Gilroy – The downtown’s Friday night music series will return next month with bigger name bands and new ways for businesses to attract customers.
In its first season last year, the Fifth Street Live concert series drew hundreds of people over the course of the summer to the stretch of road between Monterey and Eigleberry streets.
This year, organizers hope the event will boost support for businesses along Monterey Street, where many merchants are struggling to get through a year of major construction. The stretch of Gilroy’s main street, between Sixth and Fourth streets, has been closed for more than a month as workers tear up asphalt and install new water mains and gutters, a precursor to laying down a new roadway. The sidewalk phase of the streetscape project is expected to continue through early November, though the upgraded road is expected to re-open to motorists by early August.
“Right now the downtown doesn’t have a lot of traffic,” said Steve Gearing, owner of Happy Dog Pizza. (The music series) is a good way for people to find out that it’s simple to get downtown. It gives people something to do.”
Though a list of bands has not been finalized, organizers expect to attract bigger names than last year by doubling the band budget to more than $1,000 per week.
Merchants can get exposure at the events through free giveaways, booths and other promotional activities, including a $2,500 platinum sponsorship that allows a business to emcee a concert.
Kat Filice, owner of a graphics and Web company hired to promote the downtown in its year of construction, emphasized that a business doesn’t have to be on Fifth Street to benefit from the concerts.
“Any downtown business can get involved and promote themselves,” she said. “They can help with the event, give away prizes, hand out flyers. We’ll let them promote their business to the crowd – it will be a great opportunity.”
The Friday night live concert series begins June 30 and runs through the end of September, a month longer than last year.
For more information, visit www.downtowngilroy.com or call Filice at 852-3501.
