‘Sky’s the limit’ for Springfield’s Block Party, coming Sept. 5

An inflatable obstacle course. Unicyclists and stilt walkers. Live a cappella music.

These are just a few of the activities that are part of the Springfield Block Party, which will be held Friday, Sept. 5.

“The sky’s the limit with that kind of stuff,” said Benjamin Wilkinson, the event’s organizer. 

New for the party this year: a mechanical bull riding competition, a 26-foot-long inflatable slide and sing-a-long karaoke. 

“All of these elements are just part of the fabric of our community, and we want to have a fun time bringing what people want,” Wilkinson said. “If you said tomorrow you wanted to have a competitive knitting competition or something, I’d say, ‘Great, where can we put it?’”

Wilkinson took over as organizer of the Block Party in 2022, three years after the inaugural downtown celebration, created by David Loveall, a downtown Springfield property owner and now Lane County Commissioner. The party did not take place in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The party started small but has grown to more than 10,000 people, prompting the city and Oregon Department of Transportation to close Main Street to vehicles starting in 2023. The party was hosted on Main Street before then, but the road was not closed, leading to safety concerns as attendance for the event grew. 

The street lines with food trucks, stages for live music, booths for local shops and organizations, pop-ups from downtown businesses, and kids activities, among other things.  

The party, which spans several city blocks from Pioneer Parkway East to Seventh Street, will run from 4-10 p.m. this year.

Last year, Wilkinson said he saw a mom and two kids walking on Fifth Street looking for something to do. He stopped them and asked if they were interested in the inflatable obstacle course or the bouncy castle. One of the kids whispered to his mom, who responded that they were looking for the castle.

“That’s the reason we do it,” Wilkinson said. “It’s not for any one big thing. It’s for the collection of magical moments that children and adults can have.”

‘Everybody gives a little bit’

Wilkinson likes to dream big. He’d love to organize a human foosball game for the night, if he could find a sponsor for it. But he wants to keep the party free. Each year, he organizes sponsors to help pay for everything: waste management, bands, porta-potties, security and inflatables. It’s a “co-created event” that the community invests in.

“Everybody gives a little bit to make the whole thing happen,” Wilkinson said. “I happen to kind of curate and organize it, but it’s not my party. It’s our party.”

Selco Community Credit Union is the title sponsor this year, contributing $12,000 toward the approximately $75,000 the celebration will cost. Other sponsors include Jerry’s Home Improvement Center, the Springfield Drifters baseball team, Emerald Bath Works and Travel Lane County. 

Wilkinson, who owned Common Bond Yoga on Main Street before the studio closed earlier this year, said he puts in about 500 hours annually organizing the event. The Block Party has an artistic director who books performers, but otherwise doesn’t have staff. Wilkinson hires a team of people to set up. 

Because each year brings new sponsors, bands, vendors and activities, every Block Party is different. 

“So I suppose that’s what occupies most of my time with regard to the Block Party, is reimagining this festival each time we do it, and not to mention the permitting and planning processes,” Wilkinson said. 

If you go:

What: The Block Party
When: Friday, Sept. 5, 4-10 p.m.
Where: Downtown Springfield
How to get there: Free valet bike parking will be offered on Fifth Street. A limited amount of free parking will be available at Booth-Kelly Center. Or take an LTD bus to the downtown Springfield Station.