Following a successful run in the fall, the Port Washington Chamber of Commerce, the Port Washington Business Improvement District and the Town of North Hempstead are bringing back Port Outdoors, with parts of Main Street again transformed into a pedestrian-only shopping and dining experience.
The series is scheduled to have its longest run yet, from May 6 to October 7 on every other Thursday in alternating zones, according to Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bobbie Polay.
“Port Outdoors is a collaboration that is only possible with the support of the Town of North Hempstead,” Polay said. “It is thanks to the Lift Up Local initiative that we are able to bring back and expand this very popular community event.”
Entertainment is also in store, with live music and demonstrations from local dance and martial arts studios featured at the Main Stage each week, and individual restaurants will host musicians on site. Landmark on Main Street will again manage the lineup of artists, with a preference to local musicians.
The upper Main Street zone comprises Port Washington Boulevard from Campus Drive to Main Street and Main Street from Port Washington Boulevard to Belleview Avenue near Carlo’s Pizza, as well as Port Commons. Main Street is closed to traffic from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. The complete schedule featuring upper Main Street is May 6, June 3, July 1 and 29, Aug. 26 and Sept. 23.
The middle and lower Main Street zone is from Central Drive to Shore Road, which is also closed to traffic from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Nights featuring middle and lower Main Street include May 20, June 17, July 15, August 12, Sept. 9 and Oct. 7.
Holly Byrne, executive director of the Port Washington BID, said the organizers expect Port Outdoors to become a yearly tradition.
“We hope Thursday nights become THE night out in Port,” Byrne said. “We expect to rekindle the spark from last year and see it become a tradition to shop and dine locally.”
Port Outdoors is hosted by community organizers from BID, Chamber of Commerce, Landmark on Main Street, Residents Forward and the Port Washington Police District, and is made possible with support from the event sponsor, Precision Work Inc.
