These events have taken place for 2023, but please join us next year.
We believe Ms. Sarah McKnight exemplifies what this proposed loop should represent. The locally-produced documentary “Sarah’s Place” will be screened each night of the festival, highlighting the talent, resolve, and vision of one of Gainesville’s historic Black businesswomen. The Festival includes a series of mini-festivals open to the public over five days in February:
Day | Date | Neighborhood Festival Locations
Day 1. Thursday, February 16, Springhill
Celebration Kick Off at the Cotton Club Museum
4pm – 9pm
- Live music and choir
- Collaborative oral histories
- Creative Community Input Station
- Q+A of neighborhood history, landmarks, and future plans
- Collective family style dinner
- Guest Speaker Dr. Gloria Jean Swopes to speak about her mother, Ms. Sarah McKnight
- Screening of “Sarah’s Place”
For a full schedule of Day 1’s activities, click here
Day 2. Friday, February 17, Artist Exhibition in the Power District
4pm – 11pm
- Chalk Avenue down SE 5th Ave
- Em[POWER]ed Market Vendors
- Rastafarice Snowcones, Radha’s Kitchen, Germains, and Dominisoul Empanadas
- Meet the Festival Artists! Loop Renderings + Community Input Board
- Live character performances and creative installations
- Mural Walls Main Stage music, dance, and storytelling
- Screening of “Sarah’s Place” at the Cade Museum After Dark (21+)
For a full schedule of Day 2’s activities, click here
Day 3. Saturday, February 18, Pleasant St. / 5th Ave.
2pm – 8pm
- Porter’s Folk Artist Live Painting with Alyne Harris
- SF College Blount Hall Art Gallery Open House
- Live theatre and poetry in the park
- Caribbean Queen Jamaican Patties
- 2 Historical tours of Pleasant St. and 5th Ave neighborhood
- Local Authors Book Table
- Screening of “Sarah’s Place” at Old Mt. Carmel
For a full schedule of Day 3’s activities, click here
Day 4. Sunday, February 19, Duckpond & SE Historic District
9am – 8pm
- FUN RUN and maps for self-guided walking tours – sign up for the Fun Run here!: https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/Gainesville/SweetwaterGreenwayLoopRun
- Coffee, tea, and picnic lunch
- Nia Dance and exercise, live music, and Friends of the Library free books at Roper Park
- Presentations by the Duckpond Neighborhood Association Environmental Stewardship Committee on The Boulevard
- Guided tour of the Matheson Library and Archives with refreshments
- Historical presentation about the SEHD at Alachua County Library, and talks on invasive plants in the area by guest speakers
- Southern stewed collards by Sweetwater Branch Inn
- Live storytelling and music in Sweetwater Park
- Screening of “Sarah’s Place” at the Matheson History Museum
For a full schedule of Day 4’s activities in the DUCKPOND, click here
For a full schedule of Day 4’s activities in the SE HISTORIC DISTRICT, click here
Day 5. Monday, February 20, Grove Street
4pm – 10pm
- Grove Street Farmer’s Market
- Brewery Tours at Cypress & Grove
- Flowspace + HOWL Tea Zen Zone, firepit, ecstatic dance and more
- Wine + Wildlife Guest Speakers at Superette and Sweetwater Branch Trailhead with Florida Trail Association and the Alachua Conservation Trust
- Post-farmer’s market DJ sets and live performance art installations to light up the bike trail
- Final Screening of “Sarah’s Place” at Cypress & Grove at 7pm
- free C&G drink ticket for attending!
For a full schedule of Day 3’s activities, click here
- free C&G drink ticket for attending!
