The 24th annual Market Street Festival in downtown Columbus will take place this weekend.
Starting Friday, residents and Columbus visitors can enjoy live music, vendors and other entertainment downtown for the annual festival. Hosted by Main Street Columbus, the festival occurs every first weekend of May.
The event will kick off with a concert at the Riverwalk, with The Cleverlys at 7 p.m. followed by James LeBlanc and The Winchesters at 9 p.m.
The fun continues Saturday with a 5K at 8 a.m. at the Riverwalk. Registration for the event starts at 7 a.m. Throughout the day, festival attendees can enjoy arts and crafts vendors, food, live music and activities from a car show and giveaway to a karaoke stage 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Many stores downtown will also be open and offering special promotions.
New this year is an additional children’s activity area with eight new activities on the corner of College Street and Sixth Street South. There will also be a children’s performance area there from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Both activity areas includes different games and entertainments for kids at varying costs, some of which are free. Tickets for the others are $1 each.
“We worked really hard to add those additional activities and we’re really excited for them,” said festival coordinator Amber Brislin. “Kids are such an important part of our event and we wanted them to be sure and have plenty to do.”
One of the three festival stages will host the new karaoke stage. Main Street Columbus Director Barbara Bigelow said festival planners wanted to try something new with the stage that usually hosts acoustic performances throughout the day.
“We’re hoping because it’s new, people will come and try it out,” she said. “All the songs will be family-friendly, but there’s going to be a very wide (selection) so everyone should be able to find something to sing.”
Prior to the stage’s opening at 10 a.m., WCBI host Aundrea Self will perform the national anthem. The stage will close at 4 p.m.
Bigelow encouraged locals to attend, support the more than 225 vendors in town for the festival and take advantage of everything else Market Street has to offer.
“There’s so much to do,” she said. “It’s a big weekend for Columbus and we’re just happy everyone can come down and enjoy it.”
Street closures
Streets downtown will begin closing 6 a.m. Friday. Main Street, from Third to Fifth streets will close at that time. Fifth Street will remain open to north/south traffic until 3 p.m. Friday, as will Main Street from Fifth to Seventh streets.
Other streets that close at 3 p.m. include: Fifth Street, from Second Avenue North to Third Avenue South; College Street, from Third Street South to Seventh Street South; Main Street, from Third to Seventh streets; Sixth Street South, from the post office to Third Avenue South (post office traffic only); Fourth Street South, from Main Street to Third Avenue South; and Fourth Street North, between Main Street and Second Avenue North. Third Street South will be one way, going south, from Main Street to Third Avenue South.
All streets will reopen at 9 p.m. on Saturday.
Third Avenue South will remain open to through traffic.
The following parking lots must be vacated by 3 p.m. Friday: The parking lot behind J. Broussard’s, the parking lot behind Catfish Alley, the parking lot behind the U.S. Post Office (not the small post office parking lot) and the gravel parking lot at Riverwalk Park.
Parents and guardians picking up children from First United Methodist Daycare can use the College Street and Seventh Street South entrance. Police will be manning the entrance ensuring only those who identify as guardians will be allowed to enter.
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