ORLANDO, Fla. – A new outdoor space in downtown Orlando is bringing live performances and jobs back to the city.

What You Need To Know

  • Frontyard Festival outside Dr. Phillps Center

  • Event has brought entertainment, jobs back to downtown Orlando

  • The event kicked off last year and is now in its seventh week

The Frontyard Festival outside of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is in its seventh week and Saturday brought a live musical experience safely to hundreds of people.

They’ve got rhythm, they’ve got music, they’ve got safety, performers say—who could ask for anything more?

“To be able to share the music at this time is incredibly special, because last year when we had to stop playing, we weren’t sure when we would be able to perform, and how soon, and in what capacity," said Rimma Bergeron-Langois, concert master for Orlando's Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Orchestra played the music of George Gershwin on Saturday night.

It’s just one of a number of shows on the lineup for a venue space that officials at the Dr. Phillips Center say is show-stopping.

“The Front Yard Festival is really the first of its kind in the country, and there’s very few places where you would find something like this in the world," Dr. Phillips Center spokesperson Lorri Shaban said.

At max capacity, she says the venue can safety seat 2,000 people, assuming there are 5 people at each socially distanced audience box. Other cities are taking notice, and taking notes.

“They’re looking at Orlando, and seeing what we’ve been able to do here collectively, and seeing how they might be able to replicate that in their cities," Shaban said.

She says in the venue’s seven weeks so far, it didn’t just bring back arts and culture—it brought back jobs.  

The Dr. Phillips Center was able to bring back more than half of their furloughed workers as a direct result of the Front Yard Festival but for Bergeron-Langlois, the biggest thing this venue brings back is the experience of a live audience.

“The exchange that we had with the audience during the live performance, nothing comes close to that. And as artists we really need to get that feedback, that exchange, it’s very important," Bergeron-Langois said.

The Frontyard Festival opened its gates on December 10. There’s a full line up of events in the coming weeks, including a performance by the band Foreigner and several other live music events.​