Germantown is handing its main street to anyone who wants to make something. The third Germantown Arts District Festival fills Germantown Avenue between Coulter and Armat Streets on Sunday, October 25, with two stages, six hands-on art zones and a closing run of Armani White and Elle Varner.
It is free and runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Germantown Arts District (GAD) puts it on in partnership with Philadelphia 250. Founder and executive director Kristen S. Clark says the day is built on the idea that “everyone is creative,” so the plan is to get you doing something, not just watching.
Who Is Playing the Germantown Arts District Festival
The Armat Stage carries the big names of the Germantown Arts District Festival. Elle Varner closes the day at 5:35 p.m., right after Armani White at 5:05, and Freeway is billed as a special guest with no time posted yet. Before them come Kenya Vaun at 4:40, Mare at 4:15, Gospel Storm Choir at 3:50, Seraiah Nicole at 3:28 and Suzanne Sheer at 3:05. The lineup runs across gospel, R&B and hip-hop.
Earlier on the Armat Stage, the Mad Beatz Drumline plays at 1 p.m. and DJ Diamond Kuts follows at 2. Roxy Romeo and DJ Na$h host the stage, with Na$h on the decks at 3. Those times come from GAD’s artist flyers, and set times at a street festival can slide, so give yourself some room.
The Coulter Stage is where the neighborhood gets the microphone. DJ Oluwafemi and DJ N.I are both listed at 11 a.m. to open the day, and the Open Mic Zone runs from 1 to 3 p.m. with a live band behind the performers. Rico Anderson and the Ruffneckz host.
What You Will Find at the Germantown Arts District Festival
The art zones at the Germantown Arts District Festival are the reason to walk the whole block. Film, Photography, Textiles, Youth, HBCU and Open Mic each give you something to do with your hands or your voice, and the zones are open to all ages. Pick up a camera, touch the fabric, grab the mic.
Out on the street, a live graffiti installation takes shape, a stilt walker moves through the crowd and the drumline roams between the stages. A festival strung along the avenue makes you walk it, past storefronts you would drive by on a normal Sunday.
GAD is a nonprofit that works with local artists and arts organizations in Germantown, a predominantly Black neighborhood with a long history of rebellion and emancipation. Its stated goals include better signage for the arts corridor, more public spaces to view and make art, and regular craft fairs and markets.
The festival is the biggest public test of that plan. It follows community art events such as Gratefully Germantown, and it sits among the Philadelphia 250 events, such as ArtPhilly What Now, that have brought art out of galleries this year. A busy Sunday at the Germantown Arts District Festival is how a district proves it works.
How to Plan Your Day at the Germantown Arts District Festival
Go to Germantown Avenue between Coulter and Armat Streets any time from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 25. Admission is free.
Walk the whole stretch between the two stages and say yes to whatever you did not plan to try. Germantown has spent years saying its arts corridor is real, and one Sunday on the avenue, with a camera in your hand or a mic in front of you, is the easiest way to find out.
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