Anybody who has ever been to Mardi Gras knows that a little rain doesn’t change much. The party, and the music, must go on. The same was true at the New Orleans-themed FridayFest at Hemming Plaza last week, the second of this season’s downtown parties, as sprinkles waited until about 7:15 p.m. before clearing out the purple and gold bead-laden crowd that started showing up before 5 p.m.
“We estimated the crowd at about 600 people,” said Amy Crockett of Downtown Vision, Inc. (DVI) the group that throws the once-a-month parties. “We’re really pleased, considering the weather.”
Crowds were huddled under the skyway and City Hall when the first mild shower hit at about 5. Others had umbrellas. “People were very patient,” said Crockett “and we appreciate that.”
Since the year’s first FridayFest last month was such an overwhelming success, DVI added an extra bar and bartender to keep the lines shorter and the vending area was moved west, toward the skyway, to increase exposure and also to allow for more space.
DVI is using the ticket system — you buy tickets which can then be used to buy food and drinks. Since many people were left with extra tickets because of rain, Crockett said they can be used at next month’s party on June 21 when the theme is “Caribbean Nights” with local band Slice International.