HARRISBURG, Pa. — The City of Harrisburg is gearing up to welcome thousands of people to town for its annual Kipona Festival this weekend.
“108 years of Kipona, one of the crown jewels of special events we have every year in the city," said Mayor Wanda Williams at a preview media event for the festival on Thursday.
The three-day event is the first major one since the city's 4th of July celebration when fireworks were cut short after police spotted multiple kids with guns.
Kipona will feature three days of multicultural celebration through music, food, Art in the Park, and more. Art in the Park has grown to over 70 artisans selling their handcrafted wares and the Multicultural Celebration will feature even more bands, dance groups, and free activities, such as calligraphy lessons, Pakistani henna, Congolese hair braiding, a passport game, and more
New to the festival this year will be the 3-day Keystone Dock Dogs event where dogs can compete in the long jump, vertical jump, and speed retrieve competitions. This will be held on City Island beside the Walnut Street Bridge.
There will also be an inaugural Giant Puppet Parade, which will take place at 2:30 on Sunday, Sept. 1. The parade was moved to Sunday due to the threat of severe weather.
But one thing will be missing--fireworks.
“The feedback we’ve gotten from the community has been overwhelmingly positive of people understanding that maybe fireworks aren’t the answer," said Matt Maisel, the city's Director of Communications.
The decision to cancel the show came late last month, after the police incident on the 4th of July.
The mayor, along with Harrisburg's Police Commissioner Thomas Carter, continue to have discussions about the future of fireworks at city events, but no major decisions have been made at this time, according to Maisel.
“While Commissioner Carter and I work to make these nighttime events safer and special, our daytime festivals have always been a safe place for families to attend," said Mayor Williams.
But as thousands of people, many from outside the city, are expected to enjoy the Kipona festival, security remains top of mind.
“We will have police throughout the festival weekend making sure Kipona just like 4th of July, just like ArtsFest, just like Kipona last year and every other event prior continues to be safe," said Maisel.
Maisel says every year, Kipona puts Harrisburg in the spotlight.
“This is [the public's] chance to see what the city’s all about," he said. "It’s not just the negative headlines, it’s the events we do throughout the year that are popular and people come back year in and year out for.”
Street parking is free on Sunday, Sept. 1 and Monday, Sept. 2 and is free in the Downtown area after 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31.
Before 5 p.m. on Saturday, visitors can get four hours of free street parking in the Downtown area using the code “LUVHBG” in the ParkMobile app. Parking on City Island will be $5. Park Harrisburg will provide $10 special event parking in the Market Square Garage from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. each day of the festival. Standard rates apply at the River Street Garage. Recycle Bicycle will provide free bike parking along the festival route at Front & Walnut Street and Front & Forster Street.
Front Street will be closed between Forster and Walnut Street starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 30 until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2.