Your Insider's Guide to 2019 Thursdays Downtown
After the winter we’ve endured, Thursdays Downtown provides the fun in the sun we’ve all earned! It’s time to head to downtown Rochester for arts, crafts, music, and food! Everyone at the Rochester Downtown Alliance, our partners, and vendors are gearing up for the first Thursdays Downtown! Here’s a look at everything you need to know to get your Thursdays Downtown attendance-planning into gear, too!
THE TIMEFRAME:
Thursdays Downtown brings together arts and crafts vendors, food booths and musical selections, starting June 6 and runs through August 29, except July 4. Downtown Rochester—1st Avenue SW from Center Street to Historic 3rd Street and Peace Plaza—will be bustling from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. View a map of the event layout here.
THE SIGHTS:
From art to jewelry to baked goods to delicious eats and drinks, Thursdays Downtown lines the streets with more than 115 vendors each week! Find an interactive map of the vendors here. Click a spot on the map to see where vendors are in a given week or select a vendor to view where they are located within the Thursdays Downtown market.
THE SOUNDS:
With genres like classic rock, country, indie folk, and gypsy jazz, to name a few, the Thursdays Downtown lunchtime and evening entertainment will keep you rockin’ around the clock with 72 performances throughout the season! For the lunchtime entertainment taking the stage from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., click here. For the evening performances kicking off the 5 and 7 p.m. shows., click here.
THE PARKING:
Plenty of parking exists for those attending Thursdays Downtown! Street parking and city ramps (excluding Mayo Clinic ramps) are free after 5 p.m. (no overnight parking). Click here for more information. The Rochester Downtown Alliance encourages a sober ride to and from Thursdays Downtown if you plan to consume alcoholic beverages.
THE SEATING:
Once onsite for Thursdays Downtown, rest easy and relax! Take in the Thursdays Downtown excitement while taking a load off. Kick back and hang out in the 3rd Street Lounge (thanks to Altra Federal Credit Union), complete with comfy comfy adirondack chairs within earshot of the 1st Ave stage music! Throughout the season, Historic 3rd Street also comes alive with different activations from our Thursdays Downtown partners.
THE RESTROOMS:
Restrooms with hand-washing stations will be available for use in two locations on the Thursdays Downtown event site. One is located along 1st Avenue between the Minnesota Bio Business Center and the 201 Building on the south side of the event. The other bathroom location is next to the Peace Plaza stage. Click here to find the restrooms on our event map.
Twelve dates of Thursdays Downtown will provide something to look forward to this summer! See you there and have fun!