Patchogue 'Alive After Five': Largest Crowd Of Year Expected

PATCHOGUE, NY — Patchogue's third "Alive After Five" festival will feature female bands and performers as organizers celebrate women in the arts.

The event, scheduled to begin Thursday at 5 p.m., is expected to draw about 20,000 people, which would be the largest crowd of the year, David Kennedy, executive director at the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, told Patch on Tuesday. Heat and threats of rain may have kept some people home during the last couple festivals, but the weather is expected to be beautiful Thursday.

"I feel like this will be our biggest crowd of the year," said Kennedy. "The weather is really lining up nice for us."

Female-fronted and all-female bands will be featured on each of the six stages, Kennedy said, with Pandora's Vox slated to perform on the Blue Point Brewing stage.

"There will be a huge emphasis on women artists and women performers," he said.

As always, the event will feature a bevy of tasty food options and jamming music performances. About 110 vendors are expected to attend, Kennedy said, including food, beverages and information booths. Food options will include apple puffs, zeppoles, cheesesteaks, burgers, tacos, empanadas, ice cream and more. About 30 food trucks will participate.

Among the activities sprinkled throughout the festival: face-painting, henna tattoos and carnival games, such as ring toss and high-striker.

"Show off your muscles, swing the hammer," said Kennedy.

Kennedy highlighted the expanded children's section at the end of Havens Avenue as a great place for families, and said those looking for something new and cool ought to check out the Blue Point Stage on Railroad Avenue. The Beer Project has an outdoor space in the area and the Record Stop participates as well.

"If you're looking to break away, it's a little more relaxed on Railroad Avenue and it's got great music," said Kennedy, noting there's a "little more elbow-room" there.

The third event will feature Blue Point Brewing's Beach Plum Gose, a "big summer hit," the organization wrote in a Facebook post. The free festival runs until 9:30 p.m.

The festival started 18 years ago when the village was a little "dead and quiet," said David Kennedy, executive director at the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce. 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.

For the first installment of the summer festival series on June 27, the theme was "Celebrating Pride Month and the LGBTQ Community. The second installment took place on July 11, the theme was "Celebrating our Armed Forces." On Aug. 8, the theme will be "Celebrating our Cultural Diversity."

The festival is sponsored by such local organizations as the Blue Point Brewing Company, BNB Bank, St. Joseph's College, and multiple radio stations.