Reading has canceled its September First Friday block party because of low vendor participation and scheduling changes, officials have announced.
The Downtown Reading team had planned to kick off the Labor Day weekend with the event but decided not to move forward rather than offer a scaled-back version, according to a city release.
“We know people look forward to First Friday block parties, but we want to make sure that when we bring people downtown, we are giving them the experience that they have come to expect,” Mayor Eddie Morán said. “We’re using this time to continue focusing on making the month of October special.”
The cancellation does not affect the city’s October downtown events, which include three celebrations planned along Penn Street.
First Friday will return Oct. 2 from 5 to 9 p.m. in the 600 block of Penn Street with a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration highlighting the culture, traditions and contributions of Reading’s Hispanic community.
GlowFest will follow Oct. 17 from 4 to 9:30 p.m. in the 600 and 700 blocks of Penn Street. The festival will feature lights, activities and other entertainment and will be held in conjunction with a Glow Run organized by Nemesis Fitness.
The run will begin in the 600 block of Penn Street, travel through downtown and finish back at the festival.
The city will close out the month with Mayor Morán’s Halloween on Penn from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 29. The family-oriented block party will feature a table-and-treat celebration.
Additional information about activities, participating businesses and vendor opportunities for the October events will be announced closer to the dates, officials said.