Festival Frenzied
Beyond Downtown, more citywide arts-and-music fests and events abound, like First Saturdays, first-Saturday-of-the-month evening gallery receptions held throughout the city, and the two-day Art Walk Kingston (September 23–24, 2017), which showcased over 70 local artists and galleries in its inaugural 2016 edition. (And save the date for the fifth annual Chronogram Block Party on August 19.)
The king of local festivals is the annual weekend-long arts-and-music-packed O+ Festival, which matches participating artists and musicians with free health-care and wellness services. In its seventh year in 2017 (October 6-8), the fest has more than doubled in size since its 2010 debut, spawning nationwide spin-offs, and leaving a permanent legacy in Kingston via the 22 murals that it's commissioned across city walls.