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PIFA arts festival culminates with street fair in Center City

    By
  • Brad Larrison
    • April 25, 2016
  • Actors on stilts and covered in plants walk around the 2016 PIFA Street Fair on South Broad Street.

    Actors on stilts and covered in plants walk around the 2016 PIFA Street Fair on South Broad Street. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • Members of Temple University's Cherry and White Band perform on Broad Street at the PIFA Street Fair.

    Members of Temple University's Cherry and White Band perform on Broad Street at the PIFA Street Fair. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • Pianos in a sandbox at PIFA street fair.

    Pianos in a sandbox at PIFA street fair. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • The PIFA Street Fair included a carnival atmosphere including face painting and rides.

    The PIFA Street Fair included a carnival atmosphere including face painting and rides. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • A statue stood above a stage at the northern end of the street fair at Broad and Chestnut Streets.

    A statue stood above a stage at the northern end of the street fair at Broad and Chestnut Streets. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • The PIFA Street Fair again included a ferris wheel on South Broad Street.

    The PIFA Street Fair again included a ferris wheel on South Broad Street. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • Thousands flocked to South Broad Street for the fifth annual PIFA Street fair.

    Thousands flocked to South Broad Street for the fifth annual PIFA Street fair. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • The Flippen Out trampoline/acrobat group performed at the PIFA Street Fair with City Hall as a backdrop.

    The Flippen Out trampoline/acrobat group performed at the PIFA Street Fair with City Hall as a backdrop. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • The Flippen Out trampoline/acrobat group performed at the PIFA Street Fair with City Hall as a backdrop.

    The Flippen Out trampoline/acrobat group performed at the PIFA Street Fair with City Hall as a backdrop. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • Parts of South Broad Street were transformed into a garden and dining area during the PIFA Street Fair.

    Parts of South Broad Street were transformed into a garden and dining area during the PIFA Street Fair. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • An artificial 'waterfall' was a centerpiece of the PIFA Street Fair.

    An artificial 'waterfall' was a centerpiece of the PIFA Street Fair. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • The 'waterfall' was outfitted with smoke macines at its base.

    The 'waterfall' was outfitted with smoke macines at its base. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • Thousands flocked to South Broad Street for the fifth annual PIFA Street fair.

    Thousands flocked to South Broad Street for the fifth annual PIFA Street fair. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • Grass and small artificial ponds were installed on Broad Street in front of the Kimmel Center during the 2016 PIFA Street Fair.

    Grass and small artificial ponds were installed on Broad Street in front of the Kimmel Center during the 2016 PIFA Street Fair. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • Thousands flocked to South Broad Street for the fifth annual PIFA Street fair.

    Thousands flocked to South Broad Street for the fifth annual PIFA Street fair. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • Eric Knight of The Wheelmen bicycle club rides his penny-farthing for curious spectators on South Broad Street.

    Eric Knight of The Wheelmen bicycle club rides his penny-farthing for curious spectators on South Broad Street. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

  • A zip line was set up on Broad and Pine Streets for the 2016 PIFA Street Fair.

    A zip line was set up on Broad and Pine Streets for the 2016 PIFA Street Fair. (Brad Larrison for WHYY)

Several thousand visitors flocked to a six-block stretch of South Broad Street Saturday for the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts Street Fair. In the third installment of the festival, Broad Street was transformed into a carnival-like scene with a ferris wheel and other rides, a three story artificial waterfall in front of the Academy of Music, and a field of grass with small ponds between Spruce and Pine Streets.

Cutting through the noise of the massive crowd, the sounds of chopsticks and a man singing “Hey Jude,” could be heard just north of the Kimmel Center, where a few dozen old pianos had been set up on an artificial beach.

Further south, Eric Knight of the Wheelmen bicycle group rode his penny-farthing down Broad while spectators snapped pictures on their phones. Elsewhere, performers on stilts and covered in plants played “Living Vines,” walking through the crowd and towering over visitors.

What began as a rainy and unpleasant morning turned into a picturesque April afternoon as the two-week arts festival featuring more than 60 events across genres and art forms culminated in Saturday’s street fair.

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As the weather cleared three young men in matching red shirts with the Flippen Out performance group bounced from a trampoline three stories into the air, doing flips and acrobatic feats with City Hall as the back drop while festival goers cheered them on.

More than 30 vendors provided food from funnel cakes, fried cheese curds and tacos from EL Vez and a mini beer garden area near the Kimmel Center.

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