The cobblestoned streets of Fells Point will be packed with swing dancers, classic cars, historic boats and more than 700,000 visitors at the Fells Point Fun Festival this weekend.
“[The festival] is the main fundraiser for the preservation Society,” society Executive Director Ellen Von Karajan said. “It helps preserve buildings, present educational programs, walking tours. It?s a critical economic event for society and Fells Point.”
“The event started out as a way to showcase Fells Point when it was slated for demolition to make way for I-83 and I-95,” said Denise Whitman, the festival?s executive director. “People realized this was a gem here in Fells Point. It grew and grew until people finally realized that this is a beautiful place to live.”
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the festival, which boasts five musical stages, fine art displays, more than 40 food stands and an international bazaar, as well as “La Plaza Hispania,” featuring Hispanic foods and music.
“Every year, we kind of change the festival and tweak it to include new and different entertainers,” Whitman said. She continued to say that this year, all of the entertainers in the beer garden are tribute bands that have good reputations and are well known in the area, such as Can?t Hang (Bob Marley tribute), Fools and Horses (Beatles) and Ballyhoo (Sublime).
One of the main highlights of this year?s festival is the docking of the Pride II, a reproduction of an 1812-era Clipper privateer, in Fells Point for thefestivities. “The Pride II is significant because the original was built right here in Fells Point,” Von Karajan said. Visitors will be allowed to see the ship during the open houses from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.
“This year is a celebration of city living in all of its forms. Fells Point has the shops, has the offices,” Von Karajan said. “It?s a village that?s copied, a model for new urbanism.”
“We have something for everyone ? the kids, the baby boomers, the gen-Xers,” Whitman said. “If you can?t find it here at the festival, it doesn?t exist.”
