SYRACUSE, NY -- At five o'clock on Friday afternoon, downtown Syracuse had almost as many people coming in as leaving from work. Jazz music was taking over Clinton Square and shoppers roamed the Columbus Circle area at the Arts and Crafts festival."It's stuff you won't see anywhere else and the little guy gets the money. It's not Macy's, it's not Bloomingdales," said Theresa Eddins after shopping with a vendor she looks for every year.
Tens of thousands of people are expected for both festivals - making downtown Syracuse a hot destination this weekend.
Some vendors and visitors did have concerns about the weather. On Friday a series of rainstorms moved through the area and put a few inches of water in front of the main state for the Northeast Jazz and Wine festival.
"I wasn't expecting to go swimming today - I didn't come prepared," laughed Pamela Robinson from Rochester.
The rain was on and off and there were a few delays but you can't keep a jazz fan down.
"Nothing can stop the jazz. I think it will pass and we'll enjoy the wine and everything else," said Robinson.
People at both festivals said they were glad they were downtown and could cross over between the two events.
"It's nice because you can go out to dinner, there are a lot of nice eateries down here. You can go out to dinner, come over to jazzfest," said Nadine Saltamachia as she waited for the main act to begin at the jazz festival.
The weather for Saturday and Sunday is expected to be sunny and warm.
Are you planning to go to either of the downtown festivals this weekend? Which one do you prefer?
