It’s time to end the summer in high style, and downtown Springfield is the place to be. Parties everywhere will spill out to sidewalks and streets on Sept. 9, with so much to choose from. Springfield THE BLOCK Party headlines Friday evening’s festivities with more than 30 businesses and eight music stage sponsors engaged in family-friendly activities that will close down upward of six blocks. Live performance art by Agatha Angina, Primordial Soup Puppetry, Grey Matter Jugglers and more will roll with music on four stages from the likes of Banter Waves, Tim McLaughlin and DEZ, among others. Food and drink, as well as children and adult games, are also on the menu. At the same time, the Downtown Springfield 2nd Friday Art Walk begins with a self-guided tour of exhibits at a dozen locations. And if all of that were not enough, Herencia Hispana | Hispanic Heritage 2022, which includes music and dancing, offers an opportunity to see the artistic culture of the community’s Hispanic population. Benjamin Wilkinson, organizer of THE BLOCK Party and owner of Common Bond Yoga in Springfield, hopes the three events will feed off each other and create a good vibe for visitors so that they come back to the area. “It’s very much to support our town,” Wilkinson says. “That is our goal, that they leave wanting more.”    

Springfield THE BLOCK Party begins at 5 pm Friday, Sept. 9. Also on Sept. 9, Downtown Springfield Art Walk is 5 to 7:30 pm. More information is at EmeraldArtCenter.org. And Herencia Hispana | Hispanic Heritage 2022 is 5 to 9 pm at the Springfield City Hall Plaza, 225 5th Street. FREE admission to all the events.