Philly Arts and Music Fest is coming to the Navy Yard this fall
The day-long festival headlined by Trombone Shorty with showcase local visual artists as wells as music acts.
New Orleans bandleader Trombone Shorty will headline the Philly Arts & Music Festival on Sept. 24 in South Philadelphia.
The daylong fest will be staged on the Marine Parade Grounds at the Philadelphia Navy Yard at the south end of Broad Street. Besides the headliner, the festival will focus on Philadelphia acts and showcase local visual artists and crafters in an artisans village.
The festival is being presented by Spectacor Events & Entertainment, the new events division of Comcast Spectacor, which operates the Wells Fargo Center.
Their partners in presenting the fest are intriguing. The visual arts component is being curated by Streets Dept, the photo blog founded in 2011 by photographer Conrad Benner. The blog documents and celebrates street art in Philadelphia.
Last week, three murals made in conjunction with the Adult Swim Mural Project were unveiled in Fishtown. The murals were collaborations between the blog’s mural division — Street Dept Walls — and Adult Swim.
“Philly’s art scene is among the best in the world, and it deserves to be celebrated,” Benner said in a statement, promising the fest will allow “an incredible lineup of artists from all different genres to showcase their work.” Galleries will include Nuto Studio, Ah Ha Brands, Spector Sports Art, and The Metz Art Gallery.
Other than Trombone Shorty, no bands have yet been announced for the fest. The acts are being booked by Luis Murrero, the founder of Voices in Power, which puts on poetry open-mic “experiences” twice a month in Philadelphia, and also in Camden, New York, Houston, and Miami. The next two local Voices in Power events are at Roxy Hall and Bistro on Aug. 16 and REC Philly on Sept. 3.
Trombone Shorty with play with his band, Orleans Avenue at the Fest. The 36-year-old artist Troy Andrews, who is also a singer and plays trumpet, got his nickname as a child prodigy.
From a prominent Crescent City musical family — his grandfather Jesse Hill was known for the hit “Ooh Poo Pah Doo” — he made his debut at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, playing trombone with Bo Diddley when he was 4.
Now, his stature in New Orleans has grown to the point where he plays a closing set on the last day of Jazz Fest every year. His latest album, Lifted, came out in April. He won Grammy that same month for his work on Jon Batiste’s We Are.
The Philly Arts & Musical Festival will be held at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, 4701 Intrepid Ave., from 1 to 8 p.m. Sept. 24. Tickets are $30 and go on sale Aug. 11 at 10 a.m. at thepamfestival.com.