O+ Festival Brings More Music And Art To Kingston

MID HUDSON VALLEY, NY—The Kingston-based O+ Festival, which starts today and runs through Sunday, offers a citywide celebration of creativity.

The Eighth Annual O+ Festival kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with a parade that leaves from the Seven21 Media Center at 721 Broadway, Kingston. Music and art events follow for the rest of the evening. Scheduled weekend music events include performances by dozens of bands and singers, including singer-songwriter/playwright Amanda Palmer, as well as Deerhof, the band described by Pitchfork as "the best band in the world." A full schedule of the weekend's performers can be found here.

Ticket buyers receive a wristband that entitles access to any participating venue and attendance at all concerts.

Not only can attendees explore multiple art exhibits and installations throughout the city, they can view several new building-high murals being added to Kingston's growing collection. Music and art are only part of the fun. Festival-goers can participate in activities ranging from scavenger hunts to improvisational theater to interactive storytelling.

O+ was started in Kingston in 2010 by a small group of artist-activists, doctors and dentists; it's now a national nonprofit. The organization's year-round efforts culminate in the festival, in which under-insured artists and musicians create and perform in exchange for care by medical and complementary care providers. The organization's mission is to form long-term relationships between creatives and health and wellness providers. A mission statement on their site reads, "By exchanging the art of medicine for the medicine of art, O+ empowers communities to take control of their collective well being."

You can learn more about the organization here.

Photo of 2013 O+ Festival mural on Keegan Ales by Joan Vos MacDonald