Alive on 25 dates for 2020 trimmed in half; Oktoberfest could be coming
The Riverhead Business Improvement District is cutting the number of Alive on 25 events this summer from four to two.
But on the other hand, it’s also considering having a downtown Oktoberfest in September.
“We wanted to focus on just two Alive on 25 events,” said Steve Shauger, the president of the BID Management Association. “The thought process is that for the first one, we’ll do the fireworks, which is always a big one. And then the other one, hopefully we have people funnel into one more event instead of spreading it out over three events.”
He said that based on feedback it has received, the BID will try to make the second Alive on 25 a more kid-friendly event.
The dates for the events are tentative and await Town Board approval.
The fireworks show, tentatively scheduled for July 2, is always a very popular event but attendance tends to dip at the subsequent events.
The BID has held Alive on 25 annually since 2016. It involves closing down downtown Main Street while having food vendors and live bands lining the street. It was modeled after Patchogue’s popular Alive After Five series.
The Oktoberfest event was conceived by Bryan DeLuca of the East End Tourism alliance, which has received $187,500 in grant money for all five East End towns, and will be part of a three pronged promotion, along with a “Rosé All May and June” and a “Stay and Play” event, which is a mid-week event in July and August.
The BID is planning to have Oktoberfest in Grangebel Park to coincide with “Art in the Park: Reflextions.”
The BID will work with local breweries to discuss specific details, such as whether to have an authentic Oktoberfest, with things like lederhosen contests and giant pretzels, or an “Americanized” Oktoberfest.
