Last weekend, Empire Fest transformed Downtown Binghamton into a three-day festival with 14 carnival rides, an electronic music concert and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that occupied sections of Washington and Hawley streets.
Local radio station 93.3 WJOB-FM and The Broome County Urban League hosted the festival, which they plan to make an annual event. The main attraction was Saturday night’s Forever Glow III show, featuring Bro Safari, in the Veteran’s Memorial Arena. Empire Fest has been in the works for over a year, and the first permits for the show went out as early as last March.
Damien Cornwell, director of operations at WJOB and a self-proclaimed entrepreneur, believes that the student population in Binghamton is a stable base for projects. Because of the student population’s projected growth, there’s a sustainable revenue stream for projects like Empire Fest. The festival isn’t just about the money, however, it’s about community. More specifically, it’s about building the local community with the growing student bodies at SUNY Broome Community College and Binghamton University.
“We always want to do different things to connect with the student population,” Cornwell said. “We really think there’s value in our student body.”
The Forever Glow III show is a followup to Cornwell’s Forever Glow I and II shows, where local DJs from SUNY BCC performed. And while Forever Glow III targeted students and molly-minded individuals, one of the most popular Empire Fest events – Blues on the Bridge, a daylong Blues concert and crafts fair – didn’t take place until Sunday. All Sunday, Binghamton locals packed onto the crowded bridge and surrounding lawns of Riverside Drive, which was lined with food vendors and craftspeople. Even the County Sheriff’s office had a display, showing off its giant command vehicle (basically a souped up RV). Everyone there was after the same thing: a relaxing day to enjoy the community that at times feels absent.
Christian Randell, one of the festival’s promoters, said that the Empire Fest was planned in response to complaints that nothing happens in Binghamton.
“We’re trying to show people that if you want something to happen, we’re going to make it happen,” he said. “This festival is here to celebrate the city of Binghamton.”
Empire Fest’s location in the middle of Downtown Binghamton was convenient to get to the festival, but inconvenient for students trying to do anything else. The location meant shutting down several blocks, which disrupted normal traffic patterns. Commuters traveling to or from the Binghamton University Downtown Center had their routes altered, with OCCT temporarily suspending the Downtown Center stop. Washington Street between Hawley Street and Riverside Drive was entirely closed off, requiring students living in 20 Hawley and Twin River Commons to take numerous detours to drive to and from their apartments.
“We’re shutting down the city and bringing the community together,” Randell said.
Empire Fest was one of the rare times of the year that Binghamton comes alive, one of the city’s ways to celebrate the local community without the craziness.