NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city's 26th annual Downtown Celebration is a giant block party on Main Street. 

 

The event runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday and covers Main, Holden and historic Eagle Street. Rain date is Thursday, Aug.10, but the weather looks good at the moment: partly sunny with highs in the 70s. 

 

The yearly street festival brings thousands downtown to celebrate with community, food, shopping and entertainment.

 

Wednesday's event will include face painting, balloon animals and magic along with other children's activities and giveaways in the Kid Zone at the Main Street entrance of Steeple City Plaza. A number of local child and youth organizations will have booths set up there as well, including Child Care of the Berkshires, Head Start, Northern Berkshire United Way, Roots Teen Center and the North Adams Public Schools. 

 

There will also be live music on several stages around the downtown, magicians, and dancing performances.

 

Plenty of street food will be available and restaurants and stores will be open, along with dozens of vendors and information booths about local organizations and businesses.

 

Main and Eagle streets will closed as will Ashland between Summer and Main and Holden from Main to the entrance of the Berkshire Plaza parking lot. All vehicles must be off the street by 3 p.m. and North Church will revert temporarily to two-way traffic with no parking between noon and 10.

 

Local first-responders including the Fire Department's ladder truck and the 911 Mobile PSAP Unit and more will be at the top of Main Street.

  

The full roster of event participants will be updated on the North Adams Tourism Facebook page.