CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The 16th year of Charleston’s popular art, music and entertainment event FestivALL is underway despite being nearly all virtual.
The virtual art fair, show your pride window display and the CAMC “Run for Your Life” virtual all began on Monday to kick off the events.
“It’s still 15 days of art, music, theater, and dance. It’s family fun and available online,” FestivALL Director Maria Belcher said on 580-LIVE on 580-WCHS in Charleston.
The schedule lasting until June 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 celebration is headlined by a virtual Capitol Street Art Fair with the 2020 juried artists featured in a Virtual Gallery.
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.
“FestivALL exists because we love collaboration and we always want to take feedback from the community. We also love to incorporate events that you help drive,” Belcher said of the public participation.
She added that she is proud of the work that has been done for the event. She said organizers made a quick pivot when the pandemic hit and decided to go virtual.
“We kind of saw this was coming,” Belcher said. “We had a meeting with several committees then we took it to the board of directors and almost immediately, by the end of March, we knew this was the direction that we were going to be headed for this year’s FestivALL.”
The full schedule of events is now online at festivallcharleston.com/festivall.