PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Olde Towne will transform for the first ever ‘Shop the Block High Street Festival.’

The festival will span from Dinwiddie Street to Effingham Street along High Street from noon to 5 p.m.

“The Shop the Block High Street festival is free to the community, open to the public,” said event producer Marckel ‘Kelo’ Bonds. “We’re going to have an amazing time. We have performers, bands, DJ’s. We also have a kids area with a skate park and Street soccer. It will be a combination of food, art, activities, storefront activations, pitch competitions and a lot of different things.”

The goal is to bring residents from near and far to see the area and shop.

“It will have a trickledown effect,” Bailey said. “People that possibly have never come to Portsmouth or the downtown historic district will have opportunities to see what Portsmouth has to offer.”

Lisa Graham, owner of Nailz2C & More, is excited to about the upcoming festival.

“I’m excited about what type of customers may come in,” Graham said. “I’m excited about what it can just do overall for the city. I’m really, really excited about it. I think they are doing an amazing job.”

The lifelong Portsmouth resident is looking forward to more partnerships and community engagement. 

“Nailz2C & more is not just for your nail care needs , your hair care needs,” Graham said. “It’s not about just a retail store, it’s about building a community. It is about us wanting to be of service to the community. What we would like people to know is that when you come in and feel welcome, we want you to feel like a family here.”

This free event has something for all ages to enjoy offering: 

  • Local live artists on two stages
  • Black BRAND Business Pitch Competition with a grand prize of $1,000 — the deadline to apply is noon, July 5
  • Vendors of handmade crafts
  • Live art and mural demonstrations
  • A pop-up skateboard ramp
  • Street soccer and kids’ activities

Bonds concludes, “Sometimes you just have to do things a little different,” Bonds said, “to show that things can be different.”

Learn more at accessportsmouthva.com/high-street-festival.

Look for this full story on air on WAVY- TV 10 at 4 p.m. Thursday.