HARBORCENTER, Canalside announce fall festival

Inaugural three-day event at Canalside to be held over Columbus Day weekend

HARBORCENTER President John R. Koelmel and Global Spectrum's Ryan Coate, general manager of Canalside, have announced plans for the inaugural HARBORCENTER Fall Festival @ Canalside, Saturday, Oct. 11, through Monday, Oct. 13. The three-day festival provides family-friendly fun, with many free events for children.

"Our special events team has combined with our partners at Canalside to provide a range of activities over the three-day holiday weekend that continues to establish the district as a year-round destination for all to enjoy," Koelmel said. "On the heels of a very successful summer season, this festival will give families more reason to enjoy the waterfront and downtown in advance of HARBORCENTER's opening at the end of October."

"We're happy to partner with HARBORCENTER and host the Fall Festival at Canalside," Coate said. "Collaborative community efforts such as these help to solidify positive change along Buffalo's waterfront."

Free events offered at Canalside will include children's programing, carnival rides and games, a bounce house and hay maze, appearances by Sabretooth and Sabres alumni, live music, and an outdoor Sabres big-screen viewing party for the game Monday afternoon against Anaheim, followed by fireworks that evening. Throughout the festival, families will be able to browse the Canalside pumpkin patch to purchase their Halloween pumpkins by the pound.

The festival kicks off Saturday morning with the inaugural IMPACT Sports 5K road race, which features a scenic route through downtown Buffalo, beginning and ending at Canalside. Race registration is available online at: http://www.active.com/buffalo-ny/running/races/harborcenter-impact-5k-2014?int. 

Registration cost is $25 in advance, and $30 on race day. The first 300 registrants will receive an IMPACT high performance T-shirt. All runners will receive refreshments and a complimentary beverage at the IMPACT post-race party, along with two tickets to Saturday night's hockey game between Canisius College and Western Michigan at First Niagara Center.

The full schedule for the inaugural HARBORCENTER Fall Festival @ Canalside is below. Additional details are available online at www.HARBORCENTER.com.