Downtown Champaign was immersed in musical performances and food tastings this weekend as The Pygmalion Festival kicked off its week-long celebration.

Beginning on Friday with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications 30th Anniversary Party, the Festival hosted numerous musical acts and a food festival throughout the afternoons and into the early mornings of Friday and Saturday.

Some of the notable performances from Friday’s lineup included Euriah and Joan Shelley. The Hood Internet and DJ Belly closed out Saturday’s festivities.

New this year, the food festival was held on both days, from 4:00 p.m. to midnight, and featured six local restaurants: Bacaro, Black Dog, Farren’s, Maize, Watson’s and The Pop Stop.

There were also beers from Goose Island Brewery and Triptych Brewing, in addition to cocktails made with Tito’s Vodka and Tijuana Sweet Heat.

The next few days of the festival are focused more on the tech industry, with presentations such as Incubators and Midwest Start Up Culture on Monday and The State of Fiber Internet in Champaign-Urbana on Wednesday. There will be a tour of Blue Waters Supercomputer offered on Thursday.

An arts and crafts festival will be held on Friday and Saturday, from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., in addition to more musical performances.

The Pygmalion Festival is a celebration of culture. Beginning in 2005, the festival’s mission is to showcase the best of what’s out there, alongside the best of what’s here.

Organizers take pride in getting big things done in a small space, meaning that so much goes in the small, unassuming city.

Tickets are still on sale for the musicians performing at Pygmalion throughout the week, including Future Islands, Vince Staples and Louis the Child.

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