Students and members of the community will fill the streets of Downtown Binghamton with music, entertainment and food today at the third annual Communiversity Block Party.

According to Jacob McNally, an intern with the Binghamton Office of Economic Development, this is the first year the Binghamton University Student Association has been involved with CBP. McNally, a senior majoring in urban planning, said the SA planned all the student organizations and performers and the city coordinated the local vendors and community organizers.

The SA will be hosting a hot dog-eating contest, a pie-eating competition and a mechanical bull, among other events. There will be more than 90 booths of local vendors and student groups at the event, according to Catherine Cornell, a junior double-majoring in history and philosophy, politics and law and a student coordinator for CBP.

At a press conference held Wednesday at the University Downtown Center, Cornell and city officials announced the schedule of performances and publicized the event.

The Mad Hatters, a band comprised of four BU seniors, is set to perform at 6:30 p.m. on the main stage.

According to Nick DeFeo, a senior majoring in psychology and a member of the Mad Hatters, the band enjoyed playing at the event last year because of the atmosphere and crowd.

‘We love any opportunity to play, especially if it’s off campus so we can have more exposure to different kinds of people,’ DeFeo said.

There will also be student performances by Binghamton Bhangra, The Harpur Harpeggios, commonly known as The Pegs, the Binghamton Crosbys and BU Kickline.

Cornell thinks CBP is an important event for both community members and students to facilitate town-university relations.

‘The University is the largest employer in Binghamton and Broome County, so it’s important to have the city and the school integrated so they’re not two separate entities,’ Cornell said.

‘Each year, the name of the event has been altered in an effort to differentiate itself from campus events like University Fest,’ McNally said.

In 2008, the event was called ‘The Binghamton Blowout Block Party.’ It was then changed to ‘Communiversity Fest’ last year. This year, it is called ‘Communiversity Block Party,’ a combination of the previous two years.

Because CBP is located in the business sector of Downtown, all the businesses will be open so students and residents can explore what the city has to offer.

‘We’re trying to get students to realize that there’s a part of Downtown that extends beyond the borders of State Street,’ McNally said.

Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan said that the event has grown more popular each year and he hopes that the trend will continue this year.

‘This is a great opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the University community,’ Ryan said.

There will be a free trolley running every 20 minutes from the Old University Union bus stop on campus to the Downtown location. This is in addition to Off Campus College Transport and Broome County Transit buses, which will run according to their normal schedules.

It will be an alcohol-free and family-friendly event.

It is scheduled to run from 5 to 9 p.m., rain or shine. It will be located on Court Street between State Street and Hawley Street.