masses.
Wondering what to do, where to go, what performances to catch or markets to visit? We've got you covered.
Skip down to what you want to know
- What to do
- When is it?
- Rain date
- Maps, where things are, how to get around
- The parade
- Bus detours
- Road closures
- Where will parking be
- Weather
- Music stages and schedules
- Who is performing?
- What is there to eat?
- Markets
What to do at PVDFest?
Eat? Drink? Dance? Music? Art? Markets? PVDFest is going to have it all, scattered throughout downtown.
Food trucks will be centered at Kennedy Plaza. Art markets are scattered through downtown, including in Burnside Park, and seven stages will play music across downtown, with two located next to Kennedy Plaza (at Burnside Park and at City Hall).
There will be multiple art performances and installations, maker spaces and cultural heritage shows.
When is PVDFest?
PVDFest will start on Friday evening (Sept. 6) and run from 5-9 p.m.
It will start back up on Saturday (Sept. 7) at noon and go until 8 p.m.
No festival is scheduled for Sunday (Sept. 8), but Sunday is the rain date for Saturday.
Maps and how to get around PVDFest
There will be seven music stages on Saturday, ranging from in front of City Hall, nearby Burnside Park, at AS220 on Washington Street and elsewhere.
Food trucks will be set up in Kennedy Plaza. A parade will go down Empire Street on Saturday.
The PVDFest map is on the festival website at www.pvdfest.com and linked here.
Festivities are centered between Westminster and Washington streets, and expand down side streets. The festival will be bounded by Green Street at one end and Exchange Street on the other.
The PVDFest Parade
The parade starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday, at Empire Street and ends at City Hall. There are three grand marshals: Anjel Newman, Chachi Carvalho and Rodney Davis.
The parade entrants are:
- Extraordinary Rendition Band with Grand Marshalls Chachi Carvalo, Anjel Newman, Rodney Davis, Mayor Smiley, and Joe Wilson, Jr.
- RAMP
- Big Brothers Big Sisters
- King EeSy
- The Boston Globe
- Eunice Belly Dance
- Providence Community Libraries
- RI Kung Fu & Lion Dance Club
- Rip GALIANO
- Rios de Agua Viva
- Sirr Jones
- Amy the Mime
- Coyote Brass Band
- LBM Heavy
- Society Art Collective
- Selena Mars
- The Providence Drum Troupe
Bus detours for PVDFest
All Providence bus routes are being detoured between Friday, Sept. 6 and Sunday, Sept. 8, as Kennedy Plaza, the hub of PVDFest, is also the bus hub.
In all, 40 bus routes will be detoured for the festival, including Routes 1, 3, 4, 6, 9X, 10X, 12X, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24L, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 40, 50, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59X, 60, 61X, 65X, 66, 72, 78, 92 and the R-Line.
Kennedy Plaza bus stops will be relocated to Dyer Street.
See the temporary bus stop map here.
The temporary bus stop map is available at www.ripta.com/PVDFest
Road closures for PVDFest
Road closures and parking restrictions downtown start on Thursday, Sept. 5.
On Thursday, closures and parking bans on:
- One lane closure on Exchange Street between Washington and Fulton streets starting at 5 a.m. (Both lanes closed from Friday to Sunday)
Parking bans start on Friday, Sept. 6 on:
- Weybosset Street to Fulton Street
- Washington Street from Exchange to Dorrance Street
- Fulton Street from Eddy to Exchange streets
- Exchange Terrace from Exchange to Francis streets
- Dorrance Street from Fulton to Washington streets
- Eddy Street from Fulton to Washington streets
- Dyer Street from Ship to Dorrance streets
Road closures on Friday:
- Dorrance Street from Fulton to Washington streets
- Washington Street from Dorrance to Exchange streets
- East Approach from Washington Street to Exchange Terrace
- Exchange Street from Washington to Fulton streets
- Fulton Street from Exchange to Eddy streets
- Eddy Street from Westminster to Washington streets with local access provided
Road closures (and parking bans) on Saturday:
- Orange Street from Westminster to Weybosset streets
- Westminster Street from Empire to Weybosset streets
- Washington Street from Empire to Exchange streets
- East Approach from Washington Street to Exchange Terrace
- Dorrance Street from Weybosset to Fountain streets
- Fulton Street from Eddy to Exchange streets
- Eddy Street from Washington to Weybosset streets with local access provided
- Union from Fountain Street to Weybosset Street
- Clemence from Fountain to Weybosset streets
- MID-Mathewson from Westminster to Fountain
- Snow Street from Fountain to Chapel streets
- Aborn from Fountain to Westminsterstreets
- Adrian Hall Way from Fountain to Weybossetstreets
Where to park for PVDFest
The parking lots and garages open during the festival include:
- Parking lot at 38 Atwells Avenue
- Civic Center Garage at 165 Washington Street (entrance on Fountain Street)
- Lot at 11 Memorial Boulevard
- PPAC Garage at 233 Wybosset St.
