North Portland’s most unique and eclectic summer event has to be No.Fest InterArts. This June 25 the free experimental art and music festival will fill the streets, stores, allies and sidewalks of downtown St. Johns for a two-day carnival of homegrown avant-garde acts. . Now in its third year, organizers have expanded the range of performances and added a second day in order to include 51 acts in 29 hours: 36 musical, 5 visual, 4 youth, 3 movement, and 3 spoken performances. 

The festival organizers, Sean Ongley, Jeffrey Helwig and Chad Ferguson, began with a simple idea: hold a free daylong music event in St. Johns. With only months to organize, the event grew to include 25 performances on four stages. The trio knew they had stumbled on something great and founded InterArts, a not-for-profit corporation, to represent the No.Fest project for the coming years. Three years later the event had almost doubled in size, attracting major sponsors such as KBOO community radio.

The program for No.Fest 2010 starts off with an art walk on the last Friday of the month. At about 6 p.m. businesses throughout downtown St. Johns will function as makeshift galleries for viewing public art. Local merchants exhibiting art include The Parlour, Lady Bug Café, James John Café, Town Square, Proper Eats, Legong Gelato, and Salty Teacup.

“None of these are traditional galleries,” said Ongley who is pleased to have the galleries hosted by the local business community. Ongley stresses that one of the ideas behind NoFest is the breakdown traditional boundaries between high art and the average person. “It is another example of our desire to blend the arts with daily life.”

Opening night includes an international urban folk dance in the St. Johns plaza, hosted by DJ The Incredible Kid. Live music acts will be playing at Proper Eats and Legong Gelato.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday the festival will get into full swing with the Early Bird Children’s Show, an interactive improvisation performance called Junior Jam sponsored by Sound Roots.

Later, the Creative Composer Community of Portland is set to present original big band and chamber music at noon. Come back to the the plaza throughout the day for performances by Lions of Batucada, David Ornette Cherry with Impressions of Energy, and Blue Cranes.

Other events include a dance organized by Tracy Broyles at the St. Johns Brownfield located at [xxxx North Lombard0 , Mudeye Puppet Theater at Legong Gelato, a musical production of Billygoat at Proper Eats, and much more throughout the day.

This year will also introduce a 21+ after-hours program with artists presenting international funk, dub, and hip-hop and a Lickity's laser-light rock show at Slim's.

For more information, visit the No.Fest website at www.nofest.net.