Taste Wilmington: Brandywine Valley Restaurant Week Returns This September

Food lovers, mark your calendars—Brandywine Valley Restaurant Week is back in Wilmington this September 2025, bringing together the region’s top culinary talent for a weeklong celebration of flavor. From September 15–21, diners can enjoy specially curated prix-fixe menus at some of the city’s most beloved restaurants, offering the perfect opportunity to explore Wilmington’s vibrant and ever-growing dining scene.

This year’s lineup showcases a mix of longtime local favorites and exciting newcomers, each presenting their own spin on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. Whether you’re craving refined fine dining, creative small plates, or casual comfort food, Restaurant Week invites you to experience it all—at a value that makes trying multiple spots a must.

Featured Dining Experiences:
The 2025 roster includes standout restaurants that highlight Wilmington’s culinary creativity. Casa Nonna, located inside DECO, brings authentic Italian dishes to life, while Bardea Steak elevates the classic steakhouse experience with bold modern flair. Cozy and inviting, and Cafe Mezzanotte provides an intimate setting perfect for romantic evenings. Dorcea is an inviting American bistro with flavorful menu items. At La Fia, diners can enjoy inventive small plates in a chic atmosphere, while Merchant Bar offers a cool vibe with an elevated gastrobar. The Quoin Restaurant offers a stylish, open-kitchen design that turns dining into a performance. For a playful twist, Wilma’s combines great food with duckpin bowling, and Tonic Seafood & Steak—a downtown favorite—serves up expertly prepared seafood and prime cuts in a contemporary, lively setting. Downtown’s newest concept, Roost, is a fresh take on elevated pub food.

Beyond the meals themselves, Restaurant Week also highlights the role dining plays in building community and supporting Wilmington’s thriving downtown. Many participating restaurants are within walking distance of Market Street, making it easy to pair your meal with a night out at The Queen, a stroll along the Riverfront, or dessert from a local café. For visitors, it’s a perfect excuse to discover Wilmington’s walkable charm; for locals, it’s a chance to support neighborhood businesses and taste something new. Download the Downtown Wilm DE app for a full listing of Downtown restaurants, parking information and more!

👉 Ready to plan your dining adventure? Visit Out and About and VisitWilmingtonDE.com for the full list of participating restaurants, menus, and reservation details. Don’t miss your chance to savor the very best of Wilmington during Brandywine Valley Restaurant Week!

Main Street Wilmington Earns 2025 Main Street America® Accreditation — Again!

We're thrilled to announce that Main Street Wilmington, a division of Downtown Visions, has once again been designated as a Main Street America® Accredited Program — the highest national recognition awarded by Main Street America. This prestigious accreditation affirms our team’s deep commitment to preserving and revitalizing the heart of Wilmington through inclusive leadership, smart investment, and community-powered momentum.

As part of a network of over 800 Accredited programs nationwide, Main Street Wilmington is proud to stand among the best in the country when it comes to building vibrant downtowns. To earn this status, programs must meet rigorous standards in six core areas — from organizational sustainability to real-world impact — and we’re honored to have exceeded expectations.

Why This Matters

Main Street America represents a movement with over four decades of success in transforming historic downtowns into thriving economic and cultural hubs. In 2024 alone, Main Street programs nationwide spurred:

• $7.65 billion in local reinvestment

• 6,324 new businesses opened

• 33,835 jobs created

• Over 10,000 historic buildings rehabilitated

Here in Wilmington, the past year has been one of exciting growth:

• We supported over [15] new business openings in our Downtown district.

• Our team and volunteers contributed more than [2,000 hours] toward neighborhood beautification and small business outreach.

• We hosted over [20] community events — from the beloved Downtown Farmers Market to the festive Wilmington Holiday Parade — each one helping to draw residents and visitors into our vibrant commercial corridors.

“Accreditation is more than a badge — it’s proof that Main Street Wilmington is making a measurable difference,” said Lani Schweiger, Director of Main Street Wilmington. “Our team, board, partners, and volunteers work tirelessly to keep downtown clean, safe, inviting, and economically strong. We're proud to be part of a national movement that values historic preservation, community inclusion, and long-term sustainability.”

What’s Next?

We're not slowing down. Main Street Wilmington is continuing to build momentum in 2025 with new façade improvement grants, expanded programming, and stronger partnerships with local businesses and residents.

Thank you to everyone who helps us keep Downtown Wilmington moving forward — your support is what makes this possible. Help us continue this important work by contributing today at Downtown Wilm DE - Donate!

Let’s keep growing together.

Wilmington’s Pulse: The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival Returns to Downtown!

Downtown Wilmington Delaware is gearing up for its annual celebration of jazz excellence as Rodney Square transforms into the vibrant stage of the 38th Annual Clifford Brown Jazz Festival, scheduled June 18–21, 2025. This free, family-friendly event—proudly hosted in the heart of the city—offers an electrifying blend of live performances, community displays, late-night jam sessions, and irresistible food fare.

🔹 Why It Matters:
Named after Wilmington’s legendary son, trumpet virtuoso Clifford Benjamin Brown, the festival pays homage to his soaring artistry and enduring legacy. Over four dynamic days, Rodney Square becomes a crossroads of tradition and innovation, heard in every note—from hard bop to Afro‑Latin fusion.

