Licensing panel approves amplified entertainment at Derby Park, contingent OK for Open Streets

The Lowell Licensing Commission on Aug. 28 approved two amplified outdoor entertainment permits for fall downtown events and granted a separate amplified-permit for an Open Streets event contingent on a city street permit. The approvals cover a buskers performance as part of the Fall Downtown Buskers Series on Oct. 18, 2025, at Derby Park (66 Middle Street) and Pumpkins and Pints / Monster Bash on Oct. 25, 2025 (222 Merrimack Street). The commission also approved Open Streets Lowell, planned for Oct. 4, 2025, on a portion of Merrimack Street between Kirk and Central, contingent on the organizer obtaining the required street permit. The buskers and Monster Bash applications were presented by Sofia Boucher of the City of Lowell Cultural and Special Events office. Boucher told the commission the busker is simply “a musician who will be performing at Derby Park” and described Monster Bash as music “in celebration of the Halloween season.” Commissioner Krieger moved approval of the two city-run events; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. DIY Lowell volunteer and board member Ethan Yang described Open Streets Lowell as an effort to create a car-free block to “revitalize downtown” and bring smaller-scale street activity to downtown beyond the city’s larger festivals. Yang said organizers expect roughly 500 to 1,000 attendees over the four-hour event, with about 50 to 100 people on the street at any given time. He said more than 90% of businesses contacted along the planned route expressed support and that organizers were finalizing a street permit and meetings with city staff, including the police department. The commission’s approval of Open Streets was expressly made contingent on the event’s obtaining a city street permit; commissioners noted police coordination and the street permit remained pending. The motion to approve Open Streets with that condition was seconded and carried by voice vote; at the hearing the commission emphasized that the permit approval depended on the organizer providing the street permit before the event. Why it matters: the permits allow amplified music and a temporary street closure in the core downtown corridor for fall events, and the conditional approval for Open Streets ties the event to the city’s street-permitting process and public-safety review. Details and next steps: organizers are responsible for securing the city street permit and finalizing police coordination; the commission recorded no roll-call tallies beyond the voice votes recorded at the meeting. The approvals do not change any long-term zoning or licensing rules and apply only to the specific dates and locations cited.