NORWICH — On Saturday, from 11 a.m to 7 p.m., the Rose Arts Festival is back from its COVID-19 hiatus. Originally running from 1965 to 1998, and rebooting in 2017, the event features plenty of bands through the day and into the night, along with other activities to delight.

Kelly August, the Festival’s chair, said the event is free to attend thanks to many sponsorships, and is meant to be an all-ages event.

“We’re really encouraging people to spend the day with us,” August said.

The event aims to attract 15,000 people to Norwich, based on the 10,000 that came in 2019.

August said people should think of going to the festival like they’re camping out for the day. This includes bringing a tent and camping chairs. Pack a day bag. Wear sunscreen. Make sure your phone is charged.

5K and 10K races, collectively the Rose Arts Festival Foot Race, will be at Mohegan Park, on June 25 at 8:30 a.m., with proceeds supporting both the festival and the Larry Pontbriant Athletic Safety Fund, which helps supply automated external defibrillators to schools and other public places. One random participant will win a $100 prize.

Officially, the Rose Arts Festival ends at 7 p.m., but the music lasts all night. The first half of the day features artists and bands on the main stage at Chelsea Parade. The rest of the evening, performers are spread throughout downtown venues.

For some of the main stage bands, sounds range from the country blues of the Erin Harpe Duo and the reggae jams of  I Anbassa & The Word Sound Power Movement, to the piano and harp infused pop and rock sounds of Mikaela Davis.

11:00am-11:40am: Erin Harpe Duo

12:00pm-1:00pm:  I Anbassa & The Word Sound Power Movement

The great variety of music continues until after midnight, with plenty of bands at different bars, restaurants, and venues in downtown Norwich. Later night music ranges from the versatile singer-songwriter stylings of Ruby Rae, to the soulful Fernanda and The Ephemeral.

 7:00pm-7:40pm: Fernanda and The Ephemeral

 9:30pm-10:30pm: The Mary Jane Jones 

11:00pm-12:30am: Bella’s Bartok

 9:30pm-10:30pm: Jake Kulak Band 

11:00pm-12:15am: Julie Rhodes & Electric Co.

 7:00pm-7:30pm: The Hard Feelings

 7:40pm- 8:10pm: The Bauer Brothers 

 9:00pm-9:30pm: Coltt Winter Lepley

 10:20pm-11:00pm: The Meadows Brothers

 7:00pm-7:45pm: Ramblin’ Dan Stevens 

 8:00pm-9:00pm: Victim Or Victor

Also, Pie Hops/ Latin Quarters at 80 Broadway will feature a dance party with DJ Sangria from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The Rose Arts Festival also has a second performing arts stage, featuring dancing, magicians, local singers, and plays.

As people might get hungry at an all-day event, the Rose Arts Festival has 20 dining options to fill you up, ranging from touring street trucks to local eats, and from dinner to sweets.

Ra Ra’s Ice Cream

Uncle D’s Blazin’ BBQ

If supporting local crafters is more your thing, the Rose Arts Festival has plenty of options. A total of 100 vendors, in groups of 10, will be at Chelsea Parade during the festival.

If you go to the festival, and you want to make some of your own art, Liberty Bank is sponsoring the Creative Station. August said these are free art classes where people of all ages can attend for half an hour or an hour, and make their own art project to bring home.  

There are also community art projects in the creative stations, at which August said the community gets to make a project together.

August said there are competitions at the Rose Arts Festival. Along with the floral arranging competition and the pie competition, the festival features the Budding Artist Competition, which August clarifies has no age limit. The art prize is $500, whereas the floral and pie competition prize is $125. While the artists had to sign up in advance, people can participate in the floral and pie competitions by showing up with the said item in hand at 11 a.m. Rules for the competitions are on the official website.

Along with the usual alcoholic fare at the beer and wine tent, Mohegan Digital will have games where attendees can win vouchers and prizes.

Along with a Creation Station for children, there will be a model train setup under a tent, and Hartford Healthcare will sponsor a Touch-A-Truck event, where the festival's younger attendees can get a close-up look at emergency response vehicles.

There is also a dedicated Kids Zone, with activities including dunk tanks and obstacle courses.