Northern Liberties 2nd Street Festival Returns with 250+ Food Trucks, Vendors, Live Music and More
Northern Liberties 2nd Street Festival Returns with 250+ Food Trucks, Vendors, Live Music and More
The Northern Liberties Arts & Commerce Alliance has announced the 16th Annual 2nd Street Festival, scheduled for Sunday, August 2, from noon to 10 p.m. The event will coincide with America’s 250th anniversary and will include more than 250 restaurants, food trucks, beer gardens, live music acts, artists, pop-up shops and family activities spread across 14 blocks of North 2nd Street.
The event is free and open to the public, running from Spring Garden Street to Girard Avenue. Leashed, well-behaved dogs are permitted.
Festival co-founder William Reed, who owns Standard Tap, said organizers have been planning the event for months and described it as a daylong celebration of local food, beer, art and music. Reed said this year’s festival will include a tribute to the 250th anniversary as well as additional programming not detailed in advance.
Co-founder Oron Daskal, owner of North Bowl and South Bowl, said the festival started as a way to highlight the neighborhood and has grown substantially since its founding. Co-founder Owen Kamihira, of El Camino Real, said the event also raises funds that support neighborhood organizations and the services they provide to residents and businesses.
The festival will feature two music stages running for most of the day. The Germantown Stage, located at 2nd and Germantown, kicks off at noon with Todd Fausnacht & His Band and runs through headliner Moonroof at 8 p.m., with sets from Daphne Ellen, The Size, Feaster, Alright Junio, Fullscreen, Max Swan and Party Nerves in between.
Over at the Fairmount Stage, performances begin at 12:15 p.m. with Jimmy Everhart and continue through the evening with Caroline Quinn, IMY3, Canyon Flower, Sandcastle, Sophie Coran and Big Club, closing out with St. James and The Apostles at 8:15 p.m.
Planned family programming includes a splash zone and playground at The Piazza, stilt walkers, strolling performers, and pop-up circus acts running throughout the day. Highlights include complimentary face painting from 1 to 3 p.m., an America 250th-themed kids’ art activity running noon to 5 p.m., a performance from the West Powelton Drumline (the official drumline of the Philadelphia 76ers) at 5 p.m., a Double Dutch showcase from Philly Girls Jump at 6 p.m., and a red-white-and-blue glow giveaway capping off the night from 8 to 10 p.m.
The event will feature more than 50 local restaurants, bars, breweries and food trucks. Ten beer and cocktail gardens are planned, including Standard Tap, North Bowl, El Camino Real, Cantina Dos Segundos and Urban Village Brewing Company, with sponsorship support from Beam Suntory and Red Bull.
Neighborhood restaurants participating include Circles Thai, La Colombe, Luna Marie and Joy Cafe. Roughly 25 food trucks and mobile vendors are also scheduled, including Cousins Maine Lobster, Caribbean Palm Jamaican Food, and vendors serving funnel cakes, pickles, arepas and soft-serve.
More than 150 crafters, artists and makers are expected to participate, with vendor selection coordinated in part by Art Star. Offerings are expected to include handblown glassware, ceramics, upcycled clothing, illustrated prints and handmade jewelry. Roughly 25 local Northern Liberties businesses and retailers are also scheduled to participate, and merchants throughout the Northern Liberties Business Improvement District are expected to offer their own specials and promotions.
