RW begins new chapter with 25th Waterbury Arts Fest this weekend

July 8, 2026  |  By Lisa Scagliotti

MakerSphere's spot at Arts Fest gives kids a chance to create. Photo by Gordon Miller

Thirty-five years in as Waterbury’s community and economic development nonprofit, Revitalizing Waterbury turns a new page this weekend as it officially launches its new name: Discover Waterbury.

The evolution will be part of the celebration at the 25th annual Waterbury Arts Fest, the organization’s largest annual fundraiser, this Friday and Saturday. The event features a block party with live music and food on Friday night and an all-day arts market with food and live music on Saturday. 

The spot for all of the activity will be on Railroad Street behind the Waterbury Train Station, which the nonprofit owns. 

“The Arts Fest has always celebrated the creativity and spirit of Waterbury,” said Roger Clapp, executive director of Discover Waterbury. “This year it also celebrates our organization's next chapter as Discover Waterbury while continuing to support the economic, historic and social vitality of our community.”

The Revitalizing Waterbury board of directors and membership decided on the name change at the organization’s annual meeting earlier this year. The move comes as the group in recent years has agreed that the community has evolved in the past three decades since its founding in 1991. The original “revitalizing” mission began with the rehabilitation of the Stimson and Graves building on Stowe Street -- converted to housing and commercial space. That was followed by the ambitious restoration and reopening of the Waterbury Train Station. 

Along the way, the organization has cultivated local businesses, orchestrated numerous community-building and beautification efforts, including public art and improving public spaces, and hosted numerous events that both bring people in Waterbury together and bring people to Waterbury. Following multiple devastating floods from Irene in 2011 to three recent floods in 2023 and 2024, the organization supported important work as a fiscal sponsor to the groups created to oversee rebuilding. 

“Too many had been asked, ‘Isn’t Waterbury already revitalized?’” Clapp wrote in a recent newsletter to supporters. 

The Friday night Waterbury Arts Fest block party attracts a crowd in 2024. Photo by Gordon Miller

Embracing the “Discover Waterbury” name seemed an apropos next step, particularly since the organization already used that title for its marketing efforts. Clapp explains that the shift to rebrand online platforms is well under way as the organization now shifts to using “Discover Waterbury” on a daily basis.     

“While there will always be more to be done, we recognize that Waterbury has changed since RW started in 1991, and we encourage everyone to discover how they choose to be a part of it,” he wrote.

Friday-Saturday: Arts Fest

The weekend events begin on Friday at 5 p.m. on Railroad Street, which will be closed in the section where Arts Fest sets up. The all-ages evening party will have live music from two bands, the Sara Whitehair Band and The Full Cleveland. More than a dozen food vendors will set up along with a 21+ beer garden by Big Tree Brewing with space for dancing and lawn games. Friday’s schedule runs through 9 p.m. 

Arts Fest features live music on Friday night and all day Saturday. Photo by Gordon Miller

On Saturday, more than 100 artists and vendors are scheduled for the arts market that will fill the lawn at Pilgrim Park. In addition to dozens of artist tents, MakerSphere will be running a hands-on activity station for all ages. A silent auction will feature artwork donated by participating artists. 

Food vendors will be on site all day along with a schedule of live entertainment on the Arts Fest stage from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Performances will start with local youth dancers from Green Mountain Performing Arts at 10 a.m. with multiple bands filling out the lineup during the day, ending with an Arts Fest reggae regular, Soulstice.

Admission is free, but those who make a donation to Discover Waterbury will receive a raffle ticket for prize baskets filled with merchandise and gift certificates valued at more than $300 each.

2026 Commemorative poster

For the fourth year, Arts Fest has created a commemorative poster. This year’s design is a painting titled “Local Color,” by Burlington artist Susannah Sakal. The image is a colorful brook trout with a map of Waterbury as part of the image. 

A volunteer committee with Arts Fest selected the piece from 11 submissions. “Susannah Sakal’s artwork beautifully captures the whimsical nature of our community’s Arts Fest event,” said Matt Larson, Discover Waterbury board member and chair of the Arts Fest volunteer committee.

Sakal, who is participating in Arts Fest for the second year this year, said she has the posters from previous years and she decided to submit an entry herself. 

“I was inspired by an image of an abstract brook trout swimming off a map of Waterbury,” she said. “My art connects the viewer to a sense of place and calls attention to the bountiful wildlife that we live amongst.”

Sakal’s art involves painting, resins and wood framing. “My process is to paint the fish on wood and collage it with a map of a chosen place,” she explains. “Next, I build up multiple layers using resin and acrylic to achieve depth and transparency. Lastly, I cut a wooden top frame to contain the image.”

Sakal moved to Burlington several years ago from North Carolina and now splits her time between Vermont and Costa Rica. See more about her art online at susannahsakal.com.

The 12x18-inch poster will be sold at the Discover Waterbury booth for $20. In addition, posters from previous years will be available along with notecards and new totebags, according to organizers. Previous Arts Fest posters have featured art by Vermont artists Todd Cummings, Natasha Bogar and Courtney O’Brien.

Multiple local sponsors support Arts Fest, including EastRise Credit Union as this year’s grand sponsor. Ben & Jerry's is stage and entertainment sponsor, Suburban Propane sponsors the Friday block party, and the Fairfield Inn by Marriott sponsors the Saturday market.

Find a complete schedule, vendor list, and more Arts Fest details online at  WaterburyArtsFest.com.