Downtown Visions released the Downtown Wilmington App, a one stop shop for all the happenings in Downtown Wilmington, DE.
Our next merchant meeting is Monday, November 19th, all are welcome to attend.
For more information on how Downtown Visions proudly serves the local business community, click here.
Photo Credit: Moonloop Photography
The Wilmington Jaycees are currently planning for the 55th Annual Wilmington Jaycees Christmas Parade to be held in Downtown Wilmington on Saturday, November 24th at 11am. This year’s Parade will again feature:
• Local celebrities and dignitaries
• Marching and String Bands
• Community organizations
• Floats and attractions
• Statewide Pageant Winners
• Your Favorite Cartoon Characters
And the Star of the Show – Santa Claus! Elves will be accepting Christmas wish lists from children for Santa. Children who provide their name and address will receive a response from Santa in December.
Read about last year’s parade festivities…
Photo Credit: Moonloop Photography
Following the Wilmington Jaycees Christmas parade, start the shopping season by supporting local businesses that create jobs, boost our economy, and preserve neighborhoods around our country. The Market Street corridor is full of unique shops and dining experiences. There will be some surprise pop up shops as well!
Photo Credit: North Delaware Happening
Please join Mike Purzycki - Mayor of the City of Wilmington, and Acting Cultural Affairs Director Tina Betz for Wilmington’s official lighting tree lighting and caroling to kick-off the holiday season. Get in the holiday spirit with your friends, on Tuesday, December 4th at 6:30 p.m. in historic Rodney Square at 10th and North Market Streets.
Gather with family, friends and neighbors at this popular gathering to get into the holiday spirit while helping those in need. Mayor Mike Purzycki and members of City Council will light the City’s Tree, and sing holiday carols led by local choral groups.
The Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware is pleased to reopen The Horizon Services Riverfront Rink for its 5th season. This family-oriented, outdoor ice skating rink provides fun for all ages! The 2018/2019 season will operate November 23rd through the end of March 4, 2019. The Riverfront Rink is able to accommodate approximately 350 skaters at once and will be open 7 days a week with extended hours during the holiday break. The Horizon Services Riverfront Rink not only brings the fun winter tradition of skating to the Wilmington Riverfront, it will also offer numerous programs and promotions throughout the skating season. Lace up your skates and we’ll see you at the rink!
This holiday season, be treated to something very special, a performance that lifts your holiday spirits and evokes joy in kids of all ages. Wilmington’s beloved annual holiday tradition at the Playhouse on Rodney Square turns 52 this year! Come to our Nutcracker and experience an opulent theater with a full orchestra and chorus, world class guest artists, and 100 talented dancers from the Wilmington Ballet and the HAC School of Dance. Follow the dancers as they party, battle, and enchant you with their beautiful dancing. Make The Nutcracker a part of your family’s holiday tradition, and experience the magic of this beautiful, timeless ballet.
Everyone’s favorite holiday classic comes to life in the all-new touring production A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS LIVE ON STAGE! Join Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and the whole Peanuts gang as they produce their own Christmas play and ultimately learn the true meaning of the season. A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS LIVE ON STAGE is a present the whole family can enjoy!
Adapted from Charles M. Schulz’s timeless story of the spirit of Christmas, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS LIVE ON STAGE features the unforgettable music of Vince Guaraldi, as well as a concert of beloved holiday carols performed by the Peanuts characters. There’s no better magic of the season.
CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE is a new cirque adventure, Broadway musical and family holiday spectacular wrapped in one! This incomparable phenomenon features over 300 imaginative costumes, 20 world-class astonishing acts, the finest singers, original music and seasonal favorites celebrating the most wonderful time of the year.
Audiences of all ages will be mesmerized for 2 hours and marvel at soaring acrobatics, gravity defying feats and extravagant theatrical production numbers the Boston Globe hails “Entrancing…Las Vegas meets family entertainment."
The Grand Baile is Returning to Downtown Wilmington! This Latin dance event is open to everyone no matter your previous experience! Just come on out for a great time!
Friday, November 2
The Grand’s Studio One*
$5 at the door
8 PM Dance Instruction with Watson Saintsulne of Watson & Co. Latin Dance
9 PM Social Dancing with Latin music by DJ Bis
Cash bar open until 12:30 AM
Whether you like Latin dancing, Latin music, or just socializing and having a great time, Grand Baile is the place for you. Every other month we transform Studio One into the perfect place to mix, mingle, and move. The night starts off with a free dance lesson, and then the opens up for social dancing to the hottest Latin beats!
*Use the front entrance between the box office and the baby grand. Take the elevator up to the 3rd Floor.
