FAB! Festival Brings Audiences out to E. 4th St.
11 Sep
The house lights go out before the play begins. Works in art galleries are hidden from the sun to prevent the fading of their colors. Movies are projected in dark theaters to give the film definition. As bright and enlightening as it is, the downtown arts scene doesn’t always take a turn in the sunshine. Saturday, the 22nd of September from 1-5PM, FAB will be throwing the doors open on East 4th Street for the FAB! Festival and crowding the sunlit afternoon with street-top performances, local food vendors, free workshops, activities for kids and adults, site-specific dance and more; just about everything under the sun.
Over 70 local artists and entertainers will be bringing their work to East 4th Street, indoors and outdoors. Performers and programs includes storyteller Slash Coleman, performing excerpts from his PBS special Neon Man and Me; a full two hours of programming by Asian American Artists as part of the Asian American Arts Alliance’s Locating the Sacred Festival; the most historied and always-lovely women’s theater collective WOW Cafe Theatre; and the captivating mobile orchestra cdza. Along with the sights and sounds, attendees will enjoy FAB’s own Maggie and Melanie serving frozen bananas out of the Banana Cart and the smoky spicy savory offerings of the Mexicue Food Truck. When it’s all said and done, festival-goers can feel confident that FAB is striving not just for an eco-friendly fest but to appropriately recycle, reuse and dispose of 100% of the waste. There’ll even be activities and learning sessions to help concerned New Yorkers learn how to minimize both their environmental impact and their electric bill.
In a city where the buildings can block out the sun itself, it’s easy to get lost in the grind, caught in the shade. By closing down the road to traffic, FAB invites the community to take a breather, to get out on the afternoon of the 22nd, absorb that healthy dose of vitamin D and appreciate all the entertainment and enthusiasm the street side can hold.
For more information & to sign up for FREE workshops (Hula, Tahitian, Arts Marketing, & Movement) or indoor performances at The Kraine, visit: http://fabnyc.org/fabDeals.php
Written by Shane Reader
Image Credit: Whitney Browne
