Major Change Coming to Albert EL Fresco in Downtown East Lansing

Downtown East Lansing isn't seeing a fun yearly tradition return this year.

Albert EL Fresco is no more. At least not in the way it once was.

What Was Albert EL Fresco?

If you're familiar with Downtown East Lansing, you know that Albert Avenue is packed with delicious restaurants and bars. Those establishments were hit really hard during the height of COVID. So, to help those establishments and bring the community back together, Albert EL Fresco was started back in June 2021.

Albert EL Fresco shut down both lanes of Albert Avenue to traffic between Abbot Road and M.A.C. Avenue. That meant that there were no cars and all foot-traffic.

Restaurants offered outdoor seating, there were hammocks to lounge in, large backyard games to play, and tons of fun events taking place throughout the summer. It was a great way to bring traffic to an area that really needed it, while providing plenty of fun outdoor space for people to use.

Albert EL Fresco is Changing

Sadly, for those that enjoyed the fact that the street was shut down for foot traffic, that is no longer happening. The East Lansing City Council decided against it:

Despite requesting an expansion to the event, the East Lansing City Council chose for Albert EL Fresco in 2026 to feature no road closures and limited outdoor seating following the March 10 discussion-only meeting, and voted unanimously on the downsizing at the March 17 council meeting. While Albert EL Fresco events will still happen over the summer, the evergreen street closures and outdoor seating will not be provided, effectively ending the five-year Albert EL Fresco corridor.

While the corridor will be closed for certain large events (GLAM Jam Summer Kickoff, East Lansing ExtravaGRANDza and East Lansing Pride Festival), don't expect to head down there on any Friday night and play giant Connect 4 in the middle of Albert Avenue.

Why Albert EL Fresco is Changing

The cancel of the full shut down of Albert Avenue comes amid concerns of camping. The number of unhoused individuals in Ingham county has climbed over the years, causing people to use the shut down of Albert Avenue to camp overnight.