City of Winston-Salem Street Closures Related to NBTF (Week of Aug. 1-6)

Please see below regarding the City of Winston-Salem street closures for the National Black Theatre Festival for the week of August 1-6 in downtown Winston-Salem:

Dear Downtown Resident or Business Owner,

The 2011 National Black Theatre Festival will open Sunday, July 31, with venues presenting shows beginning on Tuesday. Details regarding the various performances can be found at www.nbtf.org.

Activities in downtown Winston-Salem will take on a different appearance from previous National Black Theatre festivals. We hope this will improve the experience for festival organizers, attendees, residents and businesses of downtown. Below are the changes:

• Cherry Street from Fourth to Fifth streets will be open for vehicular traffic as long as it’s safe for motorists and pedestrians. Pedestrians are encouraged to use the area only as a way to reach various venues such as the hotels, Benton Convention Center, and parking decks, instead of a place to gather along the sidewalk.

• The drumming that was previously hosted in the garden terrace of the Embassy Suites will move to Winston Square Park. The drumming will begin each night at 9pm starting Tuesday, Aug. 2. and will end at midnight through Thursday; and end at 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday night will include a reggae band, which will begin performing at 8pm.

• There are three parades planned for festival week:

The Youth Celebrity parade scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 2, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30am will begin at the Embassy Suites on the Marshall Street side. Participants will travel south on Marshall to Second Street where they will turn left (east), then left (north) onto Cherry Street. They will turn left into the Embassy Suites Portico ending the parade. The parade will be led by a cavalcade of drums, followed by walkers.

The Friday night TeenTastic parade will begin at 8:00 p.m. at Fourth and Cherry streets near Jimmy Johns. It will proceed north on Cherry Street to the Benton Convention Center at Fifth and Cherry streets.

The closing parade will begin at midnight on Saturday in front of the Marriott Hotel on Cherry Street. They will walk north to Fifth Street where they will turn left (west). They will turn left (south) on Marshall Street; drummers will continue south to Winston Square Park. Some participants will turn left (east) on Fourth Street then left (north) on Cherry to end the event at the Marriott Hotel. The parade should end no later than 1am.

Ed McNeal
City of Winston-Salem
Director, Marketing and Communications
(O) 336-747-7361
(F) 336-747-9393
(M) 336-416-2738
City Link is your link to City Services
336-727-8000, citylink@cityofws.org