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New Brunswick’s harp (Heart) festival reports rising attendance, plans to expand in 2026
Summary
Organizers described the sixth annual harp/heart festival as the largest to date, citing increased attendance, a larger footprint, more organizational partners (reported growth from about 15–20 to roughly 60 groups) and early planning for a bigger 2026 event with kickoff meetings in February.
Organizers reported that the sixth annual harp (also referred to as Heart) festival drew larger crowds and expanded its footprint across downtown New Brunswick. Kelly Blythe, director of communications at the State Theater and chair of the New Brunswick Community Arts Council, said the event was “a great day” and that the footprint and attendance increased this year.
Victoria Masteller, producing associate at Colab Arts, said the festival’s organizational partnerships have grown substantially. She described a rise in participating organizations from roughly 15–20 at the festival’s start to about 60 organizations in the most recent event and credited the broader municipal collaboration — including departments such as fire, police, public works and parks — with supporting the event’s success.
Organizers said they are planning for a larger seventh annual festival and have begun grant-seeking for the 2026 event. The group noted interest in expanding visual-arts programming, street-based creation and student engagement, and said they expect to hold a kickoff planning meeting in February 2026. The discussion was an update and coordination effort; no formal budget vote or contract was made at the meeting.
