Alive After Five in Patchogue sets summer dates
Patchogue's Alive After Five street festival brims with food, drinks, live music and art for sale. Credit: Daniel Brennan
It might be cold outside but plans for summer are already heating up in Patchogue Village. The Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce has set dates for its annual outdoor summer evening series, Alive After Five. Mark your calendar for these four Thursdays starting at 5 p.m.: June 26, July 10, July 31 and Aug. 14, with Aug. 21 serving as a rain date. Each week will have a different musical theme.
"This summer we are going to turn downtown Patchogue into downtown Nashville with a country theme for the first date. People love country music here, it’s the thing right now," says chairperson Maria Scheuring. "There will be live country bands, vendors selling cowboy boots and hats as well as line dancing lessons plus pony rides. The restaurants will also cooperate with the theme."
Other possible themes being discussed are Emo, jam bands and other musical genres. The live bands will be spread across six stages throughout the village.
"We’ve always tried to do new things. The goal is to keep transforming Alive After Five and mix it up each year," says Scheuring.
During the event, Main Street closes from the Patchogue Post Office on the east end to Starbucks on the west end. Restaurants offer outdoor dining while more than 120 food trucks and craft vendors line the streets. Live music occurs at various locations while magicians, stilt walkers, jugglers, sword swallowers and aerialists entertain the crowd. Railroad Avenue is considered the midway, which is strictly for those 21 and over.
Alive After Five has been running since 2001 drawing up to 20,000 people per night, according to the Chamber. The event series has played a significant role in the revitalization of downtown Patchogue, which now features more than 40 restaurants, a large shopping district and a revived performing arts center.
"The concept was originally made to bring nightlife into the village’s downtown," says Scheuring. "It caught on and has gotten bigger each summer. Now towns all over Long Island are doing something similar."
Similar events happened throughout the summer last year in Massapequa Park (Park After Dark), Bay Shore (Alive by the Bay), Great Neck (Thursday Promenade Nights), Port Washington (Port Promenade), Farmingdale (Music on Main), Babylon (Block Party), Riverhead (Alive on 25) and Wantagh (Thursday Night Live).
For more information, visit: patchogue.com.
David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.
