SALEM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The return of the annual Salem Arts Festival in downtown Salem on Friday marked a step on the road to normal for the city.
The festival was held virtually last year, but the 13th Annual Festival was all in-person. Art at the festival ranged from galleries spread across the city's downtown and musicians performing in public squares, to human-sized puppets and fairies.
"I've been telling everyone that I see this as a large-scale community art therapy experiment," said Kylie Sullivan, Executive Director of Salem Main Streets.
Sullivan said the weekend-long festival was the first in-person community gathering since the start of the pandemic.
"Just experiencing that sense of being together in a physical way that we haven't gotten to have for the past year" offers a chance to heal the community, she said.
The festival began Friday and ends on Sunday.
WBZ's Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) has more:
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(Photo: Carl Stevens/WBZ NewsRadio)