Vendor applications will soon be due for the 37th Annual Fifth Avenue Arts Festival, which includes new entertainment and themes.
Gainesville’s Cultural Arts Coalition will accept vendor applications until all openings are filled, but it will charge a late fee for submissions made after April 8, said Nkwanda Jah, the coalition’s director.
Jah said this year’s theme, “Celebrating Life,” is about respecting people of the past and recognizing the beauty in everyone. The festival will take place from April 22 to April 24.
Vendor applications are available at the Wilhelmina Johnson Center, located at 321 NW 10th St., online at culturalartscoalition.com or via phone at 352-372-0216.
Each year, Jah said, the festival highlights a loss of culture in the Fifth Avenue African-American community.
Factors such as student housing caused the historic area to experience increasing gentrification, she said.
“The complexion of this community has changed so very much over the 37 years that we’ve been doing this festival,” Jah said.
On April 22, a new pre-festival showcase called Black Out Friday will feature music and dancing from different cultures at the newly renovated Bo Diddley Community Plaza, said Shera Sherman, the executive director of Project Beautiful and a committee member for the festival.
Sherman said she hopes the festival will help mend a division in Gainesville’s communities and cultures.
“Everyone has their own goals, but we all need to work together to promote excellence,” Sherman said.
