By Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce
The fifth annual Capital Arts Fest will be the biggest celebration of art and culture that the Capital City has ever hosted. On Sept. 24 through Sept. 26, artists and organizations in downtown Concord and beyond will welcome visitors to a vibrant multi-arts festival. This immersive event offers lively, joyous and interactive arts experiences. View contemporary and traditional crafts, listen to live music, or watch pop-up street theater, site specific dance performances, intimate theater performances and presentations by authors and poets.
Beyond showcasing Concord’s diverse creative artists and enterprises, Capital Arts Fest will be a celebration of community, demonstrating that we can come together safely to enjoy shared experiences with others as we emerge from the isolation of the pandemic. This year, numerous Concord area cultural organizations are adding new elements to the festival. These performances, demonstrations, exhibits and interactive arts activities aren’t limited to the downtown area, but will also take place at many organizations’ home locations throughout the city. Confirmed satellite venues include Kimball Jenkins, Red River Theatres, Ballet Misha, Concord Community Music School, NHTI, McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, Canterbury Shaker Village and the Hatbox Theatre.
The celebration will begin with an evening of special activities at the Kimball Jenkins estate and a performance at the Capitol Center for the Art’s main Chubb Theatre. A full schedule of events will follow throughout the weekend, anchored by a Fine Art and Craft Fair presented by the League of NH Craftsmen on South Main Street. The downtown area will also feature live music in the Capitol Center for the Art’s outdoor beer garden, demonstrations and performances by Concord Dance Academy, Gibson’s Bookstore poetry readings, performances by NHSCOT-The Highland Games Pipe and Drum Corp and Concord Coachmen Chorus, and more.
Capital Arts Fest will benefit the city beyond a single weekend of scheduled events and festivities by fostering a deep appreciation for arts and cultural institutions in the Greater Concord region. This event offers a powerful opportunity to further brand the Capital Region as a cultural center for New Hampshire. The efforts of participating arts organizations not only increases visitor traffic and visitor spending in Concord, but supports the economic health of our community on a broader scale. This significant economic impact goes back to the roots of Capital Arts Fest
Capital Arts Fest was first established in 2017 by the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Creative Concord Committee in partnership with Capitol Center for the Arts. After studying the creative economy through the Arts & Economic Prosperity Survey in 2012 and 2017, this committee had concrete data on the importance of arts organizations on the local economy. This study measured the direct economic impact of cultural institutions and audience spending — 31.2 million dollars annually in the Greater Concord region — which represents only a portion of the impressive value of the creative economy in our state. Capital Arts Fest was created to foster the development of this valuable arts economy.
Area businesses have taken notice of the significant impact of arts organizations, and generously stepped up to sponsor this year’s Capital Arts Fest. Special thanks go to Bank of New Hampshire and the Rotary Club of Concord, NH. Additional sponsors include Merrimack County Savings Bank, the City of Concord, Granite State Credit Union, Grappone Automotive, Havenwood-Heritage Heights, Courtyard by Marriot Grappone Conference Center and Sugar River Bank. The Chamber also received a Joint Promotional Projects matching grant from the State Office of Tourism and Travel to help market the event.
Capital Arts Fest continues to grow as new organizations and activities are added to the robust festival schedule. View all event details and a full schedule online at visitconcord-nh.com/capital-arts-fest. Visitors are encouraged to spend the day or spend the weekend, enjoying all that Concord’s vibrant community has to offer.
