Diane Pineiro-Zucker is reporting for the Daily Freeman the O+ [Oh-positive] Festival is returning to Kingston, organizers announced March 16. An outdoor, socially distanced version of the festival is planned to take place from Fri., Oct. 8, through Sun., Oct. 10, and will follow public health guidance on masks, social distance and capacity. The 2020 O+ Festival was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the event, underinsured artists and musicians create and perform in exchange for a variety of services donated by doctors, dentists and complementary care providers. The festival calls the exchange, the art of medicine for the medicine of art. The festival's executive director, Holly Kelly, said a major fundraising drive was conducted before the planned 2020 festival, and when that event was canceled, proceeds from that effort, along with donations from festival supporters, made it possible to keep admission free in 2021. "It’s really important for us to be accessible to the entire community,” Kelly said. "We want to be the kind of foundation where money isn’t a barrier to access." Kelly said organizers are looking forward to the October festival. "This year, more than ever before, we need space to collectively heal and experience joy again," she said. The theme of the 2021 festival is oxygen. Artists and musicians are asked to submit works to be made, performed, installed or experienced during the festival between mid-April and May 19. Details are available at OPositiveFestival [dot] org. O+ is based in Kingston, but also has held festivals in Poughkeepsie; Haverhill and North Adams, Mass.; Chicago; and San Francisco and Petaluma, Calif. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.