Urban Nights, Downtown’s Biggest Street Party, Returns This Friday

Fall Urban Nights will be held from 5 to 10 p.m. this Friday, Sept. 14, in downtown Dayton, the Oregon Arts District and Wright-Dunbar Business Village. An estimated 30,000 people attend Urban Nights, which is held in downtown Dayton, the Oregon Arts District and Wright-Dunbar Business Village, and there are more than 100 activities planned during the event — including live music on outdoor stages, art exhibit openings, tours of downtown housing, discounts at restaurants and retail shops, and much more. A full list of events is available online. Highlights include:

• Dancing in the Street: First Street will be closed between Ludlow and Main streets to make way for performances by DCDC, the South Dayton Dance Theater, Funk Lab, SMAG Dance Collective, ZumbAtomic and the McGovern Ceili Dancers.

• I Am City Folk: Cityfolk will launch this year-long project that is part of its Culture Builds Community initiative. It will feature mosaics, compiled by local photographer Andy Snow using photos of Daytonians taken by Nicole Christian, on display throughout downtown. Contact Jean Howat Berry, Cityfolk’s education and outreach/Culture Builds Community coordinator, at 937-223-3655, ext. 3008.

• Dayton, Ohio! You Are Here! This large-scale performance piece will transform the Old Courthouse on Third and Main streets into a work of art through video projection and architectural lighting on the building’s exterior, as well as visual art and performances of dance, music and spoken word inside the historical building. Contact Peter Benkendorf at 732-5123 for more information.

• Over the Edge: Returning to the fall Urban Nights will be this challenge that combines fundraising with adventure. Participants who raise at least $1,000 will rappel over the side of the 27-story KeyBank Tower, which visitors can watch from Courthouse Square. All proceeds will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Miami Valley. For more information, contact Matt McDowell at 937-220-6855.

•Taste of the Miami Valley: This weekend-long event will kick off during Urban Nights at RiverScape MetroPark. Guests can sample food from more than 30 area restaurants. Admission is free, and most tastes are $3 each.

• Downtown in Focus: Winning entries from this annual amateur and professional photography contest will be on display in the PNC Center lobby.

• Business grand openings: Three new downtown businesses will host grand openings during Urban Nights: OinkADoodleMoo in the lobby of the KeyBank Tower, 10 W. Second St.; Brim, a new hat shop at 464 E. Fifth St.; LIVV Interior Designs, a home and office interior design firm at 520 E. Third St. in the Cannery; and Sew Dayton, featuring fabric and patterns, at 16 Brown St.

• Urban Bikes @ Urban Nights: Cyclists will gather at 5:15 p.m. at Don Crawford Plaza in front of Fifth Third Field for, a community ride through the Urban Nights action hosted by Bike Miami Valley and ending at Courthouse Square. While the ride will be in parade fashion with a police escort, it is not appropriate for small children on their own bikes.

This is just a small sampling of the many activities that will be part of the Sept. 14 Urban Nights. The event also includes live music on five outdoor stages, art exhibit openings at galleries and other creative spaces, discounts and specials at downtown restaurants and retail shops, a chalk walk, roaming entertainers, and more. In addition, Greater Dayton RTA will provide free event buses to help visitors get around; bus routes are included in the event map.
Follow Urban Nights on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UrbanNightsDayton for regular updates and more information. Urban Nights is a program of the Downtown Dayton Partnership with support from the City of Dayton, Montgomery County, Bud Light Lime, the Downtown Priority Board, Wright Dunbar Inc., DP&L, Mix 107.7-FM, Greater Dayton RTA, Kaplan College, Business Furniture, Bob Ross Auto Group and the Ohio Arts Council.

The Downtown Dayton Partnership’s website, www.downtowndayton.org, has a complete list of downtown businesses, as well as a list of business resources, arts and cultural amenities, a dining guide, parking map, and much more.