Downtown Hayward Street Parties

On the third Thursday of June, July and August, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the Downtown Hayward Street Party takes place on B Street between Foothill and Mission boulevards and on Main Street between A and C streets. Admission is free. The Hayward Chamber of Commerce puts it on. The City of Hayward calls itself the Chamber’s partner, and the Chamber’s own event listing names the Hayward Area Recreation & Park District as co-host. The district runs an expanded Kids Zone. The Chamber lists the evening’s offerings in a fixed order: live music, food, local shopping, the Kids Zone. On the afternoon of the August 2026 party it promised “live music, local eats, drinks in hand.”

Two stages, B Street and Main

The 2026 season fell on June 18, July 16 and August 20. For the last of these the Chamber posted the full lineup the same day. On the B Street Stage, Lori Hurley opened at 5:00. Hayward High School Cheer followed at 5:30, then the Ariel Marin Band at 5:45, Farenhyte5150 at 6:30 and Somos El Son at 7:30. The stage at Main and A Street began an hour later, with Kaulana na Pua at 6:00 and the Ballet Folklorico de Carlos Moreno at 6:45. At 7:30 came a K-pop Random Play Dance to songs by BTS, KATSEYE “and more,” at the same hour Somos El Son took the B Street Stage.

Between the stages stand the vendor booths of creators, merchants, food vendors, businesses and nonprofits. The Chamber sorts them into a Food Marketplace and a Business Marketplace.

Twelve booths in front of the old US Bank

On Main Street, in front of the old US Bank building, the Biz Kid Marketplace sets up twelve booths. Each holds a business owned and operated by local youth, and the marketplace belongs to the Chamber’s Biz Kid Workshops & Marketplace program. In August 2026, Tink’s Pretty Beads sold chains, bracelets, bookmarks and hair clips. 3D Prints by Kira brought 3D-printed pieces, and Chibi Charms 2.0 had boba felt keychains and flowers made of pipe cleaners. PW Crochet sold amigurumi and crocheted stuffed animals, Brooklyn’s Cement Garden sold garden accessories, and Little Leo’s Handmade Creations sold handmade pens. Florence’s Craft offered paintings, handmade cards and hand-painted magnets, and Art by Izz offered crystals, jewelry and ceramics. Click Clack Keyboard Fidgets shared a booth with Dim Sum Win Sum, and Mango Crafts shared one with berriikandii. At the Das Button Boyz booth a customer could hand over a phone and have a photograph turned into a pin-back button or magnet on the spot.

Thirty years of third Thursdays

The Chamber has promoted business in Hayward since 1895, by its own account. It calls the street parties “a cherished community tradition for over 30 years.” It describes the present series as “reinvigorated,” meant to bring “new energy to our festivities while honoring the traditions our community loves.” The pages name no founder and no first year.

The recent record is a short one. The Chamber’s link page from 2024 lists a June 20, 2024 Downtown Street Party, with a vendor map and a registration form for a car showcase. In 2025 the series closed on Thursday, August 21, and the 2026 series closed on August 20. The Instagram user biglou510 spent that last evening handing out flyers for an upcoming art show. He posted the next day: “HAYWARD SHOWED OUT ONE LAST TIME!”