Foo Fest Is Descending

AS220’s Foo Fest, a hallmark of summer in Providence, is happening all day on Saturday, August 13.  If you’re not familiar with Foo Fest, questions you may ask yourself could include: “Is this one of those conventions for those UFO believers? Or Foo Fighters fans? Am I completely overthinking this?” The answers are no, no and maybe. Foo Fest is AS220’s annual ragin’ summer block party with music, art, food and more, and the name comes from the original incarnation, The Fool’s Ball. It started in 1995 as an indoor carnival event, but expanded to a full-on festival in 2009. When AS220 started as a one-room space, they probably did not imagine one day having the resources to throw a giant 20 band block party.

This year, the masses can look forward to music from electro-wizard Dan Deacon, local psych group Arc Iris, literary enthusiasts Harry and the Potters and plenty more. And if you’re a malcontent who hates music, the festival is worth attending to experience the Mini Maker Faire alone. It’s a family-friendly showcase for the area’s best tinkerers and inventors to show off their creations. If you’re about the DIY lifestyle, it’s definitely worth checking out what your neighbors have been up to in their garages.

All this standing/rocking/looking will probably get you pretty hungry; Foo Fest has got you covered there, as well. Poco Loco, FUGO (asian-latin fusion), Noble Knots, Championship Melt, Tina’s Jamaican and Nico Bella (Italian home cooking) will all be there, but that’s just a taste (heh) of the options.

I talked to AS220’s artistic director, Shey Rivera, about some of the art fest-goers can expect. “In addition to installations and hands-on, family-friendly activities, we will have eight small booths with really cool, cool creations from local artists,” said Rivera. “We like to keep those a secret until the event, so you’ll have to come check it out!”

Some exhibits:

• Mimi Chrzanowski & Tycho Horan artist booth: “GIF Adventures in Babytown”
• Computer Computer Paper Presents: Brian 4 Ever (performance art)
• Providence Poetry Slam artist booth: Community curated poetry and performances
• RI Bicycle Coalition
• Providence Anarchist Book Fair

And perhaps the most thrilling component: wrestling! Foo Fest will have a full on ring set up with independent wrestlers from Beyond Wrestling.

Rivera is proud that this whole show is conceived of and run by creative types. “Foo Fest shows that contrary to popular belief, artists can handle of the logistics of a large event, and make it a success!”

Foo Fest takes place on August 13 from 1pm to 1am on Empire St in PVD. For more information, visit foofest.as220.org. Tickets to Foo Fest can be purchased at foofest.as220.org/tickets and children younger than 10 get in for free! Foo Fest also needs volunteers; those interested can find out more at the Foo Fest website: foofest.as220.org.