WILLIAMSBURG — Local arts and music festival 2nd Sundays celebrated its 14th anniversary on June 11.
Over the years, 2nd Sundays has grown from its roots on half of a block on Prince George Street in June of 2010 to spanning six blocks in downtown Williamsburg. The festival runs along North Boundary Street from Richmond Road to Lafayette Street, along Scotland from Armistead to North Henry, and in the 400 block of Prince George Street.
“We’ve grown from 16 artists, I think it was 16 artists on that first day, and one musical act for the three-hour event,” 2nd Sunday’s Shirley Vermillion recalled. “And then it just evolved.”
Having more space, 2nd Sundays now features more than 150 unique artisans, musicians, street performers and food vendors. It has created an environment where people have started to spend a full day — particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s kind of cool for us to see people spending the full day,” Vermillion commented. “It’s amazing to see all of the smiling happy faces.”
Over the years, the festival has also gone from booking exclusively local musicians to booking a number of touring acts, often from out of state.
With the expansion, it has also added an area dedicated to nonprofits each month, and a beer garden after the community expressed an interest in having somewhere to sit and enjoy a drink.
“It’s always been our mission to have it be a family-friendly event for all ages and cultures,” Vermillion explained. She also noted that there are a number of outdoor family games and children’s projects.
Williams & Mary has also begun participating in the festivities when possible.
“Tribe Athletics is there and so families and patrons of the festival have the opportunity to interact with the different Tribe Athletics departments,” Vermillion said.
Vermillion used to frequent a number of street festivals when she lived in Seattle. As a mother of four boys, she wanted to share street festivals in the Williamsburg area.
“Street Festivals are one of the only true community events where everyone is invited. There’s no ticket required, there’s no barrier to enter,” Vermillion explained. “I love that every month the streets and the vendors are full of people connecting from all walks of life with a diverse variety of art and flavors.”
2nd Sundays is presented each second Sunday of the month from March until December by LoveLight Placemaking and is run solely on artisan’s exhibition fees. Currently, 2nd Sundays is also open to and seeking sponsorship and volunteers, with the hope it can continue to grow in the community for many more years.
For more information, visit the official 2nd Sunday website.