- Amica Mutual Pavilion garage at 114 West Exchange Street
- Providence Place garage at 11 Providence Place
- South Street Landing Parking Garage at 330 Eddy St.
Weather for PVDFest
Learning from flooding during the second day of festivities last year, Sunday (Sept. 8) is the rain date for Saturday's line up of music, markets and food trucks. If the rain date isn't utilized, the festival will end on Saturday night.
As of Aug. 30, The Weather Channel's 10-day forecast shows:
Friday, Sept. 6: Partly cloudy weather, a high of 77 degrees and a low of 62 degrees, with "showers arriving sometime after midnight."
Saturday, Sept. 7: Cloudy weather with a high of 72 degrees, "occasional showers" and 10-15 mph winds, with chance of rain at 50%. In the evening, the weather is rain (50% chance) with a low of 58 degrees
Sunday, Sept. 8: Sunshine and clouds with a high of 75 degrees during the day. Low of 56 degrees at night with rain after midnight.
Stages and music schedules
There are three stages on Friday and seven stages on Saturday.
On Friday, there are three stages. Below is the performance schedule for each
City Hall stage on Friday:
- 5:30-7:30 p.m.: Chip Douglas and Friends’ Stargazing at PVDFest
- 7-7:30 p.m.: Rodney Eric López's Salsa Workshop
- 7:30-9 p.m.: Lulada Club
Burnside Park band stage on Friday:
5:15-8:30 p.m.:
The Spectacle stage both days will host the Italian aerialists eVenti Verticali. They will perform from 4:45 to 5:15 p.m. and from 7-7:30 p.m. on Friday.
On Saturday, there are seven stages. Below are their schedules.
City Hall stage on Saturday:
- 12:10-12:40 p.m.:Sherenté and Nkéke Harris
- 12:45-1:30 p.m.:Projetu Batuku, Nos Raís
- 1:45-2:30 p.m.:The Kim Trusty Band
- 3:45-4:15 p.m.: stay silent – Where’s Nasty – City Wide Electric Slide
- 4:30-7:30 p.m.:Afrika Nyaga Drum & Dance Festival with MC Valerie Tutson from Rhode Island Black Storytellers
- 4:30-5:00 p.m.: Manolo Mairena & La Pura Vida
- 5:00-5:15 p.m.: Providence Drum Troupe
- 5:20-5:55 p.m.: Denis Graca
- 6:10-7:30 p.m.: Sidy Maiga & The Bridge Where We Meet with Haus of Glitter
Burnside Park band stage on Saturday:
- 12:00-12:30 p.m.:Jake Hunsinger & The Rock Bottom Band
- 12:45-1:30 p.m.:Meridian
- 1:45-2:30 p.m.:Savoir Faire
- 3:00-3:45 p.m.:New Urban Arts
- 4:00-4:45 p.m.:Ashanti Eva Davenport & The Soul Tribe
- 5:00-5:45 p.m.:BucketBoheme & Friends
- 6:00-6:45 p.m.:King Abu & The Rockaz
- 7:00-7:30 p.m.:Dred Buffalo
Washington Street AS220 stage on Saturday:
- 12:25-12:35 p.m.:Freddie Black
- 12:55-1:05 p.m.:Emancipation of Rollie
- 1:10-1:20 p.m.:Big Bank
- 1:25-1:35 p.m.:Natural
- 1:35-1:45 p.m.:J The Renegade and S.B.E
- 1:50-2:00 p.m.:An Artist Named Flizz
- 2:05-2:10 p.m.:Five HipHop
- 2:15-2:25 p.m.:Gorilla House
- 2:30-2:40 p.m.:Big Bank
- 2:45-2:55 p.m.:King draztik
- 3:30-3:40 p.m.:Yungg Swayze
- 3:50-4:00 p.m.:AS220 Youth Dance
- 4:15-4:25 p.m.:AS220 Youth NuZu
- 4:30-4:40 p.m.:THESOCIETY
- 4:40-4:50 p.m.:AS220 Youth Dance
- 4:55-5:05 p.m.:AS220 Youth NuZu
- 5:10-5:20 p.m.:Jay Lew
- 5:25-5:45 p.m.:TheTyeCooperExperience
Union Street Unplugged Lounge on Saturday:
- 12:00-12:30 p.m.:Ju$tus
- 12:45-1:15 p.m.:Providence Poetry Slam
- 1:30-2:00 p.m.:Ava Sophia
- 2:15-2:45 p.m.:Thee Phibbs
- 3:30-4:00 p.m.:No Pit Crew
- 4:15-4:45 p.m.:Molly Maguires
- 5:00-5:30 p.m.:Ike Dee
Snow Street dance stage on Saturday:
- 12:00-12:55 p.m.:Carolyn Dutra Dance Studio presented by Dance For Art Inc
