We’ll see you downtown for the triumphant return of a First Fridays environmental extravaganza full of outdoor excitement and green adventures! The Green Day Celebration, this Friday from 5 to 9 p.m., is centered on Downtown Goshen’s Courthouse lawn and offers family-friendly activities, dining and shopping, and joy-inducing live entertainment.
Presented in collaboration with the Goshen Shade Tree Board and the Environmental Resilience Department, the Green Day Celebration emphasizes sustainability awareness and fun under the sun. Downtown eating and drinking establishments and food trucks offer a wide selection of delicious items. Activities include safe and fun tree climbing lessons with My Tree Climber, and kids can enjoy a live animal display courtesy of Elkhart-South Bend-Goshen Aquatic Biology. Among additional event activities for families, Goshen City FC presents mini soccer games, and Young at Art hosts a free kids’ craft.
The event offers a helpful bike valet to assist those cycling in for all the action, and an electric vehicle display presented by Michiana Area Council Of Governments (MACOG).
Live performances at the Green Day Celebration are presented by the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau and Miller Poultry. Kicking off the evening is a Senior Dance Party hosted by the Council on Aging of Elkhart County (5 p.m.). Then students from Goshen Community Schools‘ Prairie View and West Goshen Elementary present a heart-warming choir performance on the courthouse steps (6-6:30 p.m.), and HartWood Tree Care presents a climbing demonstration on the lawn (7:10-7:30). The Miller Poultry Main Stage presents headliner, Fort Wayne’s Los Ortega (8-9).
Come out of winter hibernation and join us for the Green Day Celebration!
Downtown eating and drinking establishments offer an array of delicious items, and a large selection of food trucks—including Tropicana, Pinyo’s Kitchen, Puffles Creamery, Rulli’s Pizza, The Weiner Shack & Grill, and more—re-emerge in Downtown Goshen. On top of the usual spread of delicacies, First Friday revelers can choose from specialty plant-based offerings and green-colored foods at the Green Day Celebration.
Featured member merchants host vendor booths on the Courthouse lawn featuring environmental, sustainable, fair-trade, and up-cycled items. The Green Bee presents a booth with a variety of sustainable, plastic-free items, Ten Thousand Villages Goshen highlights handcrafted, sustainable, fair-trade gifts, and Maple City Market spotlights sustainable, eco-friendly, local products.
ADEC presents a painting activity with a flower pot starter kit giveaway, and Axes & Antics brings the excitement with an axe throwing station, a spinning wheel, and prizes including T-shirts and hoodies. The Post Youth Center hosts an information booth with cornhole, and the Goshen Historical Society and Museum gives out free marigolds to children 12-and-under. DN3D Prints features 3D printed dragons, creatures, and toys at their booth on the festival grounds.
The Green Day Celebration also includes the Well-Crafted Artisan Showcase. Presented by the Elkhart County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the showcase gives local artists the chance to display and sell their unique creations.
Additional Green Day Celebration booths
- Bethany Christian Schools
- Black Pine Animal Sanctuary
- City of Goshen
- Creative Face Painting by Diana
- Davey Resource Group
- Dogwood Hills Tree Farm
- Elkhart County 4-H & Agricultural Exposition, Inc.
- Elkhart County Parks
- Elkhart County SWCD with Indiana Master Naturalists
- Elkhart Environmental Center
- Elkhart-South Bend Aquatic Biology
- Goshen College – Office of Admissions
- Goshen Health
- Goshen Kid Mayor
- Goshen Public Library
- Grassroots Organic Land & Lawn LLC
- Goshen Ultimate Summer League
- Indiana DNR – Urban Forestry
- Inside Track Physical Therapy & Wellness
- Magician Jep Hostetler
- Merry Lea Environmental Learning of Goshen College
- My Tree Climber
- Nipsco
- Student Conservation Association
- Trees for Goshen
- Wellfield Botanic Gardens
- Woods on Wheels
- Young at Art
In-store action throughout the evening!
Downtown member locations also get in on the Green Day Celebration action with specials and deals. Fables Books—215 S. Main Street—hosts a Meet the Authors event from 6 to 8 p.m, and Found—208 S. Main—offers 10 percent off all vintage goods including furniture, art, and artifacts, and ReFind Curated Consignment—201 S. Main—presents a special Green Day Sales Rack.
Maple City Market—314 S. Main—hosts an anniversary party with live music, seed planting, and special deals, and Garden City Church—134 S. Main—presents treats and activities for families.
Green Day Celebration Performance Schedule:
- 5:00 — 5:30: Senior Dance Party hosted by the Council on Aging of Elkhart County
- 6:00 — 6:30: GCS Choirs on the courthouse steps
- 6:40 — 7:00: Award Ceremony on the courthouse steps
- 7:10 — 7:30: HartWood Tree Climbing Demo on the courthouse lawn
- 7:30 — Tree planting on the courthouse lawn
- 8:00 — 9:00: Los Ortega at the Miller Poultry Main Stage
Bring your friends and family, and join us this Friday for the Green Day Celebration!
Find full event details for May First Fridays at the Green Day Celebration event page.
Cheers to YOU!
Thanks to wonderful, supportive community members like you our April Goshen Gives Back event raised over $4,000 for area nonprofits!
While May First Fridays is all about fun under the sun and sustainability awareness, our April event—Goshen Gives Back—focused on giving back to Goshen-area nonprofit organizations.
Thanks to your participation, we were able to raise $4,356 to help local nonprofits with their worthy missions! Thank you for your support—we hope to see you at this Friday’s magical Green Day Celebration!
The Green Day Celebration, this Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. on the Courthouse lawn in Downtown Goshen, presents a host of fun and exciting festivities while focusing on spreading sustainability awareness. This First Fridays environmental extravaganza features delicious eating and drinking options, family-friendly activities, fun opportunities to learn about the environment, and exciting live entertainment—including Los Ortega on the Miller Poultry Main Stage!