Some people call it downtown's biggest party with live music stages and roving performers throughout the city. But Urban Nights isn't just about the party. It's a showcase for the arts, dining, music and even the housing available in downtown Dayton. This bi-annual event is expected to bring 30 thousand people downtown this evening.
Kristen Wicker with the Downtown Dayton Partnership says that it's also an important way to highlight the 9 out of 10 downtown businesses that are locally owned and operated.
"The only place that you can go and experience what this particular gallery or retailer or club or restaurant has to offer is in downtown Dayton, Ohio," says Wicker.
Wicker says the Partnership helps coordinate events, and local businesses go the extra mile to create special programs for Urban Nights.
"But guess what that gallery is there all the time. That restaurant is there all the time. So it's a nice opportunity to introduce the community to something that really community-based, community-owned. These are Dayton Originals."
Wicker says she hopes that Urban Nights will make people want to come back downtown on a regular basis.
