Alive on 25 hosts its first event of the summer on Thursday, Aug. 6

Alive on 25 is finally having its first festival of the summer after the Fourth of July superstorm caused enough property damage and downed debris to delay its original kick-off date.

Now fully recovered, Main Street in Riverhead is ready to host the first of two summer block parties on Thursday, Aug. 6, from 5 to 9 p.m. Festivalgoers can expect a variety of local food, music, artists, crafters, classic car shows and plenty of family fun.

“It will be a beautiful celebration of Riverhead, local bands from Riverhead, food from Riverhead, local businesses from Riverhead, with a little interjection of some other kinds of businesses,” Diane Tucci, organizer of Alive on 25, said at the Tuesday Town Board meeting. “At the end of a hard day and all this work that you have to do, we have to have a little fun, and our community needs a little fun.”

Dozens of vendors will be set up to provide some tasty bites, including Antigua Café & Social Club, mobile bar Sassy Sips, G&L Gyro, Seaside Bar and Grill, Hines Catering, Emily’s Apple Puffs and more.

Sip your way through some of the North Fork’s best beer brewers and distilleries, including Twin Fork Beer Co., ÜberGeek Brewing, North Fork Brewing Co. and Twin Stills Moonshine.

Local musicians will be playing tunes all night long from Roanoke Avenue to the Salvation Army at the end of East Main Street. The confirmed bands on the set list include the White Room Band, Project Vibe, East End Arts Bands, the Last Call Band, Jay Shepard Band and 12th House.

Additionally, Riverhead Raceway and Race Track Not Street will be showcasing its cars. Calverton-based Cousins Paintball will be setting up laser tag, too.

Main Street will be closed between Roanoke and Union avenues. No parking will be allowed on the roadway for the duration of the event.

Free municipal parking is available throughout the downtown area, particularly in the Riverwalk public lot on Peconic Avenue, another near Roanoke and East Avenue and the accessible parking by the Riverwalk from Peconic Avenue.

Two summer dates were announced in May after the festival was nearly called off when town officials questioned its cost and disruption. But after weeks of sometimes heated debate, the board unanimously voted May 20 to approve a consultant services agreement with Main Street Agency.

 Officials previously discussed shifting the festival from Fridays to Thursdays to draw customers downtown on slower nights.

The next scheduled Alive on 25 rain date event follows Labor Day weekend on Thursday, Sept. 10.

For more information, visit aliveon25.lovable.app/.