It’s hard to imagine Kingston becoming one of the most popular small cities in the country without its many stunning murals. Each is a chapter in the story of our community’s decades-long quest to create a meaningful place to live.
Behind many of these beautiful images is an enlightened idea: Exchanging the healing of art for the art of healing.
The mission of the O+ Festival (named after the blood type) since its inception 13 years ago has been to connect artists and musicians with health practitioners in celebration of the value they each bring to their communities.
We live in a country where, according to a recent national poll, 40% of Americans fear paying their medical bills more than they fear becoming seriously ill. One in four say they have skipped needed medical care because of the expense. One in seven have been denied medical care due to existing medical debt. Compared to other developed countries which provide healthcare to all, these statistics are obscene. Despite the laudable sacrifices and hard work of its many well-meaning workers, our broken medical system is literally killing us.
Many artists and musicians find themselves squarely in the category of fearing the need for health care, sacrificing wellness for financial solvency. For independent contractors, health insurance is often prohibitively expensive. Those who can afford it soon find the coverage is paltry, requiring substantial out-of-pocket payments for most procedures.
For 13 years, the O+ Festival (presented by the eponymous O+ Festival non-profit) has been a living dream of a better world. For one weekend in October, creators get free medical attention and wellness services. In exchange, they make magical moments for locals to heal through the power of art and music. In the case of their famous murals, these moments echo long after the festival closes. The same can be said for festival participants who receive care at the O+ Artists’ Clinic, with good vibes reverberating through the health and wellness brought through barter.
Today, organizers are working toward making that mutual support between creative professionals and health professionals longer-lasting than a mere weekend. O+ alumni can contact the organization year-round to get help with accessing health care, promoting their work, or throwing future shows. And after some attempts at bringing the festival to other locations around the country, the non-profit now makes available a “ToO+lkit” for other cities that are interested in replicating the model.
The festival works off a suggested donation of $60 in exchange for a bracelet that grants access to all events over three days. Bracelets and information can be found online at opositivefestival.org, or acquired in-person at ‘HO+ME Base’ in the park near the intersection of Wall Street. and North Front Street in Uptown Kingston.
Volunteers and kids under 12 are free, and students with valid ID are half-price. Free wristbands are available by reaching out to O+ directly, or checking out online with support from a ‘Community Partner’. And dust off those masks — organizers say face-coverings will be required for all indoor events.
Artists, musicians and volunteers participating in the festival can visit the Bethany Hall section of the Old Dutch Church during festival hours to access health care services. They can also contact O+ Festival staff via their website to get further info about health care services. Bracelet-holders can’t access the clinic, but they can enjoy the public health and wellness events listed on the festival schedule.
Festival events will span three days and 15 venues, all in the city of Kingston. Events will run Friday 4 p.m.-11:55 p.m. (with an outlying event at Pinkwater Gallery from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.), Saturday from 8 a.m.-11:30 p.m., and Sunday from 9:45 a.m.-8 p.m.
You could easily spend an hour plotting your path through this citywide 3-day festival. There are too many great things happening to list here. O+ has a great filterable schedule on their website, and you really ought to check it out. To get you started, here are some don’t-miss highlights based on our ears and eyes for fun:
Friday
O+ Kickoff Parade
Fri. 10/7, 5:45 p.m. at Kingston Library, 55 Franklin Street
Setting the tone for the weekend, the O+ Kickoff Parade is always a joyous spectacle. If you’re more of a people-watcher than a walker, head to Keegan Ales or Santa Fe before it begins — both are having viewing parties and libations will be flowing.
Mac $ Cheeze Balkan Power Trio
Fri. 10/7, 7:40 p.m. at Somewhere Stage(alleyway adjacent to Kingston Peace Park, corner of N. Front. St. and Crown St.)
Music festivals are all about discovering new music, so do yourself a favor and discover a band unlike any you’ve heard. Saxophone, accordion and percussion blend into a danceable soup with ingredients sourced from the cultures and traditions of Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. It’s music that feels defibrillated from ancient times to bounce around the room with electrifying rhythm and melody.
Joey Eppard
Fri. 10/7, 9p.m. at Keegan Ales, 20 St. James St.
The word ‘virtuoso’ gets thrown around too liberally, but with Joey Eppard, it’s wholly warranted. In fact, you can point the adjective at any aspect of his performance and be right. His guitar playing is phenomenally quick, complex, funky and emotive, a finger-picked style all its own. His voice is stunningly melodic, and his songwriting is radio-ready. From his beloved rock band 3 to his current project fronting an all-star Steely Dan tribute act, Eppard has rocked huge crowds across the country. Don’t miss this opportunity to have your jaw drop and your ears melt.
O+ CO+medy Night
Fri. 10/7 10p.m. at LOLA Pizza, 243 Fair Street
Being awash in so much art and music, it’s somewhat surprising that Kingston doesn’t have a bigger comedy scene. That may be changing — we just saw a great comedy showcase at Stockade Tavern full of newcomers. The O+ show will be peppered with local comedians who’ve been at it for a while, mixed with more nationally accomplished acts. Get cracked up by Dave Green, Erin Harkes, Andy McDermott, Kevin Smith and Jennifer McMullen.
