Those in Gainesville for Gator games will now have something to do Friday nights aside from packing the cooler for the next day.
The United Way of North Central Florida will host downtown street festivals before each home football game as part of the United Downtown event series, said Debbie Mason, president and CEO of United Way of North Central Florida. The festivals will give the congregation of Gator fans a chance to have some family-friendly fun before the games, she said.
The city will close Southeast First Street between University Avenue and Southeast Second Place from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. for the events.
City Commissioner Jeanna Mastrodicasa hopes the event will raise awareness for United Way and give visitors a chance to see what Gainesville has to offer, she said.
It also gives the locals who usually stay in a good reason to go out.
"This brings more people downtown," she said. "And it will provide something positive for visitors to do."
Christian Moreno, 20, a student at UF, said people avoid downtown because it's too much effort to get there and park and then try to find entertainment.
"But if you can drag people out there," he said, "there's a lot of culture."
The events will feature local artists and live music and give people a chance to get involved with the United Way, Mason said. For people with kids, the event offers an alternative to the bar-type atmosphere often associated with home-game weekends. There will be face painting booths, bounce houses and other PG-rated things to do.
"It'll be a strolling festival with outdoor activities for families to enjoy," she said.
And for those who enjoy a drink to honor the football gods, a change in city ordinance will allow the sale of beer on the street during the events, Mastrodicasa said.
But those who envision a beer-soaked free-for-all will be sorely disappointed - the intent of the event is to remain family-friendly.
"This is not an outdoor party," Mason said. "This is an outdoor information and activities festival."
Taylor Nones, a freshman at UF, said it's hard for younger fans to feel like a part of The Gator Nation when so much focus is on drinking.
"If [the festivals] nurture to families," she said, "maybe the games won't be so alcohol-oriented."
United Downtown could give younger fans a chance to have a bigger piece of the gameday pie, she said.
Jeff Hickey, part-owner of Tall Paul's Brew House, located off Main Street downtown, said most of the business owners downtown are in support of the events, even though some parking will be lost by closing three blocks of Southeast First Street on a Friday night.
But he said the downside is the poor lighting in downtown Gainesville.
"There's a lot of dark spots," he said. And, he added, people are scared to bring kids somewhere a homeless person could pop out from a dark corner.
But overall, Hickey, a father of two, said it will be nice to have something he can take his kids to on game day weekends - other than the game, that is.
