Gone are the days of walking the streets with your open container but it's still a fun night. A few too many people have found out about it over the years but it sure makes things... Interesting. I'd say patchogue is better in the fall when these crowds die down but I do enjoy getting to see and meet all the new people AA5 has brought. Parking is a nightmare and I'm not telling any of you my secrets. Good luck. Honestly a street festival is a street festival and the crowds are a love/hate relationship; businesses make bank but deal with a lot of BS, a lot of towns are modeling themselves after patchogue and this party. The melting pot of patchogue wannabe hippies, fist pumping meatheads, punk kids, selfie skanks, young and old alike seem to get along for the most part. There have been issues but that doesn't take a festival, there's always a bad apple. It's always fun to let loose now and again; on a nice night this place can be fun. It can also get old but there's a reason people travel from all over this island just to gather together and check it out. It's family friendly at first and then you. Enter hide your wife and hide your kids... it's downright unruly, drunken zombies like me are everywhere. Be careful and lighten up, you'll have a decent time. If it's not your thing... maybe stay home? read more

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Fun and Free. Fridays After Five downtown Charlottesville VA. One of the few things still free. Great music. It does get crowded as the evening goes on and parking gets full. Don't park where it says no parking or block driveways you will get towed. Food trucks and beer! read more

Festivities, bands, vendors, blah blah blah. It's nice that they did this, something to do in the Summer. All the streets are blocked off, and I can't help but wonder how the people that actually live around there feel about this. My gripe is that it's a bit overcrowded. It can literally take you 10+ minutes to find a parking spot. If you've come with a group of people in separate cars, I hope you aren't expecting to see them again that night. God only knows where THEY found a spot while you found yours. All the kids and drinking, I have to say, is a nightmare waiting to happen. I think someone finally got stabbed last Friday. I say "finally" because I can't believe it took this long to happen. All in all, a few stilt walkers or fire breathers would really make this event shine. Oh, they had a rock wall too. read more

My friends have been trying to get me to go to this for years, but I'm not all that interested in fests, so I stayed away. Trying to be more open this summer, I decided to give it a try, and have been there twice so far this summer. Loved it! There was a ton of great music, and perfectly spaced throughout the fest. You didn't have to go far at all to find a new band, and they didn't overlap each other. I definitely was able to appreciate the music, and a few bands I probably wouldn't have bothered to try on my own. Plenty of food trucks, bars, vendors, and things to do! You can pop in to one of the restaurants for a bite to eat, hit up a beer field for a drink, or grab some fest food at one of the trucks! If you're in a shopping mood, there are PLENTY of vendors. Worth bringing the kids out for a night as well. My only complaint would have to be the trolley that picks and drops off at St. Joseph's College. There is only one, and it runs every half hour. Only fits 26 people, which was annoying. No idea why they wouldn't just bring a bus, but last night's fest was definitely an issue with the trolley. Too many people were left standing in the parking lot waiting for the next ride. I think my friends and I had to wait an hour. Next time, I'm either walking or attempting to park somewhere near the village. All in all, a great time. Can't wait to go back in two weeks! read more

Kicking off the 2009 summer season on Friday, July 17th, Alive After Five continues on Fridays July 24th, August 7th and 14th. AAF is good for peoplewatchin' and meanderin' down the middle of the 'choguian thoroughfare whiles the sun goes down. Bookmark and tailgate it. read more

I live up the road from Main St., and when Alive After Five comes to Patchogue, I leave town! This event was originally set up with the businesses in mind, yeah right! This event attracts sooo many people that parking is impossible! Same goes for riding a bike through the back roads (Oak St., West Ave.) and crossing Rt 112. People are packed in like sardines so prepare to get lost or seperated from your kid if you're with other people! This event also attracts a lot of drunks looking to cause trouble. A few years back there was a fatal stabbing during Alive After Five that made national news! (My relatives in Texas heard about it!) But you shouldn't be surprised, drunk fights break out all of the time when this happens. And the clean up afterwards is a joke. When I'm riding on my bike through Main St. on my way home there are still lines of people crowded outside the bars, all drunk and walking infront of moving cars. There's garbage all over the place, trash bags piled up next to the trash cans, and litter in all of the flower pots that line most of the street. I suppose it's fun for people who come to visit Patchogue, but for us who live here it's a completely different story! read more

This is a joke they say it is to help out it is not only to halo the make the life of the people who live there's life uncomfortable and the parking is a joe that that the nose of there car in front or your driveway and there do not care and call the village the line you get is will send send some over and never show up so you have no choice but call the police the event can KISS my ass and any other one they think read more

Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of fests I got over them several years ago. However, I do go it's one of those compromises you make as a husband. I go expecting the worst, hoping for the best. It's the big crowds, the price of everything is usually jacked, it's always disgustingly hot, etc... Alive after 5 is free, The local restaurants represent open air style. There is a street food presence. lots of junk vendors (cheap sunglasses, incense, etc.) someone's capitalizing on a big chair.They set up the aforementioned big chair you pay 5$ to sit in it and you get to take the picture too. (Wow! I have to work for a living? I need to meet this big chair entrepreneur he needs to be my life coach.) There's a lot of music between the bands and the stereos from the radio station vans or opened restaurants. Yes, i didn't like any of the music. The idiot kids running amok bugged me, the stinky old patchouli hippies irritated me-Let's be real, there's an odd demographic collected here... I'm not a festival people person. But, If you like festivals and all the bad stuff that goes with it. (ie a 17 year old stabbing a festival security guard.) Alive After 5 village of Patchogue is the heat. However, if you are a stick in the mud like me go for like 10 min. check out the hot chics in booty shorts, get a Zeppole, a Gyro, and an Ice from Ralph's and call it a day. PS parking looks bad as there are so many vehicles but it didn't take long to find a spot. read more

I really enjoy alive after five because while Port Jefferson is having a dog costume parade, Patchogue is having a street music and drinking fest! Nice! It is uncommon for stuff like this to happen any more. I particularly enjoy the banning of unaccompanied under 18 year olds so you do not have these kids being annoying and vandalizing stuff. Do yourself a favor and just park somewhere far away and walk it. It does get quite crowded and you will spend more time in traffic finding your spot. read more

As a village resident, this is one of the most stressful events all year. The list as to why is quite long. Returning home from work at night is a nightmare. Parking? Nightmare. Noise? Nightmare. And that is the tip of the iceburg. The whole thing is not meant for Patchogue residents or businesses at all. read more

I like bringing my family to this during the summer. Glad they are moving it to Thursday nights this summer. In the past there were too many drunks walking around. They have so many areas sealed off for the bars for people to go drinking in the streets. Not family friendly. Hope that since they are moving it to Thursdays that they are also stopping the sealed off bar areas. Liked seeing the vendors and bands, but not the drunks. read more