Summer kicks off with return of East Lansing’s Albert EL Fresco

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Albert EL Fresco kicked off the summer season in East Lansing with its grand reopening Thursday, marking the third consecutive year of the popular event.

The city has blocked off Albert Street to traffic to make room for summer fun, and the event will keep the street busy every day until September.

The pedestrian-friendly area on Albert Avenue offers live music, games, restaurants, and activities to keep people entertained throughout the summer.

“It’s just a really nice vibe,” said Brice Bush, with the East Lansing Public Library. “It’s a great opportunity to be in downtown without worrying about traffic because the street is closed and it’s just nice.”

The City of East Lansing hopes to encourage people to come out and enjoy the space while supporting businesses in the downtown area.

“It started as a result of COVID to get more people downtown,” said Matt Apostle, East Lansing’s Community and Economic Development Specialist. “Then it slowly became, ‘Oh, the community likes this! and let’s see what we can do to get more people down here and just stimulate economic development among the businesses, especially during the summer months when a lot of MSU students go away. So downtown East Lansing businesses kind of need this boost.”

One of the highlights of the event is the East Lansing Public Library, which is offering full library services, including the ability to get a library card, return books, and check out books from the collection.

“Also, giving out information about all the programs that we have throughout the summer, we have summer reading coming up,” said Michael Popovich, with the East Lansing Public Library. “It’s nice to be out here, I’m just here for the dogs really.”

Game night, which occurs every Thursday, is a favorite activity for many people with giant games and live music. The East Lansing Art Festival is scheduled for next weekend.

More information on Albert EL Fresco, including upcoming events, can be found on the City of East Lansing’s website.

Parking information can be found here.

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