As Chapel Hill celebrates 200 years of local government, Festifall – one of North Carolina’s longest-running festivals – is celebrating its 47th year of properly welcoming autumn to our community.

This year, Festifall will feature an arts and crafts market taking over West Franklin Street with works from local artisans and artists – along with live music, interactive performances and all the usual family fun you’d expect to find downtown as leaves change color and cooler breezes begin to blow.

Festifall is one of the signature celebrations seen in the Town of Chapel Hill, an annual event with a history of organization through cooperation between town departments and organizations. This year, involvement from the Downtown Partnership and UNC’s Arts Everywhere initiative have brought more arts experiences than ever before into Festifall. Attendees can expect street performances, live painting, spoken-word poetry and to see some well-known local bands in pop-up performances.

Also among the list of changes to Festifall for 2019 is the day – this year, the event has been moved to Saturday afternoon rather than the usual Sunday. Additionally, for the first time, Festifall will include an “after dark” component that will keep the music going and downtown bustling well after the sun sets across local venues like Local 506, The PIT and The Cave.

Performances from The Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern, Playmakers Repertory Company and Poetry Fox are scheduled to pop-up along the street. The Family Fun Zone will feature a participatory graffiti art mural together will creative kid-friendly art vendors and activities. Music headliners include acoustic string trio Onyx Club Boys, singer-songwriter Skylar Gudasz, Afro-Brazilian instrumentalist Caique Vidal and Charly Lowry of Dark Water Rising.

Parking will be complementary in all Town lots for the entire day on Saturday, October 12. Event staff also encourage alternative transportation methods by utilizing Chapel Hill Transit’s free bus system or biking to the event.

 

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