Future of Providence Rock & Roll Yard Sale In Flux After Partner Support Falls Through
The Providence Rock and Roll Yard Sale, a popular event mirroring a marketplace and block party, could face an uncertain future beginning in 2025.
In an Instagram post shared on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, organizers of the event announced that its partners, In Downcity, decided to back out of participating. In the post, the Providence Rock and Roll Yard Sale attributes In Downcity’s decision to back out to the “grief they were given last year by the City of Providence. The current PVD mayor appears to have a vendetta against any public event that involves alcohol, and even though everything was done in compliance with the city rules, they still created accusations against the event and made it seem like an uphill battle to make it happen again the way it has been safely and successfully done, even with crowds exceeding 10,000 attendees.
“We love the close-knit feel of our event and the relationships we have formed with our vendors. To think of having to drastically raise our vendor fees just to break even is not in the spirit of how we do things, so we are looking for other options.”
Joanna Levitt, marketing manager for In Downcity, explained that the decision for her organization to step back was largely the result of capacity issues with the organization’s small team, rather than concerns over alcohol at the event.
A city spokesperson clarified to the Boston Globe that alcohol restrictions have been in place before Mayor Brett Smiley’s administration based on compliance issues at past events. The 2024 event came under scrutiny for insufficient oversight in the alcohol service area, which led to compliance issues that were addressed after the event.
