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Licensing panel approves Lowell Folk Festival permits, alcohol licenses for late July event
Summary
The Lowell Licensing Commission approved special-event permits for amplified outdoor entertainment and one-day alcohol licenses for the 2025 Lowell Folk Festival, confirming dates, locations and evening sound cutoffs.
The Lowell Licensing Commission on June 26 approved special-event permits for amplified outdoor entertainment and one-day alcohol licenses for the Lowell Folk Festival, scheduled for late July 2025.
The permits cover a sound check on July 24 and festival performances July 25–27, 2025, at Boarding House Park, Saint Anne's Churchyard, JFK Plaza, Arcand Drive and Market Street. The commission approved the applications by voice vote after brief questions about hours. "People have really been coming out of the woodworks," said Lee Velizis, executive director of the Lowell Festival Foundation, describing donor interest in the festival this year. "We are hoping that that love continues to pour out." Corey Belanger, a festival organizer, urged residents to attend: "We urge you all to come down and participate," he said.
Commissioners asked about evening sound cutoffs. Velizis said the schedule varies by stage: performances at Boarding House Park and the dance stage will run until about 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Saturday-night sets on Market Street and at Saint Anne's will end around 8:15–8:30 p.m., and Sunday programming is scheduled to conclude around 6:00 p.m. The commission approved the permits on motions that were seconded and carried by voice vote.
The approvals include the festival's request for amplified outdoor entertainment at multiple public locations and authorization for vendors to hold and dispense alcohol under eight one-day licenses previously discussed by the commission. The foundation did not provide a detailed funding breakdown at the meeting but Velizis said the group remains "far away from meeting our goals for 2025." She said new, larger donors will be announced in a press release in the coming weeks.
The commission did not attach conditions to the permits at the meeting. Organizers and residents seeking more detail on vendor locations, staged sound maps or vendor alcohol setups would need to follow up with licensing staff and festival organizers before the event.
The Folk Festival is one of the city's larger summer events and uses multiple public spaces; the licensing approvals clear the way for the foundation to finalize operational planning and vendor arrangements ahead of the late-July dates.
