KID smART hosts free arts festival celebrating the end of school year. BEST FEST offers families motivation and education
NEW ORLEANS – On Friday, May 9th, KID smART will host its annual BEST FEST—an end-of-school-year celebration featuring joyful art experiences led by KID smART Teaching Artists, interactive workshops, a student art showcase, book giveaways, and live performances.
The event kicks off with live music from Duo Louisiane featuring Glenn Hartman and Washboard Chaz. The fun continues with a special drag story time with drag queen extraordinaire Laveau Contraire. Contraire is passionate about making drag and literacy accessible to audiences of all ages. The event concludes with an exciting live musical performance by the Treme Brass Band.
BEST FEST features arts-integrated activities, interactive workshops and live performances for children and families to enjoy for free. This year’s event will take place at Zony Mash Beer Project located at 3940 Thalia Street, New Orleans, LA 70125 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Also, anyone 21+ who donates to KID smART on Give NOLA Day (May 6) will get a free beer!
“We are so excited to bring back BEST FEST for 2025,” said Elise Gallinot Goldman, executive director of KID smART. “BEST FEST is our way of celebrating the end of the school year and showcasing the work of our amazing students and schools throughout the year.”
Festival goers will have the opportunity to meet this year’s KID smART’s Arts Integration Specialists, Teaching Artists, and Creative School Partners.
The presenting sponsor of this year’s BEST FEST is Ochsner Health with supporting sponsorship from The Sunstone Project. For more information about BEST FEST, visit kidsmart.org/best-fest.
Founded in 1999, KID smART has served more than 63,000 students and 11,000 teachers, providing underserved students with the opportunity to experience dynamic, creative and relevant learning through the arts.
About KID smART
Over the last two decades, KID smART has collaborated with more than 40 New Orleans public schools to blend the arts into academic lessons to make classrooms more effective and joyful places to learn. Through full-year artist residencies, students in KID smART Creative Schools prove to grow academically, artistically and emotionally. KID smART also partners with national thought leaders, including Harvard’s Project Zero Classroom, to incorporate best practices in arts and education into its program model.
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