Chris Tremogile
The East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia has developed their own little tradition recently to kick off the Fall Season: The Dance on the East Falls Bridge. Now in its sixth year, the Dance on the East Falls Bridge has become one of the “must-do” entertainment events of the year in Philadelphia. It is an evening of fun, live music, eating and of course dancing on one of our country’s historic bridges. The event itself is a fundraiser for the East Falls Falls Development Corporation, a non-profit dedicated to community-based economic development for the benefit of East Falls. One Saturday night a year, after Labor Day and before the chilly fall weather commences, the party rocks on the bridge. The Sofa Kings, the live band who brought the house, er, bridge down, provided an electricity that could have lit up all of Kelly Drive.
An event for those who are 21 years old and older, it is the perfect Philadelphia event to start the fall season. People of all ages dressed to the nines and danced to live tunes spanning from the 70s to today’s hits like Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” all performed by the Sofa Kings.
“This is the first time I have ever been here and I love it,” said Robin Erickson. “Where else can you dance on a bridge?” she said.
Martha Fox also attended for the first time and she was having the time of her life. “It’s 11pm, I am outdoors, I am drinking, I am sweating, I am dancing and I am 71 years old,” she said.
Guests were provided with the typical Philly treat, the soft pretzel, and a cold beverage. Alcohol was available and yummy food was provided by a variety of food trucks. There was a photo booth as well. It was everything you could ask for from a party, from a dance, from a social event and it was all on a bridge.
“Life is full of work and responsibility so much and when you get older, you have to give up the little things you enjoy when you are younger. I ain’t complaining about that but this dance allowed me to be a kid just one more day,” Fox said.