Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - If you're looking for good music and food in Buffalo this weekend for "716 Day", you may want to go to the fourth annual Cobblestone Live Music and Arts Festival, returning to the Historical Cobblestone District for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There is a lot of new and different things as far as what people can expect," said Josh Holtzman, Cobblestone Live founder and CEO of Twenty6 Productions.
"First and foremost, there is going to be two days of amazing music, art vendors, food, family-friendly experience, a Kids Village and everything in between. What we're really looking forward to is that we actually readjusted the footprint from the first three years, we're bringing in a bigger stage, bigger acts, a lot more vendors and just really more of all the greatness that Cobblestone was from what people could remember three years ago. You know, as far as expectations go, I think that people should just really be ready to have the best time of the year. We've gotten a lot of buzz about what's coming, what's going on and we're just beyond excited for this weekend to finally be here."
The music starts playing at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, July 15 when gates open, and 6:30 p.m. ET is when the main stage opens. The outdoor portion ends at 11 p.m. ET, but there will be after parties set until 2 a.m. ET at Buffalo Iron Works and Lockhouse Distillery and Bar each night.
On "716 Day" (July 16), gates open at 1 p.m. ET and the music starts playing at 2 p.m. ET.
New this year, is a Kid's Village on Illinois Street presented by the Junior Jerry Jam organization and will feature children's music, art workshops, interactive displays, face paintings and more!
The event will conclude with a Silent Disco presented by SE2 at Iron Works will conclude the event.
Holtzman is expecting a historic turnout for the event this year, "Based on how ticket sales are, we're expecting the biggest turnout that we've ever had. Looking at the data from the first three years and where we're sitting right now, I can honestly say that this might be thee party in Buffalo this year and we should see anywhere from you know, 3,000-to-5,000 people throughout the festival grounds."
Coming back from the pandemic, Holtzman wasn't sure if this event was going to come back, but it's back and bigger than ever, "It's so euphoric and absolutely amazing to be back. My partner, Grace, and I, we looked at this festival as one of the most important things that we've ever been able to put together along with the team that we do it with. When the pandemic hit our whole entire world shut down, this festival included. This was one of those things where the event could have very easily died and never came back and we made a big effort to do everything that we possibly can to kind of resurrect it. I wasn't sure that we were ever going to see that again and I'm just really excited to share it with everybody."
For ticket information, click here.
For a schedule of the events, click here.