An all-day spring block party will fill the streets of downtown Blaine on Saturday, May 18.
Blaine Chamber of Commerce is hosting the event from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The spring party will be family-friendly with a street fair of about 65 vendors, a beer garden, food trucks and live music. The event will have plenty of activities for children, including Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District’s “Picnic at the Playground” at Blaine Marine Park.
Picnic at the Playground will start slightly before the block party, at 11 a.m., and run until 2 p.m. With help from community organizations, the park event has planned free rugby clinics for K-12th grade, tug-of-war, and crafts and games geared for small children, and other youth activities (no registration needed). Shaved ice, hot dogs, chips and drinks will be available for purchase.
Parks and recreation will provide transportation between the park and downtown block party, where children can be entertained with bounce houses, face painting, cornhole, sidewalk chalk and other activities.
A beer garden featuring Beach Cat Brewing will be on G Street plaza, with all proceeds going toward the chamber.
The event, planned for Victoria Day Weekend, in hopes of attracting Canadians traveling south for the holiday. The block party replaces the oyster festival, which is scheduled for October.
The music set for the day will include DJ Michael, Michael Dayvid, Kickerville, Gladstone, Chris Cochran, Doug Allen and Friends, and Kendale Whitney Jazz. Music will be played at both plazas.
The festival will force the closure of a few roads during the day. H Street, from Peace Portal Drive to 3rd Street, and Peace Portal Drive, from G to H streets, will be closed from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
This article was updated May 16 to correct the event time. We regret the error.
