Streets and sidewalks are public spaces and resources that are more than just for vehicle transportation. They can be utilized for economic development, small business development, artistic expression and community gathering. There is a special kind of magic to having a social experience in the street. It feels a little bit like we are breaking the rules and our inner child gets woken up and inspired.
As the program director for the Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District, and co-owner of Electric Haze hookah bar and venue, I have had over 20 experiences working with street closures for all types of public experiences, and I hope this inspires you to imagine your own version of it.
Think big & different. The open road provides for more accessibility, options, and ease for a variety of different things. Don’t limit yourself in your creativity! A few previous examples in Downtown Worcester:
• A ferris wheel in the street celebrating the unveiling of the You Belong Here Project on the Worcester Public Library facade on Salem Street. (P.S. Salem Street is an excellent street closure location).
• Alpine Slide and Ice Bumper Cars in the street at Winter Festival
• 20-foot-by-32-foot stage in the street for Pride Worcester Festival
• Most recently, Park(ing) Day put on by the Worcester chapter of Strongtowns (in collaboration with Technocopia), having different placemaking activities in each parking spot for a weekend.
Utilize buildings or nearby structures. Collaborating with and utilizing other nearby resources such as buildings, small businesses, parks and more, the options really increase. A few examples:
• Electric Haze’s Electric Avenue Market street closure, which had a speaker outside in the street playing the live music from the stage inside Electric Haze.
• Projection onto nearby buildings
• Spencer Street Party collaborated with the small businesses on the three-street closure to both open their doors, have a table outside, or participate. For example, the beer garden for the event was located in the lot of nearby Barnstorm Cycles.
Pick a street with easy routing access. The last thing you want is to cause problems with routing or neighbors. Evaluating where your idea will fit, both in re-routing traffic, and discussions with the neighbors allows for a much smoother and safer experience, in both planning and execution.
Permitting & fees. If you don’t already have one, make an account with the City of Worcester’s online permitting portal, then apply for the street closure permit from the Public Works and Parks section. This past year the City of Worcester waived a lot of permit fees surrounding events, including the street closure fee, which was a beautiful statement and call to action for the community to produce more experiences. You need to fill out the special events permit, which then schedules you a meeting with all the City departments, so you can discuss what other types of permits your idea may or may not require. This special event permit will inform the other items needed, including site maps, security plans, road closure, and routing plans.
Fundraising. Street closure experiences are often in line with grant opportunities and sponsorship priorities! If you plan early enough, it’s possible to get the experience expenses covered.
