NASHUA, N.H. — ArtCity Nashua, a daylong festival of murals, music and dance, will be held Saturday along the Heritage Rail Trail between Elm and Ash streets in the heart of the Tree Streets neighborhood.
The walkable celebration of creativity and community will feature more than 20 muralists creating 15 permanent murals in one day.
ArtCity is organized by mural artist Kori Thomas, who works as Quest Nine. Thomas is a creative placemaker and neighborhood resident. A local example of her work is on the rear of the Maynard & Lesieur building.
This is the second ArtCity event Thomas has presented. She hopes to build on the success of ArtCity Lowell in 2025, which drew more than 800 people. Thomas said art can transform communities.
“Over the last five years, I’ve seen how much murals have changed Lowell and how there’s less trash around where the murals are,” she said. “There are more community events where the murals are now.”
Although the festival lasts one day, Thomas said its impact could benefit the neighborhood over time. More than 55,000 people have sought directions on Google Maps to her Jack Kerouac mural in Lowell, she said.
“These things attract so many people to a community,” Thomas said. “When people start seeing the beauty of a community, then they start taking care of it more. You see the trash that’s along the Heritage Rail Trail now, and I really want the city to see the value and the culture that’s in these neighborhoods.”
The event’s theme is “Rooted in Rising.”
Thomas said the theme is similar to the imagery in one of her murals: A seed of inspiration takes root, prompting residents to consider what pride and change might grow in the neighborhood.
Thomas and the ArtCity team have invested money, time and energy in preparing for the event. To involve residents, team members walked the neighborhood, knocked on doors and invited people to attend Saturday’s festival.
“We went around and flyered. We went through every Tree Street and talked to everybody,” Thomas said. “Our team is bilingual, so we were able to really talk to everybody that we could.”
Thomas’ enthusiasm for the neighborhood is central to the day’s plans. The festival will include local food trucks, restaurants, vendors and other creators.
“All of the local businesses are going to be open. We’re putting them on the map,” Thomas said. “It’s getting people to go into the restaurants and shops that they haven’t been into and discover this neighborhood.”
The free festival runs from noon to 8 p.m. Artists and community members will paint throughout the event.
Scheduled activities include:
- 2-2:30 p.m.: Spray-painting tutorial.
- 3-4 p.m.: Dance cypher.
- 5-6 p.m.: Community salsa hour.
- 5-8 p.m.: Baile Tropidelico on the main stage.
Other offerings include two live music stages featuring local musicians; creative vendors; neighborhood businesses; food trucks; free art classes; interactive art experiences; and an indoor gallery exhibition at 809 Lounge curated by Fallon Andrews of Pillar Gallery.
“To be able to do this in my neighborhood, that’s why I’m investing so much time into it,” Thomas said. “The payoff is the art. And then afterward, this neighborhood gets better. And I live right here. So my neighborhood gets better.”
