A Fest of Creative Proportions: North Park Festival of the Arts

It was not long ago that I stepped out of the bubble that is Orange County and moved down to North Park, a little community in the city of San Diego. It’s been about 9 months that I’ve lived down here, and man have I been enjoying myself. North Park has a decidedly urban feel as compared to where I grew up, with tons of Mom’n Pop operations, people taking their dogs everywhere, a legitimate bus system and, the most integral and characteristic of a citified area, a much higher density of people and businesses.

North Park is very much an up-and-coming neighborhood. Though it still has it’s share of dicey alleys, questionable bars and sketchy individuals, talking with longtime locals and more recent residents alike makes it clear that many improvements have been – and continue to be – made in every aspect of the area. Even in my short time as a North Parker I’ve gotten a sense of the so-called gentrification, and it seems to be happening with the full support of a community who wants their neighborhood to continue growing as the tight-knit, culture-concentrated locality it currently is. This shared vision was manifested this past weekend in the North Park Festival of the Arts, an event that I had been very much looking forward to not only because I love festivals, but because this one was to take place in my ‘hood.

Yesterday, 16 May 2010, marked the 14th annual celebration of the NPFOTA, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised by both its size and attendance. Assuming at first it’d be more of a farmers market setup than an actual festival, I was surprised to see fliers for the event advertising free parking in the structure on 29th & North Park Way and a free bike valet – a sign of high turnout expectations and an example of the North Park approach (most other places would charge more for parking during an event!). Early reports put yesterday’s attendance at around 35,000, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the actual number was a bit higher…it was packed!

The main drag of University Avenue was shut down for about six blocks, from 30th Street to 32nd Street, and the boulevard was stacked with vendors of food, crafts and art, booths of different community organizations and businesses, six stages featuring various types of entertainment and, the newest additions to the NPFOTA, the Craft Beer Block.

Things kicked off bright and early at 10am with the start of the quick-paint competition, where artists were given two hours to settle in anywhere within close walking distance of the judging and paint anything they wanted to. I strolled down Ray St. around 12:30 to check out the three winners and the rest of the finished products, all beautifully done and not surprisingly up for purchase. From the look of the resulting pieces, it had been a pretty stiff contest! With its various galleries and art supply shops, Ray St. was appropriately buzzing with action throughout the duration of the day – as was the “Hands-On Arts” corridor where fun arts and craft projects for kids give tired-out parents a nice break from their hyperactive offspring.

"giant squid." Katy Yeaw/The Butcher Press

My favorite experience of the festival came courtesy of Katy Yeaw and the Butcher Press, an SD print/illustration/design shop who displayed their innovative and totally fun to look at screen prints in one of the booths on University Ave.  The exhibit was set up under an EZ-Up tent – don’t ask me how I managed to spend 20 minutes in a 10 x 10 square, but man, that shit was interesting. The pic to the left is an example of the fine work carried out over at the Butcher Press and is titled “giant squid.” Check out their website to see more of Katy Yeaw’s kickass prints.

The entertainment for the festival was also pretty impressive. Like I said before, there were six different stages including: the Main Stage (showcasing local bands); the Beats & Eats Stage, where you could enjoy some music with your meal at the provided tables; the World Music Stage, featuring ensembles from Japan, South Africa and Finland: the Dance Stage, where I watched a great performance by the San Diego City Ballet; and the Bar Pink and Drowsy Maggie’s Stages, each located behind the gates of the Craft Beer Block & beer garden.

A bad picture of a great festival. Thank you Blackberry.

If you know me or have ever read this blog, you would probably expect me to have spent most of my time enjoying the beer and wine aspect of the North Park Festival of the Arts – and believe me, I effing wanted to more than anything. But again, if you know me or have ever read this blog, you are also aware that spending money is not my favorite pastime. Bottom line, the wristband fee for the Craft Beer Block & Beer Garden was $30, and I totally would’ve considered shelling out the cash were the brew tastings not limited to eight samples. Granted, the cost  included 10 food bites of your choice from many of North Park’s best restaurants, but limiting me to eight samples of beer is clearly not enough. (Tickets for the the San Diego International Beer Festival, June 25-27, are only $30 presale, and you get unlimited bru-ha for 4 hours!!) Call me greedy, but boy do I love me some suds.

I am really interested to see what they do with the Craft Beer Block next year, since this year’s FOTA was its debut. Some of this year’s participants included local resties such as Urban Solace, Toronado and the Ritual Tavern and breweries like the Blind Lady Ale House, Stone Brewing Company and Airdale Brewing Company – if next year’s Craft Beer Block lineup come anywhere close to that, chances are you’ll see me ponied up with my wrist band, heckling the poor beer guys for extra pours.

Without question, there is an incredible appreciation for creativity in the growing community of North Park, and it’s enhanced every day by the businesses that exist here and actions of the people that run them. Yesterday’s festival brought everyone out – the restaurants, the art galleries, the beer taverns, the dance performers, the wine bars, the dj’s and bands, the artists and craftspeople, and obviously, the North Parkers. Local fests like this are a great way to get out and see your community in action! Plus, proceeds are going right back into the NP mix via North Park Main Street, the non-profit org who puts the fest on & works throughout the year to continue the improvement of my neighborhood.  I’ll definitely be back to this fest next year – hopefully with a wristband.

Keep it festive,

Lauren