Above: The annual end-of-summer festival always includes a slew of free family-friendly activities. (imagess edited from Southborough Rec Facebook posts from the 2024 event and this year’s flyers)
Reminder, If you haven’t marked your calendar yet, be sure to add Southborough Recreation’s “Summer Nights” festival coming up a week from Saturday.
The annual free festivities to mark the end of summer (and the return of families from vacations, camps, and summer homes) will take place on August 22nd.
The event officially opens (starting with parking) at 4:30 pm. Plan ahead, since parking at Neary School will be limited this year. (Some of the lot is reserved as a staging area for the school roof replacement project that will still be in progress.)
The event won’t be fully rocking until 6:00 pm when the band hits the stage. This year, the band Below Deck has Southborough Rec enthusing about the Nautical Vibes they’re feeling:
Join us in our first themed event!
We are heading out to sea with local yacht rock band, Below Deck, in full nautical attire. We want to see your blue stripes, sailor hats and boat shoes as we dance and sing the night away featuring all of your favorite yacht rock tunes.
Families can camp out on blankets and chairs on the field in front of the stage to enjoy the dinners and deserts they buy from the food vendor on site. (Scroll down for the vendor list.)
Athletic fields will feature booths, inflatables (including an obstacle course), a photo booth, face painting, and other free kid-friendly entertainment. Groups promoting themselves will offer giveaways and/or free fun like the “pop-a-shot” mini hoops game and twisted balloon creations.
New this year, Rec is also adding a trackless train!
On the tennis courts, you’ll find the Algonquin’s Robotics team offering kids interactive demos of their equipment.
The festivities run until dark, ending with the fireworks at dusk.
As for the many, many food offerings. . . head over to the “food truck court” on the blacktop (near the playground) to buy dinner and goodies from the following confirmed vendors. (I added details on the fare they typically sell.):
PotatoPotato: Poutine, fries, tots- Cousins Maine Lobster: Lobster rolls, quesadillas, mac and cheese
- Birds Nest Italian Street Food: Meatball & chicken parm sliders, fried ravioli
- Anzios Brick Oven Pizza: Pizza
- Trolley Dogs: Gourmet hot dogs
- Easy Street Tacos: Tacos, nachos, quesadillas
- Mac Daddy: Gourmet Mac & Cheese with toppings
- Travelin’ Bones Barbecue: Barbecue, wings, and more
- Say Cheese: Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches
- Sugarcane Hut: Fresh fruit juices and smoothies
- Trombetta’s Farm: Ice cream
- Uhlman’s Ice Cream: Ice cream
- Yummy Mummy Bakery: Brownies and cookies
The event put on by Southborough Recreation is made possible through donations from: Friends of Southborough Recreation, St. Mark’s School, Middlesex Savings Bank, Eversource, Main Street Bank, and Concierge Physical Therapy.
