Third Annual Downtown Worcester Winter Festival Takes Over Downtown on Saturday, February 3, 2024 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 23, 2024
Media Contact:
Lisa Malo, Marketing Director
Downtown Worcester BID
WORCESTER, MA – The Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District (BID) is excited to announce the third annual Downtown Worcester Winter Festival will take place on Saturday, February 3, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. This free event is presented by the BID, Bay State Savings Bank, the City of Worcester, and Streetplus. The festival will feature a variety of activities centered around the Worcester Common Oval to bring the community together, including ice skating, a 25-foot “alpine slide” on Front Street, ice sculptures, arts & crafts, local food, team mascots, a street performer, and more. In the event of inclement weather, an alternate festival date is set for Saturday, February 17.
“We’re thrilled to bring the Downtown Worcester Winter Festival to the Worcester Common for the third year in a row,” said Evelyn Darling, Executive Director of the Downtown Worcester BID. "This year’s festival is going to be bigger and better than ever. We have a great afternoon of fun, family-friendly, wintertime activities planned. There will be ice skating, live ice sculpture carving, arts and crafts with Technocopia and Panduh Productions, and lots more. We also have some fun surprises in store to delight the whole neighborhood,” said Darling.
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Families laced up to ice skate at the 2023 Downtown Worcester Winter Festival / Photo: Jullian Valadares for Downtown Worcester BID |
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The dinosaur ice sculpture at the 2023 Downtown Worcester Winter Festival was carved live on-site / Photo: Jullian Valadares for Downtown Worcester BID |
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Festivalgoers are also encouraged to bring a donation for Woo Fridge, a mutual aid, community-maintained food justice project that organizes free food fridges throughout Worcester. The first 100 attendees who donate a canned good or non-perishable food item at the festival can receive free admission for ice skating and a complimentary hot chocolate and cookie courtesy of Brew on the Grid. Just bring your own ice skates or rent a pair at the Oval. (Ice Skating Admission: $6/person; free for kids aged 5 and under; Skate Rental: $6/person)
“Woo Fridge is a terrific organization that empowers people in our community to support each other by providing free, 24/7 access to food with fridges located across the city, including one on Portland Street in Downtown Worcester. We’re happy to support Woo Fridge by accepting donations of non-perishable food items during the Downtown Worcester Winter Festival once again,” said Darling. “We strongly encourage everyone who is able to do so to bring along a donation. Some highly requested items include cooking oil, flour, sugar, coffee, tea, cereals, boxed sides, drinks, chips, granola bars, and snacks.”
In addition to the activities on the Common, Downtown businesses and organizations will be bringing even more events and special offers to the neighborhood as part of “Winter Festival Weekend” including:
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Downtown Worcester Ambassadors pose with the City seal ice sculpture at the 2023 Downtown Worcester Winter Festival / Photo: Jullian Valadares for Downtown Worcester BID |
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2023 Downtown Worcester Winter Festivalgoers skating on the Worcester Common Oval Rink / Photo: Jullian Valadares for Downtown Worcester BID |
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Downtown Worcester Winter Festival sponsors and partners include Bay State Savings Bank, the City of Worcester, Streetplus, Cornerstone Bank, LEI Corporation, WICN, Brew on the Grid, Fontaine Community Foundation, Kelleher & Sadowsky, Polar Beverages, the Worcester Red Sox, and the Worcester Common Oval, brought to you by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
The BID also anticipates receiving additional support for the festival through a grant from the Worcester Arts Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
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About Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District
Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District is a nonprofit organization established in 2018 to sustain momentum in the heart of Downtown Worcester. The result of a comprehensive community-based effort, the organization represents the owners of more than 100 properties and seeks to create a unique sense of place through enhanced investment and development, establishing and sustaining a vibrant, welcoming, and economically viable district for all.
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