Plaza District Festival celebrates Oklahoma art, music and food

“It's really a day to showcase what we have in the district and the progress that we've made as well as highlighting local creativity,” said Kristen Vails, executive director of the Plaza District Association.

Admission and activities are free at the festival, which will include 40 visual arts exhibiting in tents along NW 16, a vast children's interactive zone, live music and dance performances in three outdoor areas, a Bigfoot Calling Contest and more. Local food trucks will park in the Plaza, and district restaurants, galleries and businesses are planning special activities.

An estimated 4,000 patrons attended the 2011 festival. About 5,000 are expected this year.

“Last year's was just packed the whole day. Our businesses had like double-record sales and triple-record sales that day. It was definitely the biggest year,” Vails said.

Growing district

In the 1930s, the Plaza District was a thriving 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 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 have transformed the once-decrepit neighborhood into a city hot spot.

“It's just such a sense of community. ... There's a huge sense of pride from all those folks. They're really excited to see some of their hard work pay off,” said Jonathan Fowler, general manager of Fowler Volkswagen of Norman, the festival's presenting sponsor. “The culture down there is so DIY that they can do so much with just a little bit of help.”

The festival started as a modest neighborhood block party but has bloomed into a full-blown celebration as the district has blossomed, Vails said. Monthly Live on the Plaza art walks have established the district as a cool place to be.

This year, the festival will showcase more musicians as the event shifts from a single, central stage to three outdoor performance areas. While Everything Goes Dance Studio will provide an actual stage for its performers, who will dance in an array of styles from ballet and tap to hip-hop and flamenco, the musical acts will play at crowd level.