Bristol Borough is gearing up for its initial First Friday of 2017.
The event will kick off along Mill Street and the wharf Friday around 5 p.m. and will run until 8 p.m. First Friday is a rain or shine event.
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First Friday began a few years before its current iteration. There were bumps and struggles, and eventually, the festival died off. A few years later, it was revived by the Bristol Borough Business Association (BBBA) in the form locals recognize today.
“The success of the event was immediate,” said Shea Cialella, the administrative coordinator for the BBBA. The upcoming Summer marks the third year Bristol Borough has held First Friday events.
“It was surprising to everyone at first because of the struggles a few years before,” Cialella explained.
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By the end of the first year, though, businesses were on board and enthusiastic.
Highlighting businesses, the First Friday events, which run May through September, make sure to get visitors and locals away from the wharf and interested in what the businesses in town have to offer. “The whole point of this is to highlight our businesses,” Cialella said.
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First Fridays on the Delaware in Bristol Borough aren’t just for the art-perusing adults, though. Lots of family friendly entertainment including face painting, a magician and a caricaturist make sure that kids and adults can have a good time.
Businesses have gotten more and more involved with First Fridays over the three years that they have been going on. In the beginning, Cialella explained, the events were mostly organized by Cialella herself and a few volunteers. Now, many businesses come forward to help put on the best and most business friendly festival possible.
TrainPops Attic owner Brian Adams puts out ads for the festival each year and Discover, Learn and Grow is taking care of setting up tables and chairs in the food truck area. Sharkey’s Barbershop will be hosting live music, and Noble Earth, a new wellness center and kombucha house, will be hosting an open house. There will be an art walk near Mill Street Crossing featuring more than one dozen artists, as well.
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“It’s for them, so they really should have a say in it,” explained Cialella.
Keeping things fresh throughout the year, each month will have a different theme for entertainment purposes. June’s festival will be carnival themed, July’s will be Christmas in July themed and August’s will be pirate themed.
