Patchogue’s series of Alive on the River festivals is underway on the water.
Each festival (full schedule below) offers live music with no cover starting at 5 p.m. at Drift 82, The Oar Steak & Seafood, Off Key Tikki, Dublin Deck and the Harbor Crab Co. (Note: Dublin Deck will start charging a cover at 8 p.m.)
There are drink specials that change with the theme and sponsors across all the locations.
Water taxies will be running up and down the river, making stops at the above restaurants and Island View Marina. It’s $10 for unlimited rides from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Alive on the River is run by the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce’s riverfront committee.
The inaugural festival series happened last summer.
“It went very well even though we put it together in a short amount of time,” said John Sarno, also a Drift 82 owner. “What we realized last year is that there’s so much interest on the water now. And we don’t have to close the roads; we have our own footprints. So that allows us to hold a lot of events down there.”
Committee members met every three weeks since last year to plan for Alive on the River 2019.
The waterfront parties run mostly on the Thursdays opposite Alive After Five. There is no festival on July 4.
The Alive on the River schedule and themes are as followed:
- June 6: Salute the Soldiers
- June 20: Summer Solstice
- July 18: Mardis Gras on the River
- Aug. 1: Reggae Sun Splash
- Aug. 15: Howl at the Moon
- Aug. 29: Luau on the River
Click here to find out the four Alive After Five dates.
The initial idea behind the series was to introduce the bustling riverfront to people from across Long Island who might not know it exists.
“It’s exposing people to another part of the South Shore of Long Island,” said Drift 82 co-owner tim Kelly. “Everyone knows about Main Street in Patchogue, Bay Shore and Babylon. This is creating a little more awareness of what Patchogue has to offer down by the water. And it’s definitely a draw.”
Click here to follow the Alive on the River page on Facebook.
Top: The scene inside Harbor Crab Co. during last year’s first Alive on the River festival in July. (file photo/Brianna Harmon)
