Pedestrians walk along Block Avenue during the 2012 Block Street Block Party.
Photo by Todd Gill, Flyer staff
The date is set for the 2013 Block Street Block Party, and once again, the little road that connects Dickson Street to the Fayetteville square will be rocking on a Sunday evening in late spring.
Residents participate in the waiter’s race during last year’s party.
Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer
Organizers recently announced the annual party will return on Sunday, May 19, and that applications are open for vendors, sponsors, and community groups who’d like to participate in the festival.
For those who aren’t familiar (where have you been the last couple years?), the event launched in 2011 as a way to celebrate the completion of a major construction project on the street, but the festival quickly became something much larger. Around 5,000 people showed up for the first-year event, and organizers estimate that number grew to around 12,000 in 2012.
“We wanted something to celebrate the unique, eccentric, amazing community of people and businesses that we have here on Block Street,” said organizer Hannah Withers, who also owns Little Bread Company on Block Avenue.
Details of this year’s event are still in the works, but the festival typically features dozens of bands and DJ’s, plus pony rides, sandcastle buildings, tricycle races, chalk drawing competitions, and about a zillion other things.
“We have a ton of awesome things in the works for this year, but we’ll just have to release them they’re confirmed,” Withers said.
Fort Smith band A+ Setup performs during the 2012 Block Street Block Party.
Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer
“I can tell you that we are going to partner with the Fayetteville Roots Festival for a music stage this year, so that’s going to be pretty dang awesome,” Withers said. “They are going to hold a competition for local roots musicians to win an opportunity to perform at the festival this August.”
Vendor applications are due no later than April 1. Booth fees are $95 for food vendors and $60 for other businesses. Community groups and non-profit groups can get their vendor fees waived in exchange for providing volunteers to help with the event.
For more information about the Block Street Block Party, visit blockstreetbusinesses.com.
