A vibrant celebration of local art, music, food, and beer united San Diego residents this weekend at the first annual Night and Day Street Fest in East Village, San Diego. Spanning across several blocks, the festival was curated by Stone Brewing Company of San Diego with local breweries such as Mission Brewery, located in the historically significant Wonderbread building in East Village.
Jimmy Ovadia, at the Night & Day Street Fest
Artists arrived at 4pm to set up stands showcasing their work and selling prints, jewelry, and postcards in an effort to support local art. One of the artists, Jimmy Ovadia, spoke to us about his experience as an artist in San Diego. Ovadia uses his canvas as a medium to "create something from nothing." Incorporating all types of mediums into his artwork, the majority of his artwork presented on Saturday were paintings. Born and raised in San Diego, Jimmy has always been involved in art. He gets his inspiration from the world around him and his art is an abstract representation of everyday experiences. One featured work depicted a man covered in moths sitting beside a woman with a lampshade in the place of a head, representing the biological attraction of a man and woman.
Some art lovers were not selling their work, rather reveling in the creativity present at the festival and doing what they do best - art. Van, for example, who was not there with a particular purpose in mind, was painting a paper mache sculpture of two figures, depicting the pain associated with relationships. On opposite sides of the festival were two stages, one local and one designated as the main stage. Musical artists included G.Love, Donovan Frankenreiter, Pato Banton and Everest on the main stage and the Nervous Wreckords, The Styletones, Low Volts and Mattson 2 on the local stage.
"Since October is arts month, we took into account that two of the main artists, G.Love and Donovan Frankenreiter have San Diego roots," said Chris Cantore, U-T Entertainment Editor.
U-T San Diego collaborated with local music, art, and fashion hub FeeLit, a local record store dedicated to showcasing independent arts of all kinds.
at Night & Day Street Fest
John Oliver Lewis' "pod" Creases Pieces IV, 2012
The "moving pods" also made an appearance, with local artist John Oliver Lewis' "pod" Creases Pieces IV, 2012 featured by the entrance. The pods are installations of art in a confined space, designed by nine local artists. They launched at the San Diego "Fall for the Arts" festival on October 5th and will be moving to different locations over the course of the month, in recognition of National Arts & Humanities Month. And when it comes to the food, there was no shortage. Artist Janelle, who had set up her stand in the middle of the festival, named Dang Brother Pizza the biggest star of the night for its mouth-watering pizza. Dang Brother Pizza is a mobile food vendor, but it isn't your average food truck. Firing up an oven in the back of a 1974 American LaFrance fire truck, Dang Brother provides customers with authentic wood-fired pizzas in a "fun and unique environment."
It was a close competition for second, however, with Royal India providing an exotic taste and a variety of local food trucks. Food trucks at the event included Green Truck, for a local, organic, and sustainable option; Groggy's, which prides itself on being home to San Diego's original fat sandwiches; and The InSlider, famous for their tater tots and gourmet sliders. Providing a space for local artists to connect and promote their work, the first annual Night & Day Street Fest will likely expand as it grows. From the food, to "craft beer alley," to live music, San Diego Night and Day Street Fest, or #NDFest, was a colorful celebration of San Diego culture.
