UPDATE: Before the Bridge 2013 Moves Indoors

UPDATE: Due to the near-certainty of rain on Saturday, the festival has moved to an indoor location five blocks away at The Factory in Collingswood (13 Fern Avenue). All set times remain the same.

Second Saturday in Collingswood is a lively affair, with shoppers and dinner-goers taking advantage of extended store hours to share a drink with friends and check out some local art.

But on October 12, the borough will also welcome its fourth annual Before the Bridge music festival, a downtown block party with live entertainment, food, and children's activities. 

Begun as the offshoot of the borough-sponsored Collingswood Music Festival, the event has continued as a grassroots tradition with the support of local volunteers who, like many Collingswood community organizers, just want to show their neighbors a good time.

"We've booked five great bands and two great deejays that have longer sets for you this year," said festival organizer Nick Cain.

"We're just looking forward to a really nice outside fall music festival," he said. 

With the support of the borough, the festival has evolved a bit in the years since its inception. 

Whereas last year's event featured more acts, and from places as far away as Brooklyn and Virginia, "the big thing this year is that it's a Philadelphia-market-focused thing," said Grooveground owner and festival organizer Chris Rocco.

Merchants from The Factory, National Picnic, Plantlife Music, Grooveground, Frugal, liberti church, and Studio LuLoo are among those participating in the festival. This year, Before the Bridge also will feature a seated food tent and several local vendor stalls.

Plus Saturday is the final day of the borough Fall Sidewalk Sale, which means plenty of shopping is also available up the street at Powell Lane.

The event is family-friendly—pro tip: bring your own chair—and shuts down the intersection of Haddon and Woodlawn Avenues for a block in either direction. The show starts at 3 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m.

The acts

Headlining the event is the Collingswood Bike Share all-star pickup band, Candy Volcano (8:30 p.m.), performing its repertoire of glam-rock-era cover tunes, including the seminal David Bowie album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

One of the only returners from the 2012 Before The Bridge show is Collingswood's own Goodnight Lights (6:45 p.m.), which in May won the opportunity to open up the Radio 104.5 block party in Philadelphia and has been touring on the strength of its latest album, As Far as the Moon.

Philadelphia-area original act, The Snails (5:30 p.m.), will bring its trad-ska influences to the event. The act, which has toured in support of artists like King Django, released its latest single, "Call on Me," in May. 

The Unstoppable Hack Beats (4:15 p.m.) are a South Jersey-based cover band that delivers reggae, soul, and classic rock numbers with a variety of instrumentation (full disclosure: band members include Collingswood Patch editor Matt Skoufalos).

Since the release of her self-titled EP in 2012, Megan Knight (3 p.m.) has been making a name for herself. The singer-songwriter was scouted by producers for Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, and has spent the last two years picking up steam with gigs across the region.

Philadelphia-area live deejay JG of Pink Skull and David Kain of Bands In The Backyard will help keep the party positive and funky with their unique electronic dance music.
Set Times
2:30 p.m. - DJ David Kain
3:00 p.m. - Megan Knight
3:40 p.m. - DJ David Kain
4:15 p.m. - The Unstoppable Hack Beats
5:00 p.m. - DJ David Kain
5:30 p.m. - The Snails
6:15 p.m. - DJ JG
6:45 p.m. - Goodnight Lights
7:45 p.m. - DJ JG
8:30 p.m. - Candy Volcano

The vendors

• Bath Savers
• Community Rocks
• The Factory
• Frugal
• Grooveground
• Heights of Collingswood
• liberti Collingswood
• Main Street Realty
• National Picnic
• Plant Life Music
• Spoiled Rotten

Need more info? Check out the Before the Bridge Facebook event page, and get the latest details throughout the week.