PKX Festival – Art in the Park @ Mansion Square Park
May 3 @ 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
The annual PKX Festival plays a pivotal role in advancing the development of the Youth Arts Empowerment Zone (YAEZ) centered in and around Poughkeepsie, NY. The festival is a symbol of community, unity, and a celebration of the creativity and talent residing in Poughkeepsie, NY. The PKX Festival is truly created by youth, FOR EVERYONE.
The 2025 PKX Festival is designed and produced by the Poughkeepsie Board of Artistic Youth (PK B.A.Y.) which brings together students from six youth serving organizations: Boys & Girls Club of Poughkeepsie, Community Matters 2, Esperanza Dutchess County Hispanic Organization, Nubian Directions II, and The Art Effect with support from Poughkeepsie Children’s Cabinet. The PK B.A.Y. is a first-of-its-kind initiative in Poughkeepsie using public art activities and instillations to foster creative expression and civic engagement and build youth voices within community leadership.
“Seeing a film you put all of this work into actually get attention, to have people genuinely enjoy something you made at [the Film Festival], it’s really special, especially when you’re just starting out. It was a call to action for me, like, ‘This is something you’re supposed to do, keep at it!” – Matthew Hamilton, 2020 PKX Film Festival (formerly Reel Exposure) Participant