Westcott Street Cultural Fair Ends Summer

Peace in the Streets

The 2019 Westcott Street Cultural Fair was on fire! Temperatures nearing 90 Sunday didn’t hold anyone back from enjoying the last official day of summer. The festival is an annual event celebrating the diversity of the Westcott neighborhood. Thousands of people convene to support local art, music, and business. It is a family friendly, dog friendly, crazy costume friendly event.

The crowd was full of smiling faces. There are plenty of options to engage or observe. It was both entertaining and very peaceful. This is a nice change from other festivals more focused around drinking and partying.The festivities begin with a parade and then live music bounces back and forth between many stages in the area including a children’s stage, a belly dance stage, and an acoustic stage. Many cultural acts including Kambuyu Marimba, Francis Academy of Irish Dance, and La Familia de la Salsa performed. Vendors of all sorts and local restaurants line the streets for the six hour fair. There was no community aspect lacking exposure here. Shoppers were engaged and the dancers were many. Thank you to the organizations providing free water on this crazy hot day so we could endure and enjoy.

A musical highlight was Count Blastula with their original songs and a few choice covers, including Vulfpeck. They got the attention of local musicians in attendance who rarely have the opportunity to get out to see other bands. Fletch Crangle graced the stage with live art adding to the funky vibe.

I wandered the streets all day but spent most of my time between the WAER Center Stage and the Rent From Ben Acoustic Stage. Bad Mama’s Blues Band kicked off the day followed by Atkins Riot, Count Blastula and Sophistafunk. The acoustic stage had a diverse lineup including Mark Zane Trio, Melody Rose Band with Andrew Carroll, Late Earth and The Bog Brothers. Follow the cnyalive.com calendar to find these bands’ gigs.

It was a great day showcasing the community. “Take a look around right now because this is what community is,” Jack Brown, Sophistafunk, said to the crowd as they headlined the day. Way to represent Westcott! Peace out Summer. See you next year.

 

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photos and videos by Azure Eyes Photography

 

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About Misse Fedele 224 Articles
Photographer, Promoter, Contributor

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