Crowds hit Park Ave. for summer stroll

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Some people are disappointed that there was no Park Ave. Festival again this year. It hasn’t taken place since before the pandemic.

But the Park Ave. Merchant’s Association wanted to do something similar in its place, on a much smaller scale. It’s the Park Avenue Summer Stroll, and it brought hundreds out in the sun to check out vendors, and live music.

It may look a little different than the old Park Ave. Fest. The street is open to traffic for one thing, but for the first time since 2019, people were out celebrating on Park Ave. on Saturday and Sunday.

People I talked to say they’re thrilled. The Park Ave. Summer Arts Festival was canceled for the last couple of years because of the pandemic. This year the event organizers couldn’t find a promoter.

So they came up with another idea, the Park Ave. Summer Stroll. People checked out businesses and restaurants, listened to music, and got to explore the area.

While Jordan bull is happy there’s a summer event back on Park Ave, he misses how it used to be.

“Acknowledging that we are so spoiled because we live so close, I always prefer it when the streets are blocked off, just in general. Just like the amount of space we see the cars in everyday life is too much already.”

The Merchant’s Association is looking for a promoter for next year’s event and hopes to bring back the festival in 2024.