This year, PVDFest returns to capital city but in September

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — PVDFest is returning to the capital city once again this year — but this time, it will close out the summer season.

Mayor Brett Smiley and the Department of Art, Culture, Tourism announced Wednesday that the festival will run for two days, starting Sept. 8. In the past, it took place in June.

“PVDFest is the moment where we as a community celebrate all the creativity, uniqueness, and diversity that lives here in the Creative Capital,” said Smiley.

The free arts festival debuted eight years ago and has featured nearly 5,000 artists, performers, and curators. It has also drawn about 600,000 people during the festival weekend.

PVDFest, said Smiley, provides new and exciting ways to bring people together through the arts and embracing both local and global talent in a way that’s uniquely Providence.

“Belonging, experimentation, and radical joy are three important values at the core of what our Department does day in and day out,” said Joe Wilson Jr., director of the Department of Art, Culture, Tourism. “[The festival] embraces these values, year after year, helping us realize our collective vision of Providence as a global destination for the arts, where all our neighbors celebrate diverse cultures and artistic experiences.”

“This year’s festival will be one for the books!” added Wilson.

Artists, performers, vendors, and volunteers interested in participating in this year’s festival should visit pvdfest.com.