The second annual Kingman Fest returns this Saturday, May 13, in downtown St. Albans. Kingman Street will be closed off for the evening-long block party, which begins at 5 p.m. and features adoptable puppies, face painting, mechanical bull rides, tons of food and drink, and a headlining set by local tribute act Jesse Agan – the Music of Queen.
“Last year was such a success, and we got so much positive feedback, so we had to bring it back,” organizer Shannon Smith said of the inaugural 2022 event, which drew somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 people to downtown St. Albans.
Smith started Kingman Fest last year to help St. Albans’ downtown area bounce back after the pandemic and construction scuttled businesses for months at a time on Kingman Street. She said the opportunity to throw a block party and place those businesses front and center is a “very big part of what Kingman Fest is all about.”
This year’s expanded festival includes even more food and kids’ activities. Bouncy houses, ax throwing, roaming costumed mascots like Spider-Man, face painting and more all feature before Agan and Co. hit the stage at 7:30 p.m.
The local all-star tribute act features singer-songwriter Agan with members of Vermont hard-rock pioneers 8084. The band was a highlight of the 2022 Kingman Fest, ripping through the Queen catalog, with Agan rocking a mustache in honor of that band’s late, great front man, Freddie Mercury.
“There’s a lot more happening in St. Albans now, post-COVID,” Smith said. “And it’s exciting to see the town showing up. That’s why we think this year’s Kingman Fest is going to be so special.”
The festival, which is both free and open to all ages, is organized by the Depot and Nelly’s Pub & Grill, along with MIC New England booking agency. A percentage of all net proceeds will be donated to nonprofit St. Albans For the Future, an initiative dedicated to building and improving the quality of life in downtown St. Albans. For more information, visit kingmanfest.com.
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