CITY OF NEWBURGH — It was a day of peace, love and unity in the City of Newburgh for the fourth annual Newburgh Illuminated Festival on Saturday.

Everyone in Newburgh knows that the city has had a bad rap lately, but on Saturday, residents were able to push aside thoughts of gunshots, drug busts and vacant buildings, and instead focus on all the positive things about their city.

Newburgh is a vibrant community with a great urban feeling, festival organizers David Deleo and Gerijo Matyka said, and Newburgh Illuminated reminds residents of that.

“It’s about bringing Newburgh back to what it needs to be, everybody meshing,” Matyka said.

The festival also brings people into Newburgh from New York City and beyond, Matyka said, and some of those people may take an interest in investing in Newburgh, and filling some of the city’s hundreds of vacant buildings with new businesses. It feels very satisfying, as the volunteers who run the festival, to help Newburgh move forward, Matyka said.

The choice of vendors adds to the event’s positive vibe, featuring yoga studios, human rights groups and local artisans. The festival’s five stages hosted nearly 50 performers throughout the day, from hip hop to traditional Indian music and everything in between. Newburgh has a lot of talent, and Newburgh Illuminated gives local performers a chance to be in the spotlight, Newburgh resident Jennifer Rawlinson said. Her six-year-old daughter said the music was her favorite part of the day, along with the Color Throw, an Indian Holi festival-inspired activity hosted by local Bliss Wellness Center.

“[Newburgh Illuminated] gives people a chance to really experience what community really is all about,” Rawlinson said. “Newburgh is fighting a lot of negative ideas and perceptions.”

Newburgh residents Tichina Owens, Shoavon Owens and Jaquetta Briggins set up camping chairs on the sidewalk and relaxed while their children danced to the music on Liberty Street. They all work a lot, Briggins said, so they love it when they have an opportunity to come together with their kids and enjoy some quality time. They were spending the whole day at the festival. The kids were enjoying the dancing and music, face painting, funnel cakes and everything else the festival had to offer.

“It’s certainly different for the kids, something positive,” Tichina Owens said.

Bettina “Gold” Wilkerson, who performs under the name Poet Gold, echoed the sentiment that Newburgh Illuminated brings a positive vibe to a city that too often gets bogged down in negative perceptions. Wilkerson was one of the festival’s hosts last year, and this year hosted and performed. A resident of Poughkeepsie, Wilkerson performs regularly in Newburgh, and she said Newburgh Illuminated “speaks to her heart.”

“It builds community, especially in cities like Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, where there’s only attention for negative things,” Wilkerson said. “This is a total contradiction to that.”

-alovizavickery@th-record.com