Broad Avenue may have finally made the shift from up-and-coming arts district to just arts district. After years of grassroots revitalization efforts, the Binghamton strip seems to have arrived.
The Broad Avenue Arts District’s successes will be showcased at its annual spring art walk this Friday, April 24th, from 5 to 10 p.m. As always, the event will feature works by local artists, food trucks, and sales of wine and beer. But this year, there will be three music stages.
The Water Tower Pavilion will feature music from Chinese Connection Dub Embassy, the Mighty Electric St. Jude Band, and Agori Tribe. And you can see Justin White and Kitty Dearing at the West Memorials stage on the western end of the street. The Hollywood Feed stage, on the east side, will showcase School of Rock students, Other Stories, and China Gate.
Tattoo artist Babak Tabatabai is hosting an art show inside his shop Ronin Design and Manufacturing. It will feature works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, sculpture, and more by Tabatabai, Caitlin Leggett, Gina Sposto, Nathan Parten, and others.
Businesses up and down the strip will open their doors for art shows or open houses. There’s an artist market at the Water Tower Pavilion, and new vintage rental center Propcellar is hosting a movie night.
This year’s event comes after several new businesses have opened their doors along Broad. The bar-arcade Rec Room opened in early April, as did hipster coffeehouse City & State. The Red Zone Sports and Cigar Bar (formerly Jack Magoo’s) is now open, and should art walkers feel a need to get rowdy, they have a mechanical bull.
Restaurants along Broad — 3 Angels, The Cove, Bounty, Broadway Pizza — will be serving. Also, food trucks will be parked near the Water Tower Pavilion. Those will include Say Cheeze, Paul’s Cariflavor, Mr. Frazier’s Fish Fry, Gourmet Grillers, Smurfey’s Smokehouse, Millie’s Garden, and Cielitio Mio.
Beer and wine will be for sale, and the proceeds benefit the arts district.
