First Friday concerts are back in downtown Gainesville starting this Friday.
Main Street Gainesville will host a band on the downtown square for a free concert on the first Friday of every month through September.
“Having the historic downtown buildings filled with all of our favorite small businesses just feels like home; we love living life downtown. After a year of limited community gatherings, we’re excited to be back together again having a good time on the square,” said Main Street Manager Nicole Ricketts.
“First Friday concerts are held with the goal of bringing our community downtown to support our small businesses,” Ricketts said. “Our hope is to give our retailers a boosted night of shoppers, our restaurants a full evening of patrons, and to remind the community about all the great services and businesses that make up the fabric of downtown.”
Kicking off the series is The Soul Purpose Band, an 11-piece band consisting of a five-piece rhythm section, a four-piece horn section, and both male and female singers.
“As the name implies, The Soul Purpose Band is steeped in a true Soul/R&B tradition that offers the audience a combination of dance hits and soulful sounds from the ‘60s to the ‘80s, with an occasional tune from recent current pop charts,” states the band’s website.
The main stage will be located on the corner of Bradford and Spring Streets, next to Downtown Drafts. Those streets will close at 3 p.m. Friday for set up. The festivities begin at 6 p.m.
On August 6, the Fly Betty Band will take the stage and Jonathan Ingram will play on September 3.
