One of summertime’s biggest events in Waterbury is right around the corner as organizers at Revitalizing Waterbury put the finishing touches on plans for Waterbury Arts Fest next weekend.
The annual block party, arts market, and festival will be held Friday and Saturday, July 11 and 12, in downtown Waterbury. The event sets up at Pilgrim Park along Railroad Street, just behind the Waterbury Train Station.
Food trucks move in on Friday for both days, along with a performance stage for live music and entertainment. The large lawn remains largely open on Friday for the block party, with tents popping up for Saturday’s arrival of dozens of artists and craftspeople to set up for the daylong market.
Arts Fest is the largest fundraiser for Revitalizing Waterbury, the local community and economic development nonprofit. Vendors pay a fee to participate and admission is free for attendees. (Anyone making a donation, however, is entered into a raffle with local products as prizes.)
The Friday Night Block Party begins at 5 p.m. and runs until 9:30 p.m. In addition to food trucks, it has a Beer Garden hosted by Big Tree Brewing and two bands scheduled to play – Pluto Rising and the Wormdogs. The lawn is open for picnicking and dancing all evening.
Saturday’s schedule runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a cocktail/mocktail garden added by Salt & Rind from noon to 4 p.m., and entertainment all day on the main stage from local Green Mountain Performing Arts youth dancers in the morning to the reggae band Soulstice closing out the festival, from 3 to 4 p.m. MakerSphere will host a kids’ creation station booth where kids can make their own art. Many of the artist booths will have the artists themselves on hand to talk about their work. Local artist Courtney O’Brien will be among them, signing prints of her “Midnight on the Tracks” art featured on the 2025 Waterbury Arts Fest commemorative poster that will be for sale.
Visit the Arts Fest website for more details such as vendors, food options, and schedules for both days.
Some special notes:
- Parking: Attendees are encouraged to use the State Office Complex and South Main Street for parking. Those with accessibility needs can alert volunteers for a closer spot adjacent to the venue.
- Volunteers: RW organizers are still calling for volunteers to assist with a variety of tasks both Friday and Saturday, including setting up, tearing down, assisting artists, directing parking, and more. Volunteers receive an Arts Fest T-shirt, too.
- Road closure: From Friday morning until Saturday evening, Railroad Street between Park Row and Hill Street will be closed to vehicle traffic. Residents of the High Street and Hill Street neighborhoods will be able to access Railroad Street to get to Stowe Street. Park Row will be closed to Railroad Street, but open for motorists to go through Pilgrim Park to Demerit Place.
- Dogs: Arts Fest organizers ask that attendees leave pets at home. Anyone who must bring a dog is asked to keep them on a short leash given the tight crowd setting at Arts Fest. “We want to make sure the Arts Fest is inclusive and that includes people who are not fans of dogs, including the elderly and some young children,” they note.
More information online at waterburyartsfest.com.