Q. How did Downtown Visions begin?
A. “In 1993 a group of individuals got together from the corporations because they saw the City was struggling because retail had dramatically changed. People went to the mall or shopping plazas to get what they needed. Historically, when Downtown Wilmington was booming it was an epicenter of retail shops-now it needed a new position. I saw the restaurants and the arts as strengths and destinations for the city. Places like A.R. Morris, Govatos and Als were the only remaining retailers on Market Street. I knew if we could make it a welcoming, clean, safe place it would turn a corner. Back then there were around 12 Business Improvement Districts (BIDS) in the U.S. and Wilmington, DE was one of them. Now there are around 2,000. I left the police department in November of 1994 and needed to train the first set of Safety Ambassadors by Christmas. It was a tough, but I did it and our team of ambassadors immediately made an impact. From then on, crime decreased within the BID. That was the first step. So much more came following.”
Q. What is your proudest moment here at Downtown Visions?
A. “There have been many, from training and hiring the first set of Safety Ambassadors to installing our video surveillance cameras which was a model for Homeland Security in 2001. The video surveillance program grew from there. Where the Downtown Farmers Market is today has also been incredibly meaningful. In the height of the season between 10 and 2 PM on a Wednesday in the summer 5,000 people visit the Market. Watching the Main Street Program help entrepreneurs and small businesses set roots downtown has also been rewarding.”
Q. What do you believe has been Downtown Visions greatest impact on the local community?
A. “Providing a safe and clean environment downtown that has made it easier for developers, restaurants and retailers to come downtown, being a catalyst for economic development.”
Q. What services do you think individuals are not aware of that Downtown Visions offers?
A.”Many people don’t realize we offer a Safety Escort Service that is completely free. We also have Facade Improvement Programs and grants for new businesses. Sometimes it is the little things that make a big difference. Our Cleaning Ambassadors are removing graffiti, posters, stickers, leaves and constantly emptying the trash bins downtown.”
Q. How has the BID improved over the years?
A.”It has dramatically changed through the developers that have been willing to invest Downtown. Groups like The Buccini/Pollin Group that have created residential buildings. With a critical mass of residents, we are now a 24 hour downtown and a true community. The area today is vibrant with arts, residential, entertainment and retail.”
Q. What differences do you see in the Business Improvement District in 2020?
A.”We will continue to see a community of people that live, work and play downtown.”
Q. What is your favorite Downtown Visions annual event?
A. “The Farmer’s Market in Rodney Square. It brings associates out of their buildings and gives them a chance to not only enjoy the market, but also see all of the positive things happening downtown.”
A Gallery Showcasing the roots of Downtown Visions:
Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki unveiled a comprehensive communications and promotional campaign—“It’s Time”—to highlight the people of Wilmington and the City as a whole. The new image and pride campaign will tell the stories of Wilmington and its people through narratives and videos utilizing multiple platforms for audiences within the City, as well as regionally, nationally and throughout the world. The announcement was made this evening at a Wilmington Love community celebration in Rodney Square where the Mayor was joined by Governor John Carney and City Council President Hanifa Shabazz.
Governor Carney, a proud City resident who spoke at the Wilm Love celebration, said he’s excited for Wilmington. “Wilmington has been my home for the past three decades, and you can feel the momentum and progress in communities throughout our City,” said Governor John Carney. “It’s true that as goes Wilmington, so goes our state. Wilmington is Delaware’s economic capital, and we all have a stake in its success. I’m pleased to be joining all of our public and private sector partners in helping to tell the story of our City.”
The new communications and promotional campaign establishes a set of shared resources to help neighborhoods and community organizations tell their Wilmington story. These resources include:
Polling and research to continually solicit local feedback, attitudes and opinions
Digital tools that include new web-based, social media and YouTube channels
Public relations to help promote local efforts through regional and national media
Mayor Purzycki said the new campaign does not replace current community-driven efforts such as www.InWilmDE.com, known as the “in” campaign, or any other current promotional effort. Instead, he said, the new campaign will compliment or leverage efforts to promote the City.
The Mayor said the campaign is a megaphone to help tell the powerful stories of Wilmington’s people. To be successful, he said, the campaign needs all citizens to be participants. “We want to hear from all Wilmingtonians,” said the Mayor. “If you know about someone or something awesome in Wilmington, please tell us at http://stories.wilm.love. If you have photos or videos that you think should be a part of our community campaign, submit them to http://media.wilm.love.”
Citizens can participate and support the campaign through www.wilmington.love, www.WilmToday.com, www.InWilmDE.com and through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @ItsTimeWilmDE. Mayor Purzycki said by sharing the campaign with others, Wilmington residents can help change the narrative about their City.
Mayor Purzycki today expressed his appreciation for the private sector support for the campaign, which totals more than a half-million dollars to enable Wilmington to tell a more complete story about itself and its citizens in a consistent and continual fashion. The campaign’s private sector partners include Barclays, Capital One, CSC, Epic Research, Incyte, JP Morgan Chase, Chemours and WSFS. In addition, the State has contributed $250,000 and the Mayor has pledged a $70,000 contribution from the City.