🎤 Who’s Performing:
Lineup highlights include soulful grooves from Chante Moore and Eric Benét, Lili Añel, Carmen Lundy, Maya Belardo, funk‑jazz fusion with Victor Wooten & The Wooten Brothers, “Celebration of Black Joy & Friends”, Ingrid Jensen and more — plus lively after‑hours jam sessions nightly in downtown venues including The Queen, the Wilmington Public Library, The Nomad & more!

🍽 Food, Community & Vibes:
Expect a full sensory experience—a variety of food trucks will be on site selling your favorites foods. Bring lawn chairs or blankets and explore nearby restaurants, bars, and the Riverfront.

🔗 Connect & Follow the Fest

Clifford Brown Jazz Festival

• Website: cliffordbrownjazzfest.org

• Facebook: 38th Clifford Brown Jazz Fest | Facebook

• Instagram: @cliffordbrownjazzfestival

City of Wilmington

• Facebook: City of Wilmington & Cityfest Wilm

• Instagram: @cityofwilmde

• Twitter / X: @cityofwilmde (City Council and general City accounts) wilmingtoncitycouncil.com

• LinkedIn: City of Wilmington, DE

🎯 Downtown Visions Invites You!
Follow these pages for real-time announcements, performer info, venue maps, weather updates, and community highlights. Whether you're a longtime jazz lover or brand new to the scene, this is Wilmington at its most infectious—and sophisticated. Bring your family, friends, and your dancing shoes. Let’s make some jazz magic!

• 📍 About | Downtown Wilmington

• 📸 Instagram: Downtown Visions (@downtownvisions) • Instagram photos and videos 
  ( @downtownwilmde )

• 👍 Facebook: Facebook ( Downtown Wilm DE )

• 🐦 X (Twitter): DowntownWilmDE (@DowntownWilmDE) / X ( @DowntownWilmDE )

The First Ascent Design's Exciting Homecoming Journey to Its Downtown Wilmington Roots

Written by John Himics, President of First Ascent Design

First Ascent Design, an award-winning digital marketing agency in Downtown Wilmington, has moved to a spacious office at 605 N. Market Street. It’s an exciting return to our origins. This address is more than just an office to us; it is a homecoming.

We kicked off our journey eight years ago when this space was the coIN Loft coworking space, and now we’re back, stronger and bigger, with a team of 20 dedicated professionals. Our agency is entering a new era of growth and success, just like Downtown Wilmington.

Wilmington’s steadfast support for startups and small businesses has led to an energetic and diverse economic scene. The city’s growth mirrors our agency’s expansion, and we couldn’t be happier. We’re not just growing in Wilmington; we’re growing with Wilmington.

Our Journey: From a Humble Startup to a Thriving Agency

From our beginning in 2015, we were supported by the local community. We started our journey with the guidance of respected Wilmington entrepreneurs. I’m proud to now have worked with and alongside many members of that community. Among our diverse clientele are notable institutions like Delaware State University, Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County, the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, Coalition for a Safer Delaware, Cancer Support Community Delaware, and the Buccini/Pollin Group. We cater to a diverse range of clients, bringing cross-industry experience and an adaptable and versatile team to meet our clients’ needs.

I couldn’t have built this agency anywhere else, but Wilmington and we’re all proud to be in this community. Thank you to all that have supported us over the years!

About First Ascent Design

First Ascent is a digital marketing agency based in Wilmington with a mission to amplify the voices of organizations and businesses making a positive impact. 

John Himics, apart from leading First Ascent, lends his expertise to the community through board positions at Trauma Matters Delaware and the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce. He also spends time teaching entrepreneurship to aspiring business leaders as an adjunct professor in Entrepreneurial Marketing at Horn Entrepreneurship within the University of Delaware.

To discover more about how First Ascent can help elevate your organization’s message and reach, visit First Ascent Design website.

Downtown Visions’ Main Street Wilmington designated as an Accredited Main Street America program

Downtown Visions is proud to announce that Main Street Wilmington has once again been designated as an Accredited Main Street America program. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of Accredited programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.

In 2022, Main Street America programs generated $6.2 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 7,657 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 29,174 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,688 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,528,535 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, it generated $24.07 of new investment back into their downtown communities.

Main Street Wilmington’s performance is annually evaluated by Delaware on Main, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet national performance standards. To qualify for Accreditation status, communities must meet a set of rigorous standards that include commitments to building grassroots revitalization programs, fostering strong public-private partnerships, nurturing economic opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and actively preserving historic places, spaces, and cultural assets.

The strategy of any Main Street Program is always comprehensive and incremental, understanding that at times more emphasis needs to be placed in certain areas. Having achieved dramatic visual improvements along Market Street through the Main Street Wilmington Facade Improvement Program & Security Gate Removal Project, where Downtown Visions’ personnel managed each property’s revitalization from beginning to end, Lani Schweiger, Downtown Visions’ Main Street Manager, and the team have gained the respect and credibility of the property owners and businesses and are now able to engage them further. 

“Lani Schweiger, her team and our partners in both the public and private sectors, work tirelessly to support small businesses in Downtown Wilmington and the results of their work are significant and transformative.  Lani, Tabria Pinkett, Debbie Schwartz, and the entire Board of Directors of Main Street Wilmington deserve a great deal of credit.  In addition, a debt of gratitude goes to the generous donors that support these initiatives, without which much of this incredibly important work would not happen.”

To date all grants and donations received for programs and projects by Main Street Wilmington have been used for capital improvements to buildings, small business support and job creation. No funds have been used for administrative or personnel costs within Downtown Visions.