Street fairs have always been a tradition on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights, though some growing pains in recent years made it unclear whether or not the local tradition would continue this year.
Officials have decided to hold two Coventry Street Arts Fairs on Sunday afternoons June 26 and July 24. The events will take place on Coventry Road between Euclid Heights Boulevard and Mayfield Road, and are hosted by the Coventry Village Special Improvement District.
Organizer Steve Presser of Coventry Village said, “The last few years, the fairs have been unbelievably successful.” He said that there have been between 15,000 and 20,000 people at the Thursday evening fairs for the past few years.
Those large numbers of attendees caused the street to become too crowded, prompting several fairgoers to suggest that the event be longer so that the crowds would be more spread out. Presser explained that since it would be difficult to extend the event on a weekday evening, Coventry Village decided to host the fairs on weekend afternoons instead.
He added, “I think on Sunday afternoon we’ll get an even more diverse crowd, because of the longer hours and it being on a weekend. It’s a win-win.”
Regular fairgoers know what to expect at the events: live music, vendors, local artists, food, dancing and other entertainment such as stilt walkers, jugglers and magicians.
Although the street fairs will now be held on Sundays, Coventry Village will still continue to present free music and movies on Thursday evenings throughout the summer.
