Mad Lit began in the Summer of 2021 every other Friday on July 2 through October 8, on the 100 block of State Street. Mad Lit is a free concert series featuring live music and highlighting local artists, and businesses of color. The series ran from 8 PM until 11 PM and included pop-up shops, visual exhibits, and community-led workshops.

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted State Street businesses and culture, and this new event series was a way to help revitalize the 100 block of State Street. Although this area has not always been a welcoming space for people of color, the social justice murals that went up during the summer and fall of 2020 brought a new and diverse group of people downtown – some for the first time.

More Lights

“I was talking with one of the owners of one of the restaurants and the conversation started as, ‘You know what this street needs: more lights.’ And that’s really how the whole thing kind of evolved.”

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Background:

Mad Lit began in the Summer of 2021 every other Friday on July 2 through October 8, on the 100 block of State Street. Mad Lit is a free concert series featuring live music and highlighting local artists, and businesses of color. The series ran from 8 PM until 11 PM and included pop-up shops, visual exhibits, and community-led workshops.

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted State Street businesses and culture, and this new event series was a way to help revitalize the 100 block of State Street. Although this area has not always been a welcoming space for people of color, the social justice murals that went up during the summer and fall of 2020 brought a new and diverse group of people downtown – some for the first time.

Previous Sponsors:

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Photo Collages:

Click an image to enlarge the 2021 and 2022 photo collages created to showcase our previous Mad Lit performing artists, vendors and visual artists. 

Photo Collages:

Click an image to enlarge the 2021 and 2022 photo collages created to showcase our previous Mad Lit performing artists, vendors and visual artists. 

Previous Sponsors:

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