SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – This summer, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a back and forth battle in the city of Syracuse. As Syracuse sees its fair share of festivals in the summer, the lack of these events has hindered the effects of bringing the community together, letting people express themselves and, bringing a boost to the local economy. Without the summer festivals, downtown has seen just the average day-to-day hustle and bustle it is used to seeing. CNY Jazz Executive Director Larry Luttinger saw the cancelation of his own festival and came up with a bulletproof way to bring music and merriness to Downtown Syracuse.
After receiving emergency funding from the State of New York and previous CNY Jazz sponsors, Luttinger put this Summerfest together as quickly as possible. Luttinger says that with the outdoor spacious venues, social distancing is able to be attained, as well as making the option for mask-wearing, just that, an option.
With the Summerfest occurring for 7 weeks, in 20 different locations, and almost 80 artists, he is able to bring people downtown, boosting business. As well as giving artists the opportunity to work and make money after a long period without being able to perform.
This Summerfest is set to bring as Luttinger called it “informal impromptu culture” to the downtown space with live acoustic performances. Summerfest can be seen in various places downtown every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night until September 11.