Saturday
The O+ RO+ad& Gravel Rides
Sat. 10/8, 8:30a.m. at Keegan Ales, 20 St. James Street
This is the main biking event of the festival, and I’m gonna go out on a limb and say it beats two-wheeling in the deserts of Burning Man. The rail trail simply rules for biking, and the gravel ride will take you all the way to New Paltz and back. There’s a road trip for those looking for a smoother ride through the scenery. It’s sponsored by Athletic Brewing, a Connecticut craft brewery that’s taking the outdoor sports world by storm with its highly praised non-alcoholic microbrews.
Musical Doctors – Finding the Pulse with Jason Vance
Sat. 10/8, 11a.m. at YWCA 209 Clinton Ave.
This event aimed at 4-8 year-olds might still teach adults a thing or two about their inner musician. Instructor/musician Jason Vance will lead a drum circle workshop followed by a ‘dance jam’ that will burn off some kid energy while developing real musical skills. This even kicks off a whole day of children’s programming at the YWCA.
Andrew Forbes
Sat. 10/8, 4:30p.m. at Rough Draft Bar & Books, 82 John Street
“Psychedelic pipers” around these parts are usually getting stoned. Such is not the case for Andrew Forbes, a bagpipe badass with experience playing in myriad out-there musical projects and genres. Wait, you thought bagpipes were one-dimensional instruments for funerals and parades? Forbes and his multi-instrumentalist musical partner Max Carmichael will disabuse you of that notion. This is transcendent traditional music, the kind you could imagine playing the lobby of a spaceship or time machine stuck in 18th-century Scotland.
Bitch
Sat. 10/8, 8p.m. at Somewhere Stage, alleyway adjacent to Kingston Peace Park, corner of N. Front. St. and Crown St.
Bitch gets the O+ prize for artist most likely to go viral on TikTok, with day-glo aesthetics and high-energy electro-pop pulsing of drum, bass and synth. Lyrically and sonically, this music is in your face and impossible not to dance to. Modern pop fans will find plenty of hooks to latch on to, with enough edge and dynamism to keep your attention laser-focused for 2-to-4 minutes at a time.
Mercury Rev
Sat. 10/8, 9:30p.m. at The Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall Street
The Old Dutch Church: What a cool place to see a show. And with visual artist B.A. Miale’s psychedelic projections, the church turns into a truly transcendent venue. There’s a stacked lineup here on Saturday, including national names like Kimbra and Adult Mom. Closing out the show is a band which truly resides in the soul of Kingston, Mercury Rev. The longtime locals are legends the world over, harkening to an era of spaced-out rock stardom and larger-than-life arrangements. It’s an epic band for an epic venue, and will be a festival-defining performance.
Sunday
Yoga at Forsyth Park with Amy Reed
Sun. 10/9, 11 a.m. at Forsyth Park, 125 Lucas Avenue Ext.
Yoga is better outside. With so much focus on breathing, there’s nothing like having fresh air in the lungs for a downward dog. Amy Reed is co-owner of The Yoga House, one of the city’s nicest yoga studios. This special outdoor class will be accessible to all levels, and by day three of this festival, you’ll need it.
Carl Welden
Sun. 10/9, noon at Keegan Ales, 30 St. James Street
A traveling pro sound production engineer by day, Carl Welden transforms into a howl-at-the-moon orating performer by night. It’s hard to put your finger on what makes his presence so entrancing, in part because you never know what kind of performance to expect. Autobiographical storytelling? Local history? Audience participation? Anything’s possible, and no matter the content, this longtime local word magician is going to sound superb.
Chaz Kiss
Sun. 10/9, 2p.m. at ItalianO+ Stage, 30 Rondout Landing
Intensely melodic and emotive vocalist Chaz evokes shades of 90’s alternative and emo acts, but that familiar sound is augmented with inventive songwriting and production bending the tunes in an indie pop-rock direction. Chaz Kiss is confessional and catchy at unexpected angles.
Zack Fuller
Sun. 10/9, 3p.m. at Fair Street Church Yard, 209 Fair Street
We know dance punk is a thing, but is punk dance a thing? Absolutely! Zack Fuller has been confounding international audiences for many years, performing and choreographing convention-busting dance recitals. After watching a few performances on YouTube, it’s hard to put it into better words than Japanese dance critic Hidenaga Otori, who said Fuller was “like an angel coming down Jacob’s ladder to play in the garbage.” Your chin may bleed from being scratched, but you’ll be utterly engaged the whole way through.
Brasskill
Sun. 10/9, 5p.m. at Keegan Ales, 20 St. James Street
Brass bands have had a resurgence over recent years, particularly here in the Hudson Valley. One of the largest and most formidable of these forces is Brasskill, a too-many-pieces-to-count outfit that spans the gamut of genres from what you’d expect (New Orleans second line jams) to what you wouldn’t (punk and pop covers). It’s a great high-energy sendoff for the end of the festival.
Join the family! 
