EAST LANSING, Mich. — Community members are reminded that the grand reopening of the Albert EL Fresco pedestrian-friendly area will take place on Thursday, May 12, beginning at 4 p.m. in the heart of downtown East Lansing.
The Albert EL Fresco area will be located on Albert Avenue, between Abbot Road and M.A.C. Avenue, and community members are invited to celebrate its return for the summer at the grand reopening event.
The grand reopening event will include a variety of giveaways, games and activities, including ping-pong, cornhole, Giant Chess and more. The event will also include live performances in the Albert EL Fresco area and other adjacent downtown East Lansing areas. The performance lineup is as follows:
- 5 p.m. - The Swift Brothers in Ann Street Plaza (corner of Albert and M.A.C. avenues)
- 6 p.m. – Cultural Explosion in Albert EL Fresco
- 7 p.m. – The Carlos Perez Band in Ann Street Plaza
Additionally, community members will have the opportunity to visit the East Lansing Public Library’s mobile pop-up library in the Albert EL Fresco area from 4-6 p.m.
The grand reopening event is just the beginning of a fun-filled summer at Albert EL Fresco. Throughout the summer, community members will be able to enjoy the area’s outdoor seating and tables, shade amenities, hammocks, decorative lighting and outdoor games. A variety of programs will also be hosted throughout the summer in the space, including game nights, outdoor yoga, live music and more.
Community members will also have the opportunity to participate in a new program this summer, titled Take-Out Tuesdays. Every Tuesday beginning May 31, community members who order take-out from a participating downtown business and enjoy it in the Albert EL Fresco space will have their name entered into a drawing to win a $100 DNA eGift Card. Community members can visit www.cityofeastlansing.com/AlbertELFresco to learn more about how to participate in Take-Out-Tuesdays! Also, during Take-Out Tuesdays, several downtown East Lansing retail and service businesses will be selling their goods and services from market tents set up in the Albert EL Fresco space.
Community members are reminded that both lanes of Albert Avenue, from just east of the Albert Avenue Garage’s entry/exit to M.A.C. Avenue, will be closed to traffic beginning Tuesday, May 10 to accommodate the Albert EL Fresco space setup.
The Albert Avenue Garage, 188 Albert Ave., will remain accessible to eastbound Albert Avenue traffic from Abbot Road and the Grove Street Garage, 330 Grove St., will remain accessible to northbound and southbound Abbot Road traffic by taking Linden Street to Grove Street. Additional downtown parking information is available at www.cityofeastlansing.com/parkingdowntown.
To keep up-to-date on the latest Albert EL Fresco happenings, community members are encouraged to visit www.cityofeastlansing.com/AlbertELFresco.