You don’t need to recognize that hindsight is 20/20 when PVDFest was predicted to fail well before it happened. And fail it did, spectacularly.
Unfortunately, the new mayor, Brett Smiley, thought it was a good idea to change the 2015 formula, despite its popularity. Instead of happening downtown, Smiley decided to move it to a smaller part on the side of the inner city, near where Waterfire happens. When this proposal came about, criticism and backlash were immediate, yet he ignored it.
PVDFest would normally happen in the inner part of downtown Providence. Streets would be closed, businesses and locals would take to the streets, artists would perform at various city blocks, and so much more. It felt organic and was a way for the community to bond together and show their Rhode Island pride. Were there occasional issues or problems due to late-night partying or drinking? Like any other festival, yes, but it was never a worrying issue. The thousands of people who partied respected what was offered, but there was one person who didn’t: Smiley.
Smiley was narrowly elected as the new mayor as he paraded himself on safety and law enforcement. With this, one of his big claims for moving PVDFest was just that. Block parties would no longer be allowed, public drinking would be off the table, and a more confined place where police had more presence was presented. To add a cherry on top, by moving away from this insinuated debauchery, Smiley claimed that it would be more “arts-focused.”
In reality, it was moved to an empty field away from inner downtown. This meant it was far from the bulk of businesses, limited the amount of creativity, and even smaller yet impactful things were felt. For example, no shade or water mitigation provided by trees, is far from the main bus hub where PVDFest used to center itself, and catering exclusively to those who drive. This area had little parking, and no way could fit the potential thousands of extra cars anyway. It was as if PVDFest was purposely pushed to the corner to die.
The event days were disasters. As predicted by critics, moving PVDFest from June to September meant a higher likelihood of rain, and of course, it downpoured during those days. The attending vendors, artists, and attendees were outraged. Equipment and art were lost, incredible amounts of money were wasted by businesses, and no shelter for any of this also meant attendees weren’t keeping around. The mayor didn’t even commit to reimbursement and stated that the weather was simply out of his control. If only it were downtown where folks could take shelter in the many local businesses, or, better yet, Smiley understood predictable weather trends.
From my point of view, this was Smiley’s way of catering to the monster that is Brown University and a way to sterilize our community. It’s not a coincidence that he changed the date to when Brown’s students start their classes, and while there’s no admitted connection, it’s often noticed that Providence bends over backward for Brown due to various funding, much to the city’s detriment. Secondly, it’s very clear that Smiley intentionally kicked PVDFest to the curb of the city based on helicopter parenting, politicking, and ignorance. Unfortunately, even his careless responses to what happened left little hope. Ultimately, if he wants to revitalize what we had, he needs to listen to the locals, businesses, artists, activists, and community members, and acknowledge that his version of PVDFest was a failure.
