March 2026: Think Tank Recap
Save Philly Festivals Think Tank™ Recap
The Save Philly Festivals Think Tank™ convened a dynamic cross-section of community engagers and festival producers from across Philadelphia, creating a generative space for critical dialogue on both the structural challenges and transformative possibilities of organizing public cultural gatherings today. Grounded in praxis and lived experience, the convening featured powerful contributions from Kendra J. Ross, Founder and Director of STooPS; Felicia D. Williams, Founder of Influencing Action Movement; and Sonia Blount, Founder and CEO of Kabila Events. Their reflections emphasized approaches rooted in community, faith, and the necessity of pivoting in response to shifting social, political, and economic conditions, framing festival-making not simply as event production but as an adaptive, values-driven practice embedded within broader systems of care and cultural preservation. Collectively, they illuminated how festivals operate as sites of meaning-making—where cultural memory is activated, relationships are strengthened, and communities negotiate both visibility and sustainability. Through a blend of expert-led sessions and intimate, dialogic exchanges, participants surfaced shared tensions—ranging from funding precarity and institutional barriers to questions of accessibility and long-term viability—while also reaffirming a deep, collective commitment to preserving and advancing community-centered cultural production.
The convening process itself reflected this ethos of adaptability and intentional design, unfolding as an iterative and reflexive experience rather than a fixed or static program. Through multiple cycles of planning, revision, and real-time adjustment, the Think Tank remained responsive to both logistical demands and the evolving needs of its participants. Continuous refinement of core documents, navigation of digital platforms such as Zoom and StreamYard, and sustained collaborative dialogue allowed the space to maintain both structure and flexibility. Ongoing reflection through summaries, feedback loops, and collective sense-making practices ensured that insights were not only shared but meaningfully integrated into the process. This approach underscored how responsiveness and a willingness to pivot are not merely logistical strategies, but critical methodologies within cultural programming. Ultimately, the Think Tank emerged as more than a convening—it functioned as a living framework for reimagining festival infrastructure, demonstrating how resilience, intentionality, and alignment with community-rooted values can deepen both the impact of programming and the narratives that sustain collective cultural life.
Planning and Prep
After the Philly Festivals Network: Planning Session on October 24th, 2025, our Programs & Think Tank Planning team jumped into action to begin mapping out the March 2026 Save Philly Festivals Think Tank™. Using feedback from the Planning Session participants and knowledge shared during the session, the team first spent time recapping what went smoothly, what needed to be improved, and what our participants wanted from the Network. Discussions took place over the next couple months and an outline of what the day would look like started to take shape. The team wanted to make sure that we were offering beneficial resources, contacts, and content to the Network, so that the group continues to grow. From keynote speakers to expert discussions, the team reached out to people connected to the festival community to share some insight, wisdom, and uplifting words to our Network.
Plans were made for an in-person Think Tank, however, circumstances forced us to pivot to a 3-hour virtual event instead. Luckily, the Programs and Think Tank Planning team is a flexible group that was able to scale down the event into the shorter timeframe and plan for the needs of the virtual event–but don’t worry, the plans for an in-person Think Tank will be put to use this coming September! Even with scaling down the event, the Think Tank still included a keynote speaker, a feature presentation, a brain break about halfway through, breakout sessions facilitated by the DiasporaDNA team, and expert sessions led by three festival and event producers. It was a jam-packed three hour experience and we are grateful to everyone who attended and participated–that is what made the Think Tank so great.
One great thing about moving to a virtual format is that we were able to livestream our event across our social channels. While members of the Philadelphia festival community were able to sit-in on the Zoom meeting, anyone had and still has access to the first part of our event. You can view a recording of our livestream on our YouTube account.
What's Next? - The Future of the Save Philly Festivals Network™
We'll create more opportunities for the Network to gather, virtually and in person. There will be panel discussions, small group activities, symposiums, hands-on making or writing experiences, virtual problem-solving and work sessions on Zoom or Teams, more webinars, and possibly even a digital library of pre-recorded learning videos on specific subjects that producers can watch on their own time, as needed.
What's Next? - The Save Philly Festivals™ Toolkit
The principles and practices shared in our ever-evolving Toolkit can help our Network create more intentional, impactful, and community-centered experiences as they plan and produce their festivals. Many festival producers are "reinventing the wheel," solving the same logistical, creative, and community engagement issues in isolation. The Toolkit centralizes potential solutions and resources, so that they're easily accessible and available to more festival producers, regardless of where they are in their festival journey. Our Toolkit can become a great equalizer for all producers, and a place where they can share/add what they know, as well.