BOISE, Idaho — This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Even though it took a couple of years off during the pandemic, Boise’s biggest block party — the Hyde Park Street Fair — is back for its 45th year.
The street fair is slated to take place from 4 p.m. Friday until 6 p.m. Sunday at Camel’s Back Park, located in Boise’s North End neighborhood.
The free-to-attend weekend-long event will feature local nonprofit booths, craft and commercial vendors, food and beverage vendors and a variety of entertainment for all ages.
Autumn Street is the co-chair of the Hyde Park Street Fair as well as the secretary for the North End Neighborhood Association, or NENA — the nonprofit organization that represents and preserves Boise’s historic North End. Street said while Hyde Park Street Fair aims to be fun for all the family, it is also a fundraiser for the association, and the money goes back to the neighborhood.
“The money we raise is invested in our community in the form of annual school grants, neighborhood improvement projects and community-building events, and donations to community groups,” Street said.
A LITTLE HISTORY
The Hyde Park Street Fair first took to the neighborhood’s streets in 1979, but as the block party and its popularity grew, it outgrew its party-in-the-street digs and moved over to Camel’s Back Park for a more spacious setting.
“If you’ve been to the fair, you know there’s nothing else quite like it, it is such a special event,” Street said. “It’s a celebration of the North End, of Boise, of our beautiful city parks and outdoor spaces, and the energy and positivity is tangible.”
LOCAL, LOCAL, LOCAL
This year, the Hyde Park Street Fair is “focusing on all things local,” Street said. From vendors to musicians to artists, “nearly everyone is a Treasure Valley local,” she said.
The park will have a variety of food vendors scattered around, along with local beer and wine available for purchase. Alcohol purchases are cash only, but for the first time you can use your charge or debit card to buy drink tokens at the NENA Information Booth. In addition, there will be ATMs strewn around the park for easy access to cash.
And, as a nod to the street fair’s cultural iconography, Sockeye Brewing will have a limited brew created and named in its honor, Hyde Park Streetfest, available on tap.
ENTERTAINMENT AND MORE
The weekend will host “mostly family-friendly” entertainment on two stages — the main stage and the community stage. Headliners include: Bread & Circus, Matt Hopper & the Roman Candles and Buddy Devore & the Faded Cowboys, bringing a variety of musical flavors, from boogie rock to rock ‘n’ roll to classic honky-tonk.
In addition to the fair’s food, entertainment, and crafts, there is always Hyde Park Street Fair merchandise, which gets branded with a new look each year.
This year’s logo, inspired by hand-painted windows in the original Hyde Park shops of yesteryear, will be emblazoned on t-shirts, hoodies, stickers, posters, drink koozies, and more, all available for purchase at the NENA booth. It is a nod to the fair’s original location many moons ago.
“The fair is all about making memories,” Street said. “My absolute favorite part is visiting with people who attend every single year and stop by to show off their shirts from past fairs. Some of the shirts are decades old, and people wear them like a badge of honor.”
LOGISTICS
Parking in the North End can be a challenge, especially during the street fair. To ease congestion, NENA encourages attendees to carpool or opt for alternative transportation like biking or scootering to the event.
In addition, the association is working to partner with a transit company to provide frequent bus routes and stops near the park for the weekend. Updates on this will be posted on the Hyde Park Street Fair website, northendboise.org.
Also, if you want to bring your furry friend, you can — but with a few caveats. “Well-behaved and leashed dogs are welcome,” said Street, but she added that the environment, which can be loud, hectic and chaotic, is not ideal for all dogs.
The one-of-a-kind fair that happens only once a year is a must see and do, Street said.
“Hyde Park Street Fair is part of the soul of the North End. It’s quirky, it’s free-spirited, it’s colorful — just like our neighborhood.”
This article originally appeared in the Idaho Press, read more on IdahoPress.com.