Photos: Michael Warren
It’s a tradition as old as Def Leopard’s 1983 album, Pyromania, the 1983 film, Return of the Jedi, and all of your 34 year old friends.
Family dance party event poster
It’s Springfest, and it’s returning to Dickson Street for the 34th time this weekend on Saturday, April 15.
The annual street festival includes a full day of family-friendly activites, including a pancake breakfast, 5K run, music, and of course, the popular Dickson Street bed races up Dickson Street.
The fun kicks off the the annual 5k run on Dickson Street. It’s a chip-timed event, and racers will receive a commemorative t-shirt. The entry free is $30 for adults, $25 for students, and $10 for kids 12 and under. Online registration is open here.
After that, there’s a pancake breakfast beginning at 7:30 a.m. at JJ’s benefiting Habitat for Humanity.
New this year, the event has partnered with the Arkansas Brewers Guild for a craft beer garden and family-friendly DJ stage featuring local brews by Apple Blossom Brewing Company, Bentonville Brewing, Columbus House, Core, Fossil Cove, New Province, Saddlebock, and Stone’s Throw, along with breakdancers, and live music by DJ EJ, Barnz the DJ, DJ Derrick, m.bolez, Mixx Tenn, and Robe Flax. It’s an all-ages garden and free to attend.
Also new this year is the Slim Chickens “Chicken or the Egg” hunt on Old Main Lawn, which is an Easter Egg hunt with more than 500 filled eggs, and one “prize egg” in each age category. Whoever finds the prize egg gets a basket filled with goodies.
The bed races are set for 1 p.m., and feature teams of racers making their way up Dickson Street pushing some festival-provided beds on wheels. Entry is $30 per team, and registration is available here.
There’s a pub crawl starting at 5 p.m. at JJ’s on Dickson Street. It’s $15 to participate, and crawlers will receive a pint glass at the start, and a free t-shirt at the end.
Proceeds from this year’s festival will benefit the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
Springfest 2017 Event Schedule
7 a.m. – Springfest 5K Begins – JJ’s on Dickson
7:30 a.m. – Pancake Breakfast – JJ’s on Dickson
10 a.m. – Beer Garden, Kids Zone, Vender Booth’s open
10:30 a.m. – Slim Chickens “Chicken or the Egg Hunt” – Old Main Lawn
10:30 a.m. – Family Dance Party – West Avenue Parking Lot (WAC Lot)
12 p.m. – Dog Parade – JJ’s on Dickson
1 p.m. – Bed Races – Dickson Street
5 p.m. – Vendor booths, kid zone, beer gardens close
5 p.m. – Pub Crawl – JJ’s on Dickson
Springfest Family Dance Party DJ Schedule
10:30 a.m. – Barnz the DJ
11:30 a.m. – DJ EJ
12:30 p.m. – Robe Flax
1:30 p.m. – Mixx Tenn
2:30 p.m. – Dance performance
3:00 p.m. – m.bolez
4:00 p.m. – DJ Derrek
