There’s a whole lot to look forward to in Larkinville in coming months, from food truck rallies to block parties. Thankfully, organizers have put together a game plan, so that everyone can prepare for their favorite outings. The heavy hitting 2019 event line-up includes two daytime street festivals on June 1 and September 28. The upcoming season includes:
- Food Truck Tuesday from April 23rd – October 1st
- KeyBank Live at Larkin from June 5th – August 28th (with no show on August 7th)
- Truck or Treat on October 25th
- Holiday Live at Larkin on December 6th
Food Truck Tuesday, April 23 – October 1: Beginning on Tuesday, April 23rd Food Truck Tuesdays return to the square! With 47 trucks on rotation, guests can enjoy an eclectic mix of food from all over Western New York and Rochester. This year Larkin Square is welcoming 10 new trucks to the event (see full roster below). This year’s event will run from 5-8pm with live music under the covered boardwalk every week (see full music lineup below). New this year, two theme nights including a Halfway to Dyngus Day celebration, complete with energetic Polish band Special Delivery on September 17th, and an Oktoberfest party to end the season on October 1st.
KeyBank Live at Larkin (June 5 – August 28, No Show scheduled on August 7): Larkin Square’s Wednesday night concert series returns on June 5th with an energetic lineup of bands ranging from blues and funk to 80’s pop. Musicians will perform on the brand new stage underneath the covered boardwalk. From 5-8:30pm, guests will enjoy some of WNY’s best musicians, food trucks, plus craft beer, wine and specialty drinks. Stand out nights include New Orleans Night with The Big Easy in Buffalo featuring CJ Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band (July 10). Plus, NERDS GONE WILD will be performing in the square for the first time (August 21), as well as popular Buffalo band, Lazlo Hollyfeld playing their famous Talking Heads tribute (June 12). The season will round out on August 28th with an Irish and South Buffalo celebration on August 28th – (Almost) Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day featuring Brian Higgins & The Exchange St. Band and McCarthyizm.
Larkinville Block Parties: After last fall’s inaugural block party, Larkin Square is adding a second block party date. On Saturday, June 1st Larkinville will kick off summer by closing Seneca Street from Hagerman Street to Hydraulic Street. The closed off street will house a market with 40+ local vendors, alpacas, food trucks and more from 12pm – 6pm. Live performances from The Tins and Witty Tarbox will take place on the Larkin Square stage throughout the day. The Hydraulic Hearth and Swan Street Diner will also have specials running during the event. Guests are encouraged to roam Larkinville, grab a beer or wine and shop the vendor market at this unique street festival. A similar festival will take place on September 28th – wrapping up summer and welcoming fall with a fun day of shopping, music and more.
See below for food trucks participating in this year’s Food Truck Tuesdays, the Food Truck Tuesdays music lineup and the Live at Larkin music lineup. *New trucks for 2019
2019 FOOD TRUCKS:
- Amy’s Truck
- Macarolin’
- Sweet Hearth
- Le Petit Poutine
- Thai Me Up
- Flaming Fish
- The Cheesy Chick
- Lloyd
- House of Munch
- J & L Boulevard BBQ
- The Great Foodini
- Dickey’s BBQ
- Fat Bob’s
- Hawaiian BBQ
- Cheesecake Guy
- Rolling Cannoli
- Sassi Cakes
- Sweet Lisa’s
- Dirty Bird Chicken and Waffles LLC.
- The Great Aussie Bite
- M & S Street Eats
- Carniverous
- Rob’s Kabobs
- Eat Greek
- Ted’s Hot Dogs
- Green Acres Ice Cream
- Smoothies Plus
- Sweet Melody’s
- Taffy’s
- Chef’s Mobile Kitchen
- Share Kitchen & Bar
- The Meatball Truck Co.
- Bada Bing Food Truck
- Pizza Amore
- Tuscan Wood Fired Pizza
- The Polish Villa
- Ru’s Pierogis
- The Salad Bar
- Niagara Café
- Craft Crepes*
- Big Ed’s BBQ*
- Souped Up*
- Wraps on Wheels*
- Caribbean Flava*
- Mad Sauces*
- Lugia’s on Wheels*
- Fat Lady’s Cakes & Pies*
- Rollin’ Deep*
- Falafel Bar*
2019 FOOD TRUCK TUESDAY MUSIC LINEUP:
April 23 – Funktional Flow
April 30 – Buffalo Afrobeat
May 7 – Mom said No.
May 14 – Kristen Smigielski Combo
May 21 – The Alison Pipitone Band
May 28 – Mosswalk
June 4 – GRAVY
June 11- Ponder
June 18 – XOXO Pop Band
June 25 – Zak Ward Trio
July 2 – Alex McArthur Quintet
July 9 – Tim Britt Band
July 16 – Scott Celani Band
July 23 – Mom Said No.
July 30 – Michael DiSanto Duet
August 6 – Big J Blues
August 13 – GRAVY
August 20 – Grace Stumberg Band
August 27 – The Kensingtons
September 3 – Donny Frauenhofer Trio
September 10 – Alex McArthur Quintet
September 17 – Special Delivery (Halfway to Dyngus Day Celebration)
September 24 – Brendan & The Strangest Ways
October 1 – The Frankfurters (Oktoberfest Party)
2019 LIVE AT LARKIN LINEUP:
June 5 – VitaminD DANCE PARTY
June 12 – Lazlo Hollyfeld Plays Talking Heads
June 19 – BLUES 4 VETS with the Buffalo Blues Benefit Band
June 26 – Geno McManus & Stoneflower: Rolling Stones Tribute
July 3 – Workingman’s Dead
July 10 – The Big Easy in Buffalo presents, NOLA NIGHT: CJ Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band with Kidd Kyle & the Big Deal
July 17 – Universal Phunk’s Tribute to Prince and Rick James
July 24 – John & Mary and the Valkyries with Ten Cent Howl
July 31 – First Ward with PA Line
NO SHOW ON AUGUST 7
August 14 – Curtis Lovell with Paul Robeson Theatre
August 21 – NERDS GONE WILD with Verve Dance Studio’s Differential Flava Crew
August 28 – (Almost) Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day: McCarthyizm with Brian Higgins & The Exchange St. Band
Larkin Square events would not be possible without the generous support of KeyBank and Independent Health which allows these events to be free and accessible to the public. Free parking is located in the lots along Exchange Street, with preferred parking in the Larkin Square parking ramp and handicap parking in the lot off Emslie St. With more businesses developing in the area and people moving to the neighborhood, Larkin Square is excited to welcome new faces, old friends and promote outdoor fun. Guests can learn more about the growing neighborhood by visiting Larkinville.com, a new website listing Larkinville businesses and upcoming events.
Lead image courtesy Larkin Square