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EDA allocates $35,000 to Shop the Block festival after organizers seek $45,000 to expand High Street event
Summary
Ports Events asked the Economic Development Authority for $45,000 to expand the Shop the Block High Street Festival in September; the EDA approved $35,000. Organizers said the event footprint, hours and permitting will increase and they aim to raise $10,000 in sponsorships and make the festival self-sustaining over time.
The Portsmouth Economic Development Authority on April 15 approved a $35,000 contribution to the Shop the Block High Street Festival after hearing a presentation from event organizers who requested $45,000 to expand the event.
Organizers representing Ports Events said they plan to move the festival to September, extend the street-closure footprint to include the farmers market and increase hours and activations. Michelle Wren, representing Ports Events, said the larger footprint will allow restaurants and retail along High Street to participate more fully and make the corridor more walkable and inviting for visitors.
"We're looking to move it to September, hoping to have a little bit better weather," Wren said. "The focus is on the High Street corridor, making it walkable, making it pleasant, bringing visitors in, indoor, outdoor eating, and that type of synergy." Liz Fascolini, assistant director for Ports Events, said organizers expect to raise $10,000 in private sponsorships and conservatively budget the total event at $55,000 to account for the larger footprint and the difficulty of selling sponsorship for a nonticketed public festival.
Organizers described specific new elements: expanded outdoor dining, a DORA-style permit to allow patrons to carry beverages within a closed event footprint, inclusion of the farmers market inside the closure, and programming to showcase vacant or leasable storefronts along High Street. Fascolini said the DORA-style permit is intended to be family friendly and to let people move safely through the corridor with food and drink from participating businesses.
Board members asked for performance metrics and suggested staff follow up with data on tax receipts and foot-traffic sources. Fascolini said the team will track increased foot traffic, ferry ridership on festival days and vendor and business revenue during event hours. The city staff and organizers also discussed using geolocation analytics (Placer.ai) and on-site surveys to measure how many attendees are local versus visitors from outside Portsmouth.
The EDA motion to allocate $35,000 passed by a recorded vote of 7-0.
Organizers said they view the 2025 festival as a multi-year build: the goal is to increase sponsorship and attendance so the event becomes self-sustaining and requires less public subsidy in future years.
