Bridgeport, Conn., July 6, 2012. Downtown Bridgeport will be fully charged on Thursday, July 12, with the kick off of B-Squared (B2) and City Canvases Bridgeport programs, starting at 5pm at McLevy Green. B2’s A Circus Among Us! will celebrate Bridgeport’s famed former citizen P.T. Barnum’s birthday with a wide array of activities from 5-9pm, running in tandem with Downtown Thursday’s music performances by the Rick Reyes Band (5:30-7:30pm) and Orquesta Afinke (7:30-9pm). City Canvases Bridgeport will spotlight a video projection onto McLevy Hall by Bridgeport artist Dustin DeMilio at McLevy Green from 9-11pm, which will be kicked off by celebrations of light with the BULB, the Bridgeport United Light Builders, LED-lit parade.
Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch shares that “Downtown Bridgeport has recently become a center of excitement and culture thanks to the influx of new residents and businesses and the success of our Downtown Thursdays and Arts Fest programming. B2 and City Canvases are welcome additions, which will bring an even greater interest in Bridgeport’s thriving arts scene throughout the entire year. Our arts venues draw thousands of visitors annually, creating a positive image for the City throughout the region. We are very thankful to Kip Bergstrom, the Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and his staff for recognizing the role that the arts and tourism play in creative placemaking and Bridgeport’s contributions to the State’s efforts to attract visitors and tourists.”