The Hope Street Merchants Association will host the annual Hope Street Spring Block Party on Saturday, May 21 from noon until 6pm.  The event features local music, food trucks, a fashion show, kids’ activities, a beer garden, and more. Approximately 5,000 people are expected to attend.

Hope Street will be closed to car traffic from Rochambeau Avenue to Fifth Street, creating over a quarter-mile of “fun, food, music, art, activities, sidewalk sales, and performances”. The “Beers for Ballet” beer garden features selections from local breweries and benefits Hope Street’s neighborhood performing arts institution, Festival Ballet. There will be two stages of live, local music featuring Boo City, Happiness, Last Good Tooth, Medusah Black, and the Extraordinary Rendition Band, among others.

There will also be performances by community groups, including the Classical High School Jazz Band, Project 401 Dance Squad, and Chinese Lion Dance Club. The fashion show will showcase Hope Street Merchants and use local business owners, students, community members, and Festival Ballet dancers for models.

More than 20 food trucks and vendors will be on site, including Poco Loco Tacos, Noble Knots, Presto Strange O Coffee, Sarcastic Sweets, and Del’s Lemonade. Children’s activities include the YMCA Pop-up Playground, a rock climbing wall, and face painting. IndieCycle will also be collecting electronics for recycling.

“This year is going to be bigger and better than ever,” promises HSMA co-president Dixie Carroll. “We’re so excited to see how this event grows every year as more and more people discover what a wonderful place Hope Street is. This is our way of celebrating the amazing community where we get to come to work every day.”

The Block Party is produced by the sponsorship of Narragansett Beer, the Providence Tourism Council, Revival Brewing, Jonathan Edwards Winery, Wingate Residences on Blackstone Boulevard, ZipCar, and CVS Health. For more information visit hopestreetprov.com.