HARRISBURG, Pa. - For the 49th Annual Harrisburg Artsfest there are 250 artists, 60 bands and dozens of food vendors lining Front St.
"I had a career as a jazz professor and I’ve employed the two where I paint a piece and create my own jazz music on my paintings," said artist Jeff Laibson, who traveled from Asheville, NC.
The event is free and by the end of the three day weekend about 30,000 people will have attended. On Memorial Day it is open from 10:00am - 5:00pm.
The last big festival in Harrisburg was Kipona that runs over Labor Day weekend. On September 5, 2015, when Kipona let out, more than 100 kids looted a store and damaged cars parked on the street. Despite the incident, Artsfest did not change any of the security.
"We have never had any incidents before, but we have our staff. They know exactly what they are doing. They are walking up and down the street and they are all over the place here at night so, we don’t worry about it," said Jamie Jastrzembski, the Artsfest Program Director.