The vendors are all aligning and the long-range forecast — so far, at least — is calling for mostly clear skies. With one week to go until the 2023 return of monthly summer street party 2nd Fridays in Cullman, that’s more than enough of an auspicious start to one of the area’s biggest warm-weather annual attractions.

The downtown outdoor event hits the pavement anew beginning Friday, June 9, ushering in a season of monthly outings that closes streets for pedestrian traffic, keeps businesses open late, and crams the Warehouse District area around First Avenue with throngs of visitors hailing from both Cullman and well out of town.

2nd Fridays has been a local hit since its first incarnation ten years ago, with each iteration of the yearly event attracting more family-oriented things to do, more live music, and encompassing a bigger street footprint that now spans the full length of First Avenue, from Depot Park (and the customary classic car cruise-in) on the event’s north end to the Busy Bee Café to the south. The fair-like atmosphere has also seeped beyond the First Avenue corridor and into adjacent side streets, with restaurants and shops along Second and third Avenues also getting in on the huge bump in monthly Friday foot traffic.

“It warms our hearts to see the community come together and create something truly special,” said Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs, himself a regular presence alongside family members at past 2nd Fridays outings. “Every year at this event, we get to witness loved ones and neighbors enjoying our city while supporting local businesses.”

This year’s 2nd Fridays schedule puts the Warehouse District to full seasonal use between the area’s Strawberry Festival takeover in May and the similarly crowded Oktoberfest in the fall. Next week’s June 9 event marks the first of three installments in this year’s street festival series, with July 14 and Aug. 11 filling out the remainder of the summer schedule. Each month’s runtime spans from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m., though nearby restaurants typically keep their doors open well beyond those officially-posted hours.