Downtown Worcester receives $76K to market businesses

Photo | EDD COTE Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District ambassador John Velez sweeps along Franklin Street across from Worcester Common.

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By Amy Thai

Downtown Worcester has received a $75,674 grant for a month-long celebration this upcoming August, announced on Tuesday by the Downtown Worcester Business Improvement, in partnership with The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts and the City of Worcester.

Awarded by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, this grant will support 59 business and tourist organizations to help enhance and reintroduce the downtown’s local businesses and public spaces.

“We are thankful to have MOTT embrace our exciting recovery plans for downtown Worcester. The grant will allow us to produce a much higher quality marketing campaign and greatly expand our reach beyond Worcester,” said Evelyn Darling, executive director of the Downtown Worcester BID, in the announcement.

The celebration will include outdoor events and performances free of charge throughout August, including a rendition of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” at the Worcester Common for a curated experience of the city’s nightlife.

“The Hanover Theatre's Shakespeare production will be the first public event to safely welcome people downtown to enjoy dinner and a show outside,” said City Manager Edward Augustus, in the announcement. “Arts and entertainment really are the secret sauce to the Worcester renaissance, and this event is a great way to put that on display.”

The campaign hopes to attract theater-lovers, foodies, and families from across the Southern New England region. The celebration will include weekly outdoor entertainment, such as nightly sweepstakes drawings, dining deals from local restaurants, and promotional codes for overnight stays at hotels downtown.