Patchogue 'Alive After Five' To Celebrate Armed Service Members

PATCHOGUE, NY — Two weeks after hosting the first installment of the "Alive After Five" festival, Patchogue expects to again be flooded with up to 20,000 people at the second festival. The event Thursday evening will celebrate armed service members and features a bevy of representatives from each branch of the military.

Festival-goers will be treated to food and live music, including at least a dozen bands, some of which are made up of military veterans. There will also be informational booths with resources to help armed service members transition to civilian life.

Seven stages of live music and entertainment will be sprinkled throughout the downtown area, said David Kennedy, executive director at the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce. Patchogue's own, Christian Guardino, a former semifinalist on America's Got Talent will also be performing at the festival.

The free festival, which starts at 5 p.m. and ends at 9:30 p.m., will also feature over 30 food trucks selling empanadas, zeppole, pizza, cheese steaks and many other foods to satisfy cravings.

"It's the third or fourth year in a row we've honored our armed forces veterans at Alive After Five. We're near the 4th of July, it's a patriotic time of year, and we know its something that will resonate with almost everyone in the community," said Kennedy.

The festival started 18 years ago when the village was a little "dead and quiet," he said. It was an attempt by the chamber to change that perception, and it has since grown into the village's largest festival, and one of the largest on Long Island.

"The reputation of Patchogue back then was sleepy at 5 o'clock," he said. "That after 5 o'clock there was nothing going on."

Kennedy said with a laugh: "It was an attempt to say, 'Hey, Patchogue is alive after five."

For the first installment of the summer festival series on June 27, the theme was "Celebrating Pride Month and the LGBTQ Community." On July 25, it will be "Celebrating Women in the Arts." On Aug. 8, the theme will be "Celebrating our Cultural Diversity."

The library will once again sponsor a family section where kids and parents can enjoy arts and crafts, as well as more live music.

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We are very proud to be featuring Patchogue’s very own Christian Guardino, a former semifinalist with America’s Got Talent. Christian will be performing and debuting live songs he wrote himself at Alive After Five this Thursday on the Blue Point Brewery stage on Railroad Ave. @aliveafterfive @patchoguechamber #gpchamber #patchogue #bluepointbrewery #aliveafterfive #aliveafter5 #aa5patchogue #aa5patch @christianguardino #americasgottalent
A post shared by Patchogue Chamber (@patchoguechamber) on Jul 9, 2019 at 9:08am PDT