The second annual Akron City Festival, a celebration of kids going back to school, will be held downtown Sept. 1 from noon to 6 p.m. at Lock 3’s Backyard on Bowery Street.
The family-friendly festival will include a parade, a DJ, games, basketball, face painting; fashion, cheer and magic shows; food vendors, gaming trucks, inflatables and more, according to a press release from the city.
- Noon — Event kick-off
- 1 p.m. — Parade kick-off
- 2 p.m. — Cheer show
- 3 p.m. — Fashion show
- 4 p.m. — Magic show
- 5 p.m. — Talent show
A 1 p.m. parade that features student athletes, extracurricular clubs and “youth-serving organizations” will start near the Spaghetti Warehouse parking lot at 510 S. Main St. and Rosa Parks Drive. Participants will travel north along Main Street, turn left on Bowery Street and finish at the Lock 3 Backyard Stage.
“The Akron City Festival is a great way to bring our community together and celebrate back to school time for our students,” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said in the release. “We want to start off their academic year with a fun, celebratory event that helps set the tone and puts them on a path for a joyful, successful year.”
If your organization wants to participate in the parade, email the city’s youth opportunity strategist, Denico Buckley-Knight, at dbuckley-knight@akronohio.gov with a description of your group by Monday, Aug. 19.
The festival is presented by the City of Akron with support from the Akron Public Schools, Lock 3 and the Downtown Akron Partnership.
