FestivALL rolls out schedule for virtual celebration

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The schedule is out for next month’s FestivALL Charleston that will turn the traditional programming into a virtual festival.

Event organizers of the 16th year of Charleston’s popular art, music and entertainment festival announced in early May that the two-week celebration will be all virtual due to COVID-19.

On Tuesday, the lineup was announced that is headlined by a virtual Capitol Street Art Fair with the 2020 juried artists featured in a Virtual Gallery.

“This year we will be going online with a gallery and that will include links to all of the artists who have been juried in this year to all of their shops,” Mallory Richards, FestivALL Marketing & Production Coordinator told 580-WCHS.

“It will also have a video premiering June 27 as part of the fair and include videos from artists. It’ll be like a featured film.”

The 15-day schedule, from June 14-28, features local and nationally acclaimed dance studios hosting free classes featured in video format on a variety of platforms, performances by local musicians, behind the scenes looks at artists, and a virtual “Three Things” episode featuring Grammy award-winning musician Kathy Mattea, Tony Award-winning actor Michael Cerveris and host of Mountain Stage Larry Groce.

The “Three Things” episode is one of the many features that will be accessible on FestivALL’s YouTube channel and on the organization’s website, festivallcharleston.com, to watch.

VIEW: The complete schedule for FestivALL Charleston

Richards said FestivALL also partnered with Mountain Stage to do a special broadcast on all the statewide West Virginia public broadcasting networks that features performances from past FestivALLs on June 20 and 28 at 8 p.m.

She said even though some events associated with FestivALL had to cancel because of the virus, including Charleston’s Live on the Levee, the spirits have not been dampened.

“People are obviously upset that they can’t be down on Capitol Street or at the Levee or doing these things in person, but we have heard a lot of things from people saying they are excited to participate and have a bright moment, some positive stuff happening,” she said.

The full schedule of events is now online at festivallcharleston.com/festivall or festivallcharleston.com/events.