- 1:00-1:25 p.m.:Three Sides to a Story
- 1:30-1:55 p.m.:Azama Dance Company
- 2:00-2:25 p.m.:Choreography Project Presents: “The Contents” by Morgan Dubay
- 2:30-2:55 p.m.:Dance BFF Bollywood & Bhangra
- 3:00-3:25 p.m.:Trishula Dance Company Showcase
- 3:30-3:55 p.m.:Revolve Dance Project
- 4:00-4:25 p.m.:Valkyrie Heels Crew
- 5:00-6:00 p.m.:HAUS OF GLITTER’S GLITTER REVOLUTION DANCE PARTY
Westminster Street at NicoBella's on Saturday:
- 1:00 p.m.: Keith Munslow: Songs & Stand-up, Comedy for Kids
- 2:00 p.m.: Artic Cats: 60’s 70’s Music
- 4:00 p.m.: Superchief Trio
- 6:00 p.m.: Classic Rock with “Wasted Words”
- 8:00 p.m.: Rory & The Blues Hounds Featuring Lisa Kay
Spectacle stage on Saturday:
- 2:30-3:00 p.m.: eVenti Verticali
- 7:30-8:00 p.m.: eVenti Verticali
There will also be roving entertainers:
- BIG NAZO LAB Creature Stroll
- Sh8peShifter
- AmyTheMime
- Betty Hoop
- Siena Moon
- Eunice Belly Dance
- Tropicana Danny and Ling
- Project 401
- RI Kung Fu & Lion Dance Club
Who is performing at PVDFest?
Some of the performers include:
eVenti Verticali:A “gravity-defying” troupe of Italian aerialists who are suspended from a crane 60 feet above the ground. The performance begins with a deflated transparent sphere, an aerialist suspended inside, that inflates as it rises.
Lulada Club:Thisall-women salsa bandhailing from New York City will perform Friday, Sept. 6. Rolling Stone magazinewrote the group is reimagining salsaand “challenging the patriarchy” at the same time. The performance will include a dance lesson byRodney Eric Lopez, a Providence dance instructor.
Chip Douglas:A soulful blend of hip-hop, R&B and dance. The performance, which will highlight various genres of music, will be anchored by DJ Nyce Hitz along with Derrick Jones and band.
Sidy Maiga:Returning for the 12th annual Afrika Nyaga Drum & Dance Festival, a celebration of West African music and dance and its influences on the African diaspora. “Maiga envisions Afrika Nyagaas a sonic synthesis of African traditions and Rhode Island’s diverse communities,” said a press release. “The festival nurtures artistic exchange through the universal language of music across cultures, ages and nationalities.”
What is there to eat?
Over 20 food trucks and other food vendors will be grilling, mixing, baking and serving during PVDFest, including 22 on Saturday and 18 on Friday. The food trucks will be set up in and around Kennedy Plaza.
The food vendors making up the Food Truck Village are:
- Angkor Boba Tea House
- Atomic Blonde Ice Cream
- Axelrods Fry Shack LLC
- BerrySweets
- BIG DOG EATS
- Binge BBQ
- Blount Clam Shack
- Chicked Out Nuggz
- Cultro
- Del’s Lemonade
- Friskie Fries
- Hometown Poke
- Ja Patty RI
- Kona Ice of Warwick
- La Guaguita del Sabor
- Matilda
- Matunuck Oyster Bar
- Poppin Minis RI
- Rara’s Surf Shack LLC
- The Burrito Bowl
- The Daily Grind
- The Rolling Italian
- Turner Bros X
- Yagi Food Truck
Markets
Markers will be spread across the festival:
- Burnside Park, put on by Haus of Codec
- Along Washington Street
- Along Westminster Street
- At Mathewson Street
Rain date
The rain date for Saturday's festivities is Sunday, Sept. 8.
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Reporter Jonny Williams contributed to this report. Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite atwcowperthwaite@providencejournal.comor follow him on Twitter@WheelerReporter.
