By KATE PIERCE
News Editor
The 35th annual Larkfest street fair will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the section of Lark Street between Madison Ave. and Washington Ave., about a mile and a half from the Saint Rose campus.
Larkfest is known as the largest street fair in upstate New York, with over 80,000 expected attendees. The festival will close down eight streets to traffic in the Lark Street Neighborhood for the duration of the festival.
The event is organized by the Lark Street Neighborhood District Management Association, more commonly known as the Lark Street Business Improvement District. The Lark Street BID is a not-for-profit organization that aims to “build, sustain, and enhance a unique and prosperous living and business community for the residents, merchants, and visitors of the Lark Street neighborhood of Albany, NY.”
Some call Lark Street the “Village in the City,” as the street is reminiscent of famous neighborhoods in New York City.
For the celebration the street will be filled with over a hundred vendors selling contemporary art, antiques, jewelry, flowers, books, food, drinks and more.
SUNY Albany sophomore Briana Wright enjoyed her experience with the vendors at Larkfest last year.
“I liked the diversity of the little stands,” said Wright. “They changed from people showcasing their etsy stores to soda fountains, and I thought that was cool because then everyone could find something they liked.”
Two stages of live music and entertainment with regional bands and national headlining music acts will be situated at either end of the street.
The lineup for the music and entertainment portion of the day is as follows:
The Relationship is a rock and roll band from Los Angeles, California founded in 2007 by Weezer guitarist Brian Bell. The band currently consists of Brian Bell on guitar and vocals, Jon LaRue on bass, Justin Goings on drums and Brandon Graham on lead guitar.
Ought is a Canadian rock band from Montreal that formed in 2012. The members include Tim Darcy on guitars and vocals, Matt May on keyboards, Ben Stidworthy on bass, and Tim Keen on drums and violin
Lower Dens is an indie pop band from Baltimore, Maryland that was formed in 2010. The current members include Jana Hunter, Geoff Graham, Nate Nelson and Walker Teret.
Delicate Steve is the moniker of musician Steve Marion, a multi-instrumentalist originally hailing from Fredon, New Jersey. Delicate Steve’s sound has been described as hand-crafted with elements of progressive rock, folksy twang, African rhythms, surf rock and 1970s pop.
Televisionaries is a band from Rochester that performs punk/surfer rock.
Saturday is supposed to be a nice day for the fair, with a mostly sunny forecast, and a high of 74.
If you are a fan of any of the scheduled performances, or want to check out the vendor stands, or to just experience the celebration – it’s not too far off campus. Wright says that’s one of the great aspects of Larkfest.
“A lot of college students usually stay on campus for days and weeks,” said Wright. “I think going to the fest would help them switch up their routine while actually seeing what life outside the campus is like in a fun and cheap way.”
