Plaza District Festival grows with the neighborhood; 15th annual event set for Saturday
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Plaza District Festival grows with the neighborhood
BAM column: The once-blighted area has been revived into an artistic hot spot, and it will be celebrating the state’s creativity Saturday.
Even on a quiet, average weekday afternoon, you can find plenty to see, do and buy in the burgeoning Plaza District.
Check out a variety of artwork by Oklahoma artists, peruse handmade crafts or hunt for vintage treasures. Shop for fine Mexican crafts, try a healthy version of Irish fish and chips or sample Guatemalan delicacies.
Get a haircut. Get a new outfit. Get a tattoo, for that matter.
From noon to midnight Saturday, the already interesting northwest Oklahoma City neighborhood will get even more festive during the 15th annual Plaza District Festival in the 1700 block of NW 16, just west of N Classen.
“When there was nothing down here, it was really like a neighborhood block party, but now it’s like a real festival,” said Kristen Vails, executive director of the Plaza District Association, over a serving of divine Chocolate Guinness Cake at Saints Irish pub. “Now that we have businesses and artists down here, it’s really been able to grow into a big event.”
In the 1930s, the Plaza District was a bustling commercial area featuring shops, restaurants, bars and the landmark Plaza Theatre. Decades later, the declining district was plagued with crime and urban decay. In the late 1990s, area residents banded together and started renewal efforts. In the past few years, Lyric Theatre’s renovation of the Plaza Theatre, a streetscape paid by a city bond issue and the opening of several studios, galleries and businesses has transformed the once-blighted neighborhood into a city hot spot
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