The City of Savannah will create a pedestrian-only shopping environment Thursday, September 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., by closing down the core of Broughton Street, from Montgomery St. to Drayton St. Retailers from all over the city will join shop owners downtown to showcase the best the region has to offer in fashion, art and design.

Two stages will be set up on each side of Broughton Street to present fashion shows by local retailers and designers, as well as musical performances by local bands and DJs. There will be VIP parties hosted by select sponsors, retailer giveaways, entertainment and food.

On Thursday afternoon, the north and south streets along Broughton Street, between Montgomery and Drayton Streets, will close at 3:00 p.m. Jefferson, Bull and Barnard Streets will close at 5:30 p.m.

Last year, over 30 approved retailers participated, attracting over 5,000 pedestrians from across the United States, including Florida, Georgia, California, Texas, Washington, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, New York and Puerto Rico.

“I am excited to see this event return to the streets for its 4th consecutive year. It is refreshing to have an event where everyone can come together and focus solely on boosting our local business community." said Bree Thomas, Savannah’s Fashion Night co-founder, “All of this could not happen without the dedicated support of local sponsors. I am looking forward to the event’s growth, but mostly it’s impact on Savannah’s art, music and retail industries."

Fashion and design boutiques from all over the Coastal Empire have been invited to take part in this event by creating their own unique and individual sales and events to attract shoppers into their stores.

Savannah Downtown Business Association is pleased to be working jointly with Ben Carter Enterprises. “I am happy to be a part of Savannah’s Fashion Night and support the local businesses that are participating. When I heard about the event I immediately took to the idea,” said Ben Carter, owner of Ben Carter Enterprises. “Fashion Night is a perfect parallel for everything that I am trying to do with my project which is bring life back to Broughton through retail, fashion, art and community collaboration.”

Local Savannah DJ’s PDK Sounds and DJ Will Rock will anchor each stage beginning at 7 p.m. as local Savannah boutiques feature their fashion in a series of runway shows. The evening’s finale is anchored by two fashion shows, one on each stage, curated by lead stylist Ashley Borders and set to live music. Savannah Stopover alum Dent May will play the Drayton Street Stage. The Montgomery Street runway finale will feature rising stars GEMS, the fashion forward Washington D.C. duo who have already been featured in Nylon and W Magazines as well as The New York Times.

Kayne Lanahan, CEO of MusicFile Productions, which is curating all of the music for the event, said, “We are thrilled to be bringing nationally recognized talent across a wide range of musical genres to Savannah’s premier Fashion event. From the danceable, retro pop vibes of Dent May to the modern and ethereal dream wave of Washington D.C.’s rising stars, GEMS; the live runway shows will bring to life the inextricable link between music and fashion.”

Both bands will play at the official Savannah’s Fashion Night after party at Ampersand. In addition, the Broughton Street VIP Tent will feature a third band, Columbia Records recording artist Matrimony, whose ‘harmonies and heels’ aesthetic represents the best of the new south.

This year’s Savannah’s Fashion Night sponsors include Ben Carter Enterprises, Art Rise Savannah, Critz, Savannah Magazine, Savannah Morning News, South Magazine, Judge Realty, Southern Motors, Shop My Savannah, Halo Models, Cecilia Russo Marketing and more.

“Art Rise Savannah is incredibly excited to partner with Savannah’s Fashion Night to highlight and support Savannah’s burgeoning fashion and business communities,” said Clinton Edminster, Executive Director of Art Rise Savannah.

“Art on the Streets” produced by Art Rise Savannah as part of Savannah’s Fashion Night will be highlighting Savannah’s incredible concentration of talented local artists across the entire spectrum of the creative arts.

The activities in the street will look much different than in years past as Art Rise Savannah will create an open-air gallery on Barnard St. which will exhibit four independent works of art paired with a “look” designed by local stylist, Nathan Saludez. Live painting, a form of improvisational art, will be performed by Jose Ray, a staple at the First Friday Art March as part of Vinyl Appreciation 912. More artists are currently being confirmed for an even richer experience of line, color, and texture.

Workshops on the fundamentals of Fashion Illustration will be conducted throughout the night. Fashion Night participants are encouraged to sketch and draw the fabulous costumes and elegant designs found all throughout Broughton Street. Live T-Shirt printing with Steam Printing will be showcasing the process of transferring art onto fabric. From the mechanics to the aesthetics, participants are invited to learn more about the process of screen printing and sustainable clothing creation.

Art Rise photographers will be focusing their eyes on the best dressed ladies and gentlemen throughout the night. A fierce “live-tweeting” team will be keeping the twitter-verse on its toes and sharing photos, comments, styles, and new designs from one end of Broughton to the other.

Art Rise Savannah’s mission is to build a creative economy by supporting the value of arts and providing creative and financial opportunities to local artists. “Savannah’s Fashion Night compliments and advances our mission by showcasing Savannah’s top retailers and designers in an unequaled celebration of art and commerce,” said Edminster.

Join local artists, retailers, designers and entertainers as they flood Broughton St. for the region’s most iconic shopping and entertainment extravaganza. For additional information, visit www.savannahsfashionnight.com