VermontBiz Burlington's Main Street construction is almost complete, and it's time to celebrate! The City of Burlington invites residents, businesses, and visitors to the Main Street Block Party, a free, community-wide celebration on Friday, July 17, from 1:00-7:30 pm and Saturday, July 18, from 11 am-9 pm. The beautiful new sidewalks will be filled with live music, public art, family-friendly activities, local business activations, public art tours, and opportunities to experience Main Street in a whole new way.
The Main Street Block Party celebrates the beginning of a new chapter for downtown Burlington. The Great Streets Main Street project serves as the cornerstone for a vibrant, healthy 21st-century city. With a modern sewer system bypassing the 160-year-old ravine sewer, a new foundation exists for more housing and modern commercial development. Wider sidewalks and shorter crossings enhance the downtown experience for families and visitors. More trees, gardens, and subsurface stormwater infiltration help protect our environment. Enhanced lighting, new public art, outdoor seating and a protected bike lane ensure Burlington’s Main Street remains Vermont’s Main Street – open and welcoming to everyone.
"This is a celebration of everyone who helped shape Burlington's new Main Street," said Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvany-Stanak. "From the businesses that persevered through construction to the City team, contractors, artists, residents, and community partners who brought this vision to life, the Block Party is an opportunity to rediscover downtown, support our local businesses, and experience the energy of our beautiful new Main Street."
Programming begins Friday at 1 pm with a kickoff press conference at the corner of Church and Main Streets, in front of Honey Road, followed by an afternoon and evening of live music, artist talks, and interactive experiences throughout downtown. Musical performances from Sambatucada, the Otter Creek Band, Jacob Green Band, and Clive, along with DJ sets from DJ Love and DJ Kate Kush, will pop up on the sidewalks. Throughout the afternoon, artists Noa Younse, wowhaus, and Nancy Winship Milliken will lead talks about the sculptures they created for the new streetscape, while Jonesville Print House creates free screen-printed T-shirts and Green Mountain Transit hosts bus demonstrations highlighting their new Main Street service.
The party continues on Saturday with more artist talks, live music from Jeh Kulu, Barbacoa, Lowell Thompson, Sabouyouma, and Ruminations, as well as DJ sets from Disco Phantom, DJ cRAIG mITCHELL, and DJ Flat Four. Bring the whole family for story time with the Fletcher Free Library and Mikahely, a Rediscover Main Street scavenger hunt where you can win gift cards to local businesses, and a special steamroller printmaking activity presented by S.D. Ireland, where we’ll break out the heavy machinery one last time to create large-scale prints using actual construction equipment. The weekend wraps up on a high note with a Twilight Series concert in City Hall Park featuring The Moondogs at 6 pm and High Summer at 7:30 pm.
The Block Party is the perfect time to explore four new permanent public art installations commissioned by Burlington City Arts that have transformed Main Street into an open-air gallery. Together, the sculptures activate one of Burlington’s central public spaces, while bringing the unique story of our community to life all around us.
The installations include:
Lakebone by Nancy Winship Milliken, a monumental 48-foot black locust tree suspended above a pollinator meadow that encourages conversations about ecology, stewardship, and the natural world.
Anthology by Lydia Kern, a twelve-foot arch made from hundreds of preserved flowers suspended in multicolored resin that changes with the sun, the weather, and your perspective — making every visit feel brand new.
Magnus by wowhaus, a trio of monumental stone snails (complete with glow-in-the-dark trails) inspired by the spiral forms of ancient fossils found in our region and the stone ornamentation of the surrounding cityscape.
Block by Block by Noa Younse of Pixel Patch Creative, created from colorful interlocking forms that celebrate the collaboration, creativity, and community that make Burlington unique, explores how distinct experiences, cultures, and perspectives come together like a mosaic to create something larger than the sum of its parts.
Artist talks throughout Friday and Saturday will allow visitors to hear directly from the artists and learn more about the stories behind each installation.
The Main Street Block Party is free and open to the public. Whether you're returning to downtown or discovering the new streetscape for the first time, this is the perfect opportunity to explore Burlington's downtown, support local businesses, experience world-class public art, and celebrate this exciting new chapter for Main Street.
Event Details
Main Street Block Party
Friday, July 17: 1-7:30 pm
Saturday, July 18: 11 am-9 pm
Locations: Main Street, Church Street, and City Hall Park
Friday, July 17
1:00 pm, Kick Off Press Conference, Church and Main St, in front of Honey Road
1:00 pm, Green Mountain Transit Bus Demo, Church and Main St.
1:30 pm, Sambatucada, Church and Main St, in front of Honey Road
2:00 pm, DJ Love, Pine and Main St, outside of VT Comedy Club
2:30 pm, Artist Talk: Block by Block, Noa Younse, Church and Main St, in front of Honey Road
3:00 pm, Artist Talk: Magnus, wowhaus, Church and Main St
3:30 pm, Artist Talk: Lakebone, Nancy Winship Milliken, Pine and Main St
3:30 pm, Otter Creek Band, Outside of Muddy Waters
4:00 pm, Jonesville Print House - Free Screen Printed Tees, Main St at City Hall Park
4:30 pm, DJ Kate Kush, Pine and Main St, outside of VT Comedy Club
5:30 pm, Jacob Green Band, Flynn Theater Marquee
6:00 pm, Clive, Church and Main St, in front of Honey Road
Saturday, July 18
11:00 am, Rediscover Main Street Scavenger Hunt
11:30 am, Yoga in the Park for Kids and Families, City Hall Park, south lawn
12:00 pm, Artist Talk: Lakebone, Nancy Winship Milliken, Pine and Main St
12:30 pm, Yoga in the Park for Grown Ups, City Hall Park, south lawn
12:30 pm, Artist Talk: Block by Block, Noa Younse, Church and Main St, in front of Honey Road
12:30 pm, Steamroller Print Making, Lower Church St
1:00 pm, Artist Talk: Magnus, wowhaus, Church and Main St
1:00 pm, DJ Disco Phantom, Pine and Main St, outside of VT Comedy Club
1:00 pm, Green Mountain Transit Bus Demo, Church and Main St
1:30 pm, Splash Dance: DJ cRAIG mITCHELL, City Hall Park
1:30 pm, Jeh Kulu, Corner of St. Paul and Main Streets
2:00 pm, Barbacoa, Church and Main St, in front of Honey Road
3:00 pm, Lowell Thompson, Flynn Theater Marquee
3:30 pm, Stories and More with Mikahely and the Fletcher Free Library, Outside of Muddy Waters
4:00 pm, Sabouyouma, Corner of St. Paul and Main Streets
4:00 pm, DJ Flat Four, Pine and Main St, outside of VT Comedy Club
5:00 pm, Ruminations, Church and Main St, in front of Honey Road
6:00 pm, Twilight Series Concert: Moondogs, City Hall Park
7:30 pm, Twilight Series Concert: High Summer, City Hall Park
The Main Street Block Party is produced by the City of Burlington. Steamroller printmaking at the Main Street Block Party presented by SD Ireland. Burlington City Arts’ Summer in the City programming is made possible in part thanks to Underwriters at the Pomerleau Family Foundation; Supporters, Burlington Telecom, Myti, Soundtoys, and Lake Champlain Chocolates; and Community Partner, American Flatbread Burlington Hearth. Media Sponsors: Seven Days and WCAX.
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