Bix Block Parties Announce Celebration Sites During Bix Weekend
More than 20 downtown Davenport businesses have come together to present Bix Block Parties on Friday, July 23, and Saturday, July 24, during Bix 7 race weekend.
Bix Beiderbecke was born in 1903 in Davenport and is buried at Oakdale Memorial Gardens.
Supported by the Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP), the event is designed to celebrate the downtown neighborhood with multiple blocks of events programmed by adjacent business owners throughout downtown. The locally focused block parties event replaces the traditional Street Fest that featured traveling vendors on Second Street.
“After years of successful placemaking efforts, downtown has reached a point where DDP no longer needs to host its own event on Second Street to fill the downtown during race weekend,” DDP executive director Kyle Carter said in a Tuesday release.
“This year, we want Quad Citizens to come downtown to explore and experience the area’s restaurants, bars and retailers in order to lift up small businesses who need our support by spending local,” he said. “This isn’t just one party; it’s multiple parties within a party to celebrate the people, places and local flavor that make us who we are.”
Five different Bix Block Parties will be located throughout east, central and west downtown Davenport locations — spanning from the Rock Island Arsenal Bridge on the east to the Centennial Bridge on the west.
More than 20 downtown Davenport businesses have come together to present Bix Block Parties on July 23-24.
The parties will feature a variety of live music, food and family fun and include:
Bix Party at the Finish Line – Saturday, July 24
- Located in Ruby’s parking lot on 3rd street
- Produced by Y&J Properties, Ruby’s and Java Java Cafe
Bad*ss Bix Bash – Saturday, July 24
- Located at 320 LeClaire Street
- Produced by Endless Brews, Oh So Sweet by Tiphanie, Lopiez, Trek Store and Artisan Grain Distillery
Bix Fest – Friday, July 23 & Saturday, July 24
- Located on 3rd Street between Main & Brady
- Produced by The Office, Boozie’s Bar & Grille and Analog Arcade Bar
Kyle Carter is executive director of the Downtown Davenport Partnership.
Party on Pershing – Friday, July 23 & Saturday, July 24
- Located south of 2nd Street, Perry to Iowa Streets
- Produced by Front Street Brewery, Crafted QC, Bootleg Hill Honey Meads, Barrel House, Stompbox Brewing, Theo & Co. and Backwater CrossFit
3rd Street Bix Bash Music Festival – Friday, July 23 & Saturday, July 24
- Located on 3rd street between Ripley and Harrison
- Produced by Mac’s Tavern, Carriage Haus, Daiquiri Factory and Kilkenny’s Pub
While not part of the block parties, a Bix-style daylong music festival – The Heights of the Era – will be Saturday, July 24. The Heights of the Era will start with the race at 8 a.m., presenting 14 ½ hours of live music in the genres of 1910s – 1920s Dixieland; “O Brother Where Art Thou” style Bluegrass; Traditional Irish, Barbershop Quartet, and a cappella.
The entire lineup of live music (until 10:30 p.m.) will also be broadcast on WVIK Quad Cities NPR (90.3 FM), from the race course stages (until 9:30 a.m.) and then the Main Stage in Lindsay Park, Village of East Davenport.
For more information on that event, visit theheightsoftheera.com.
For Bix Block Parties, more event details will be available on downtowndavenport.com or on DDP’s Facebook page (@downtowndavenport).
DDP will continue to embrace recommended Covis-19 protocols this summer and pivot festival planning as needed as health and safety precautions evolve in 2021.
The Downtown Davenport Partnership (DDP), a non-profit affiliate of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce, provides place management services for downtown’s business improvement district, with a focus on three pillars: Business & Economic Growth, Infrastructure & Livability, and Advocacy & Promotion.
