Oxford to welcome Miami University students back with biggest Red Brick Friday event yet

“We just take everything we do during the summer and then take that magic that’s already been working and sprinkle extra dust onto it,” Cropenbaker said.

Oxford has officially partnered with Miami to host the event for the past three years. Miami Activities and Programming (MAP), a student-run organization, takes the lead on scheduling and funding, Cropenbaker said, while the city handles the organization.

It’s not just the popularity of the event that’s grown since 2020 — it’s the physical size. Ordinary Red Brick Friday events held throughout the summer shut down High Street from Poplar to Beech Street, but the Sept. 1 celebration will extend an extra block and extend to Campus Avenue.

Local businesses and organizations Uptown get involved in the fun, too. Last year, St. Mary’s Catholic Church set up a basketball hoop on the street in front of its building, which Cropenbaker said he expects to happen again this year.

“Many other businesses along that corridor move some tables and chairs out into the street,” Cropenbaker said. “You’ll see Skippers really participating there and Bruno’s Pizza doing some extra things, as well as some of the other retail shops.”

Rachel Banitt, a junior at Miami and MAP’s director of RedHawk events, said the night was a group effort between Oxford and the university. She’s been helping coordinate MAP’s efforts from Minnesota and just moved back to campus this week.

“Oxford and what they do is a major part of the Miami experience … so it’s a really great collaboration and one that we’d really like to keep going on,” Banitt said.

Beyond the vendors and businesses, Banitt said the event will include an inflatable basketball game and an obstacle course. MAP is also bringing back The Wonderlands, a Cincinnati-based band that has performed at Miami before, for Streets and Eats.

While the event is for families and students alike, Banitt said it will be especially valuable for first-year students new to the area.

“Welcome activities [are] probably the best way to meet new people and celebrate the start of the semester … They’re really just starting to see what Miami is and what the culture is,” Banitt said. “It’s a really great experience for them.”

Streets and Eats will be held Uptown from 6-10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1. The Wonderlands will perform from 7-9 p.m. in Oxford Memorial Park.