Downtown Fridays are back, and the event organizers expect them to only grow as COVID-19 restrictions loosen.
After taking a pandemic-induced hiatus, the popular event kicked off its fifth year on May 28 at the Santa Maria Town Center West. From August to November 2020, Downtown Fridays went virtual with weekly livestreamed concerts, but last Friday marked the first official, in-person Downtown Fridays gathering in more than a year. The event is a partnership between the city of Santa Maria and local event promoters Ed Carcarey and Sofia Lariz.
“I went over there for a little while and got dinner,” City Public Information Manager Mark van de Kamp said. “I think it was wonderful to see the return of Downtown Fridays. I saw a good number of families there having a pleasant time. … We look forward to many more successful events all the way through October.”
The city plans to continue the weekly event until Oct. 29, weather permitting. As the weeks go on and health orders shift, event organizers hope to bring back live music, wine and beer vendors, and more types of food booths in addition to the permitted food trucks that are allowed right now. Santa Maria Library’s bookmobile was also present Friday.
“It has several stops around the community, and we’re always evaluating which stops we go to and looking for others,” van de Kamp said. “The idea is to bring the library to the community and reach people who may not be able to access the branches.”
Event promoter Carcarey said about 1,500 people came out to the event Friday, compared to the typical turnout of 3,000 pre-pandemic.
“Honestly, it was better than I anticipated because by the time we got permission from the city to do this, we only had two days to advertise it,” Carcarey said. “We were pleasantly surprised. And being the first event, I didn’t know how people would react.”
The coordinators had to ensure that the event’s contract with the city met new standards before launching.
“COVID has changed everything, so there’s new standards for insurance,” Carcarey said.
Moving forward, Carcarey expects the event to grow and begin to look more like it did pre-pandemic s restrictions ease.
“We’ll definitely have the live music, which will be huge,” he said. “We’re definitely going to have the bounce houses come back, which brings a lot of families out there. We’ll bring back more food like desserts.”
Van de Kamp expects the turnout to grow, too, as more Santa Marians hear that it’s back.
“It’s something people really want to go do, that’s why we’re anticipating a healthy turnout,” he said. “People are eager to get outdoors again and socialize safely.”
Masks and social distancing will continue to be required, but Carcarey said “the best part is just being out there with the community again.”
This article appears in Jun 3-10, 2021.
