Dozens of bands to play Summer Sweat Block Party in downtown Fresno

Without looking at the five-day forecast, it’s a safe bet the Summer Sweat Block Party will be hot.

It’s sort of the point; playing to the city’s strengths, as it were.

The free, day-long event kicks off at 2 p.m. Saturday on the Fulton Mall and is the first of four block parties this summer being billed as a celebration of downtown and the Fresno heat.

“No one should be complaining,” says Summer Sweat’s promoter Johnny Quiroz. “It’s hot, duh.”

Close to 30 bands and DJs will be playing on three stages set up in and around Peeve’s Public House on the Fulton Mall. Oakland indie-pop band Trails and Ways headlines the party, along with Los Angles hip-hop producer and rapper Dibiase. The lineup is filled out with a bevy of touring and local acts, including Fresno rapper Aesop, local emo band Meet Me in Montauk, Oakland’s the Tet Holiday and the Silhouette Era from San Francisco.

There will be food trucks (in early and late-night shifts), a bike polo demonstration and a free after-party at Kocky’s Bar and Grill, just off the mall on Van Ness Avenue.

You can see the full lineup and schedule of bands at www.summersweat.party.

Summer Sweat was originally conceived as ablow-out party behind the Hotel Virginia on Kern and Inyo streets, Quiroz says, but evolved into four separate parties, each showcasing a different part of downtown Fresno.

A second block party is scheduled for Aug. 15 at the beer garden at Tioga Sequoia Brewery, just south of the baseball stadium. A third and fourth are planned for Sept. 12 and Oct. 17, respectively, though organizers are still finalizing the locations. Quiroz is looking at Eaton Plaza and/or the stretch of Kern Street in front of the Fresno Convention Center where the downtown partnership holds its weekly farmer’s market.

The Fulton Mall was the obvious choice for the first block party, Quiroz says, especially around Peeve’s Public House, which has been high-profile for the past few years. But there are beautiful pockets of downtown that get overlooked.

“I’ll be neat to see something like this in those areas,” he says.

“That’s the daydream.”

If all goes well, Summer Sweat will become an annual event.

This story was originally published July 16, 2015 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Dozens of bands to play Summer Sweat Block Party in downtown Fresno."