On Saturday, April 27, 2013, thousands of excited spectators attended the closing street fair for The Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts – PIFA – based on this year’s theme, “If You Had a Time Machine…” PIFA , produced by the Kimmel Center, was a 31-day arts festival, with over 50 different interpretations of the theme through theatre, music, dance, and various exhibitions.
At this year’s street fair, people of all ages got the opportunity not only to step back in time, but also to travel deep into the future without ever leaving the Avenue of the Arts along Broad Street. Attendees enjoyed a variety of food vendors, journeyed through time by interacting with unique acts and street performers, and experienced classic amusement ride favorites.
During the festival the crowd watched as European sculptors designed their version of a time machine, listened to the chanting of the 15th century Gregorian monks, marched to the sounds of a 1890s Sousa Band, sang Sea ditties lead by two jolly sailors and stopped by the dinosaur petting zoo to interact with realistic pre-historic creatures.
Children and adults alike were fascinated by the stunts of the African Acrobats, stunned by the post-apocalyptic wanderers and reveled in the opportunity to feed a Medieval knights live horse. There was something for everyone and every age to appreciate throughout this time travel spectacular!