Page 28 - 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report - City of Winston-Salem

FESTIVALS AND ANNUAL EVENTS

Winston-Salem’s vibrant downtown o ers an array of largest Hispanic festival in the region and all proceeds support
shopping, dining, cultural, and recreational experiences cultural, health, education, and college scholarship programs
year-round. The newly renovated Benton Convention for the Hispanic/Latino community.
Center, part of Twin City Quarter, is central to the City’s Winston-Salem is the home of the National Black Theatre
festivities. In fact, the downtown area hosts about 2,500 Festival, held biennially in August and renowned for
events each year and employs approximately 27,000 celebrity appearances and performances. Also based in
people in the district.
Winston-Salem, the festival is produced by the North
The Piedmont Craftsmen’s Fair is held each year at the Carolina Black Repertory Company, the world’s largest
Benton Convention Center and showcases the works of showcase of black theatre. The six-day festival o ers
over 100 ne artisans from across the Southeast in a hundreds of performances of professional theatre, lm,
setting that allows shoppers to meet the crafts people, poetry, workshops, seminars, and shopping. As the
talk to them about their work, and view demonstrations City’s largest festival, it attracts more than 65,000 patrons
of craft techniques. The fair, which has been held each to performances by black theatre groups from across
year since 1963, takes place one weekend each November, the country. The festival returns to Winston-Salem in 2019.
allowing visitors to get a jump start on holiday shopping. Celebrating its 20th year, the RiverRun International
Held at venues throughout Winston-Salem, the Film Festival is held in downtown Winston-Salem and
Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors is the largest has become one of the preeminent lm festivals in the
book festival in North Carolina. The four-day festival Southeast. The competitive festival attracts attendees
continues to gain in status and popularity, hosting authors from throughout the South and o ers a diverse program
from all genres, including best-selling writers such John from lm studios, independent distributors and rst-
Grisham, Diana Galbaldon and Dave Pilkey, author of the time lmmakers. RiverRun is a 10-day festival held each
wildly popular children’s series “Captain Underpants.” The April, with about 150 screenings of feature-length and
Bookmarks Bookstore is located downtown on Fourth short lms from around the globe spanning all genres.
Street and hosts regular author appearances and events The movies are shown at di erent venues throughout
for all ages of readers. Winston-Salem, including a/perture cinema, a non-
pro t art-house cinema featuring two 80-seat theaters,
Organized by the Hispanic League, the annual FIESTA
street festival attracts over 20,000 and is the League’s one 45-seat screening room, and a 25-seat alternative
largest fundraiser. The free multicultural event includes live viewing room. The locally-owned theater screens a mix
Latin music, cultural programs, a children’s area, Latin cuisine, of independent, foreign, documentary, local and festival
local arts and crafts, and a beer and margarita garden. It’s the lms year-round.

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