What’s more Dutch than bike riding, and this year Hofstra University’s Dutch Family Festival, to be held on Saturday, May 7, is hosting Car-less Long Island’s first Bike-to-Work Fashion Parade.
The Parade (9-10:30 a.m.) follows a 6.5 mile loop (2.3 miles for those with less stamina) starting at Hofstra, looping through Eisenhower Park and ending at the Dutch Family Festival, which opens at 11 a.m. and runs through 4 p.m.
Admission to enter the Dutch Family Festival and parking are free.
Participation in the Bike-to-Work Fashion Parade is also free, but participants are encouraged to register beforehand. The registration form and more information about the parade can be found at www.Car-lessLI.org/parade.
The first 200 registrants who show up for the parade will receive free T-shirts.
Participants are also encouraged to dress-up and decorate their bikes. There will be prizes given for the best outfits (both flamboyant and professional) and most impressive bikes.
As with last year’s Dutch Family Festival, carnival rides and games for small children are part of the fun, and the focus of the entertainment lineup is Hofstra’s student talent, with a full itinerary of music and theater taking place on two stages.
As always, Hofstra’s tulips will be in bloom (weather permitting) and there will be vendors offering Mother’s Day “shopportunities.” The East End Trio will also be back to perform music from the 1960s-2000s.
Among the highlights of the day are:
· Children’s carnival games and rides (nominal fees)
· Hofstra Arboretum Plant Sale
· Hofstra Spectrum Theater performs Alice in Wonderland
· Hofstra Drama Program presents Suessical
· Performances by Hofstra’s Music Ensembles, including the Jazz Ensemble
· Ceramics demonstration and display by the Fine Arts Department faculty and students
· Performances by the Hofstra Cheer Team, Dance Team and Pep Band
The Hofstra Dutch Family Festival, now in its 33rd year, is co-sponsored by the D’Addario Music Appreciation Initiative.
The Festival will go on, rain or shine, outdoors on Hofstra’s South Campus. Call Hofstra’s Festival Hotline at (516) 463-6582 or visit www.hofstra.edu/Festivals for more information and the most up-to-date listings of entertainment. For vendor information call Jessie Garcia at (516) 463-6580.
Guests may also become a fan of Hofstra University Festivals on Facebook.
Register in advance for the Bike-to-Work Parade at www.Car-lessLI.org/parade . There is no fee to enter.
More information is available and a festival itinerary will be posted at www.hofstra.edu/festivals.
