Snapshot: Downtown Events

Since early 2020, Downtown has been home to virtual and in-person events geared toward engaging the community in fun, unique ways. For all upcoming events, visit downtownalbany.org/events, and to get events and news from Downtown delivered to your inbox, sign up for Links at bit.ly/DTLinks.

Juneteenth

The BID partnered again with the African American Cultural Center of the Capital Region on the 2021 Juneteenth celebration, which included in-person and virtual programming. With the closure of S Pearl Street allowing for vendor setup instreet and more room for attendees to explore, an estimated 6,000 people visited over the course of the event. The 2021 celebration also marked the first as a federal holiday, with the City of Albany, Albany County, and New York State having designated Juneteenth as respective holidays in 2020.

PearlPalooza & YogaPalooza

While 2020 YogaPalooza drew people to Downtown with simultaneous classes at SUNY Plaza and Tricentennial Park, the PearlPalooza music festival went virtual, with bands performing live on The Hollow Bar + Kitchen’s stage with the community watching via YouTube at Downtown businesses showing the concert or from the comfort of their own homes. In 2021, we were thrilled to welcome the highly-anticipated events back to their home on N Pearl Street.

Split the Bill

The BID partnered with DeCrescente Distributing and a consortium of Downtown banks in 2021 to host Split the Bill Albany, a one-day event through which community members who dined at participating eateries would get up to 50% of their total bill back. Aimed at supporting neighborhood restaurants, the event resulted in $63,700 of spending at Downtown businesses, with feedback including destinations selling out before they’d even opened, and lunchtime business busier than even pre-pandemic days. Said one Downtown business owner: “Busiest lunch since pre-COVID. this was a great idea and I talked to our neighbors and they did amazing. I’m so happy this put a smile on every business owners face.”

Virtual Events

When in-person services were limited in Downtown, the BID worked to keep the community engaged with businesses within the District through 59 virtual events that included Move Mondays, Thursday Night Live, Quarantine Cuisine, and Celebrating First Responders & Frontliners. The videos alone resulted in just over 18,000 views. 11 downtownalbany.org

Additional events in Downtown:

• Fitness also took center stage through State Street

Yoga and Stretch, Shop & Savor • Pups got decked out in their best and spookiest costumes for the virtual Hounds of Halloween

• We encouraged people to explore the District and their favorite businesses for a chance to win great prizes with the Artful Albany & Albany I Spy Scavenger Hunts, and with Shop & Savor smAlbany • Outdoor movie series Bites Camera Action drew a great crowd