International Festival of Arts and Ideas starts tomorrow

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WFSB) - The International Festival of Arts and Ideas, a 2-week celebration in New Haven, gets underway tomorrow.

This week, festival organizers have been keeping their fingers crossed and paying attention to the forecast.

For Michael Mills, a drummer, music is the heartbeat of any community.

Tomorrow night he will be back on the stage he first played 28 years ago.

“I opened the very first Arts and Ideas Festival many years ago and it’s the most wonderful, for the community to bring people together in the culture of celebrating, living,” Michael said.

Over the next 15 days, downtown New Haven will draw thousands for this annual celebration of performing arts, lectures, and conversations.

There are 150 events, all of them designed to engage and inspire.

Most of them are free, including a series of big concerts on the green.

“Every time I come here, I’m reminded on this green, the diversity of people that live in America, that listen to different types of music, that always come here to be part of a community,” said Angelique Kidjo, Performer.

Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo will headline opening night tomorrow, her 4th time playing the green.

John Secada, another Grammy winner, will perform June 22nd.

While the music is the main attraction, mother nature is also playing a role.

The smoke and haze that hung over Connecticut the past week is finally out of here, to the relief of organizers.

“We started getting nervous a couple of days ago, seeing what was happening and the safety of our performers and audiences is the utmost performances, but it looks good now,” explained Shelley Quiala, International Festival of Arts and Ideas. “It’s become something people look forward to. Having things we can count on, that are shared memories, shared moments are so important, and it’s an opportunity to celebrate New Haven.”

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