Preparing for the Street Art Festival 2017

The Institute of Creative Arts is asking the public to come and party with them for the seventh edition of the Street Art Festival. The event, which will be held this Saturday in downtown Belize City once again, was created back in 2011 to showcase art and culture, giving artists a marketplace to dialogue one-on-one with customers and to generate income through their business. The festival is for the entire family and will feature a kids section, as well as a youth and main stage along Albert Street and the popular food court. Today, News Five caught up with Acting Director Karen Vernon to find out more.

Karen Vernon

Karen Vernon, Acting Director, Institute of Creative Arts

“There will be entertainment from five to ten p.m. on the main stage. We are dedicating this stage in the memory of Leela Vernon. We are having he youth orchestra playing some of her songs; the Brukdown Project; Dawgy King, the Larubeya Band who is the headliner, they will also be playing some of her music so that stage will be dedicated to the memory of Leela Vernon. We have the sidewalk chalk competition that starts place from early in the morning; the competitors start drawing and getting their slots ready to be judged. Sprite is sponsoring that section. We have the food court which is very exciting this year; we are have lots of different foods…anything you want, you can come and get out there. They’ll be ready from twelve I am sure. We’ll have Omalewa performing in that section, playing music for you so you will be entertained while eating. Then of course there are the vendor booths which are along Albert Street. Painters, sculptures, jewelry makers, arts and crafts, baskets, fashion – you name it – they will be down there on Albert Street. So come and meet the artists, come and communicate with them, talk with them to see what the process is to get their product to where it is to that finished product. Of course there is the kids zone…there’s the ever popular kite booth where the kids walk away with their kites. There will be a puppet show different times in the day and that will be posted; face-painting and bouncy house; whatever for the kids. And then there is the youth stage…Joseph Stamp is managing that stage and he will have a concert this year with youth entertainment and that starts from five p.m. and it finishes at eight. There is also the Pandemonium Steel Pan and they will be playing in the streets. We have our living statue; we have the jankunu dancers from Dangriga who will also be performing in the streets. So it is excitement, all day on Saturday.”