First Fridays kicking off in May; Festivals occurring through summer

     First Fridays have returned to Havre de Grace and Bel Air. First Friday’s continue throughout the summer and into the fall.

    While exploring Havre de Grace there is live music, cafe seating, food trucks, merchandise vendors, store specials, classic car shows, and more.

     The festival continues every first Friday of the month until October 8.  The First Friday in May is the opening event for the rest of the summer.

     The Havre de Grace event starts at 5 and ends at 9:30 and the event in Bel Air starts at 5 and ends at 8.

     Havre de Grace closes down streets for the event while the festival in Bel Air is a block party on Main Street. The Downtown Bel Air website encourages party goers to enjoy the shops and restaurants that surround Main Street..

     Senior Kylee Testerman heard about the festivals through a friend’s parents. “I heard about the festival in Bel Air. I want to go at least once but I always end up having plans.” She added, “It seems like a lot of fun so why not, maybe I’ll invite a few of my friends to come with me before college.”

     Along with First Fridays, Aberdeen hosts second Saturdays and the Grove hosts fourth Fridays as well. These events are very similar to First Fridays.

     Second Saturdays in Aberdeen include vendors, live music at 6pm, and a movie in the park at 8pm. The event starts at 3pm and concludes at 8pm when the movie starts.

     “The Grove is Harford County’s agri-business incubator. It is an outlet for local area farmers, artists and food processors to sell their products directly to consumers and to actively promote agriculture commerce and sustainability in Harford County.” according to the Grove’s website. 

     On fourth Fridays at The Grove they have local food vendors, live music, and craft beverage trucks. All of the vendors that attend the event are locally owned. This is a chance for these local vendors to sell directly to customers.

     Junior Maddie Rutch said, “I have not heard about these events before. I love live music though so these seem like events that I would enjoy attending.”

    Testerman said, “It is really nice that it’s in Bel Air so I can go to a restaurant or shop after spending some time at the festival.”

     Rutch added, “I would definitely go to the one in Bel Air just because it is closer to me than Havre de Grace. I think it is beautiful there [Havre de Grace] but for me Bel Air is just more convenient. It is nice to know that there is stuff going on that I can go to with friends.”