Inaugural RiverBeat Festival this Saturday

The inaugural Waltham RiverBeat festival, scheduled for Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will showcase “all the things that make downtown Waltham great,” organizers said. The Downtown Waltham Partnership and Waltham Chamber of Commerce joined forces to co-produce the event.

Organizers hope the festival will draw around 5,000 people to the Moody Street area to enjoy multicultural music and food and participate in a variety of hands-on activities. Sixteen bands and performance artists are slated to appear. Pet owners are invited to enter their fur babies into a parade of pets.

Vendors include 25 purveyors of arts and crafts, including jewelry, clothing, ceramics and pet treats. Festival goers will be able to sample foods from Colombia, Mexico, India, Jamaica and Italy. And of course many Moody Street eateries will be open.  

The Waltham Times and We Are Waltham are collaborating on a storytelling tent, where journalists and WAW’s Chandreyee Lahiri will invite passersby to join a conversation designed to draw out meaningful stories. “This interactive experience reveals how everyday memories can be shaped into powerful personal narratives,” said Lahiri. “Everyone has a story worth sharing.”

Maps, lists of performers and vendors, parking information and schedules are available on the Waltham RiverBeat website.