When William Reed first envisioned shutting down the corridor from Girard Avenue to Spring Garden Street for a neighborhood music festival, he approached it with a mission of trying to reduce the number of cars speeding down Second Street.
Reed, who opened the Northern Liberties tavern Standard Tap in 2000, was tired of witnessing accidents and fighting with the city to get adequate traffic safety measures in place.
“I wanted to pedestrianize [Second Street], have people enjoy it in a different way,” he said. He joined forces with North Bowl’s Oron Daskal, El Camino Real’s Owen Kamihira, and POPPED! Festival’s Alexis Rosenzweig to bring the festival to life in 2008.
The first two years, Reed knew 90% of the people attending the festival. By its third year, that was no longer the case; it had expanded beyond music to include vendors and food trucks, and Reed realized it was becoming one of the city’s most significant festivals.
Now in its 16th year (the festival was postponed for two years during COVID), Reed is expecting over 40,000 people to experience the three-quarter-mile stretch of Second Street packed with local food trucks, artists, street performers, and vendors on Aug. 2.
“The festival has been really beneficial to bringing new eyes to the neighborhood,” Reed said.
It’s designed strategically to showcase Second Street’s small businesses, with food trucks in the middle of the street rather than on the sidewalk to avoid blocking the storefronts. Reed and his co-organizers put thought into curating a local experience in the vendors they select — there’s a waiting list for vendors every year — and received a special grant from the city this year to help pay for more street performers.
Worth the line: Bartender Danny Childs is previewing a few recipes from his new slow-drinks-style bar Field Day, set to open in September inside the Cescaphe Ballroom.
Afterparty: As the festival winds down, North Bowl’s parking lot is the place to be, with Philly house music event company The Shakedown hosting local DJs until 1 a.m.
Shameless plug: Tired of the crowd and heat but still want festival vibes? Reed recommends snagging a spot under a ceiling fan on Standard Tap’s second-floor porch to enjoy a plate of oysters and people-watch.
