New acts for Philly Fringe and Feastival
The next Feastival will be Sept. 12, and the organizing group has a new home in the works.
The arts and food usually meld quite nicely, as we've seen the last few years with Feastival, the splashy, food-focused fundraiser for the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and the Philly Fringe.
It's become a rite of September as 75 restaurants and bars get together under one roof to feed about 800 arts lovers, who also take in live entertainment from Fringe performers.
The 2011 Feastival was held inside Pier 9 along the Delaware River and will return there on Sept. 12. (Info is here.)
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and the Philly Fringe organization is moving forward with plans to occupy a circa-1902 pumping station across from the pier, on Columbus Boulevard at Race Street. Next year, the building will become offices, a 140-seat theater space, and a gastropub. Earlier this month, the organization applied for a liquor license.
Veteran barman Fergie Carey's name is among those on the license, but he stresses that he'll only be an adviser to the project, as he has helped with the two previous Feastivals.
The dining concept itself - set amid a neato industrial setting designed by architect Rich Stokes - is not 100 percent clear. "We're not aspiring to be restaurateurs," said Fringe producing director Nick Stuccio, who says the pub will be primarily a place for artists to socialize. "We'll do food because we have to. I can assure you we'll have a darn good burger."
Stay tuned.