‘Loving the vibe and loving the music’: That was the theme of Festival of the Arts on Friday as thousands of attendees jammed streets in downtown Grand Rapids for dozens of performances. (Photo Gallery).
Bringing the Crowds: Sunny weather helped Festival of the Arts pack streets in downtown Grand Rapids on opening day. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
“It’s about to get loud,” proclaimed the lead singer for The Bullets, as the hard rock and punk band prepared to perform at Rosa Parks Circle late Friday afternoon.
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Jazzing Up the Calder Stage: The Beer City Saxophone Ensemble on Friday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus0
It did, and the mostly-empty seats would soon fill up with a wave of after-work festival-goers on the opening day of Grand Rapids’ Festival of the Arts thanks to near-perfect weather.
From the indie-folk beauty of Grand Rapids’ Watching for Foxes, which opened the City Stage on Friday, to the Americana strains of Jukejoint Handmedowns, who closed out the Circle Stage at the end of the night, it was an impressive lineup of local and regional artists for the 47th installation of this free, volunteer-run affair in downtown Grand Rapids.
“I wasn’t expecting this much live music,” said Shari Merten, a first-time Festival attendee. “The festival is big but still intimate, which is exciting.”
With more than 70 live performances ranging from rock to classical music on Day One, the festival was indeed exciting — and it continues today through Sunday on six stages, with art exhibits and those tantalizing food booths filling the streets in between.
Sunny Musical Strains: The Double Basements on the Circle Stage. (Photo/Hunter Gamble)
The festival captures the excitement of the exploding art and entertainment scene in Grand Rapids, with people of all ages wandering stage to stage, following the music and exploring what the celebration has to offer.
“I love the vibe, I love the music and I love Grand Rapids,” said attendee Dan Armstrong.
Friday’s highlights included exciting performances by Grandville’s alt-rock group Feeding Grizzlies, the six-piece Four Lincolns, a repeat of a David Bowie tribute (that first got unleashed at The Pyramid Scheme earlier this year) and a night-closing set by pop-rock’s Valentiger on the giant Calder Stage.
Scan Local Spins’ Festival picks for the rest of the weekend with the full Festival schedule online at festivalgr.com.
And check out the gallery of images from Day One, including photos of The Zannies, Beer City Saxophone Ensemble, Slumlord Radio, Grand Rapids Youth Symphony, The Double Basements, Wake Up Autumn and much more below.
PHOTO GALLERY: Festival 2016, Day One
Photos by Anthony Norkus, Hunter Gamble and Katy Batdorff
