Newmarket is launching a new event in February that will close portions of Main Street to transform it into a "massive" winter event space.
The proposed Ice Lounge on Main event would run Feb. 22 to 25 throughout the day and night, with buskers, decorations, art and firepits, according to a presentation by town staff to the downtown BIA Jan. 10.
Newmarket Councillor Bob Kwapis, the town representative on the BIA board, said it is an exciting event and stands to be the biggest one on Main Street outside of the Canada Day weekend.
“We’re very fortunate the town is investing that much money into the downtown in order to create the hype during the winter that we really didn’t have,” Kwapis said. “This is massive. This is hopefully going to be an iconic (event) ... The key to this is to have as many businesses as possible, as creative as possible, in order to make this a success."
Main Street from Water Street to Park Avenue is proposed to have live entertainment after 5 p.m., with restaurants invited to have outdoor expansion zones that the town will oversee. Some attractions will include igloo lounges rented for the southern portion of Main Street, two zones dedicated to ice bars, and a sign highlighting the event meant for photography from the Park Avenue entrance. There will also be art and ice sculpture installations.
The town would get a special event permit to allow patrons to enjoy alcohol throughout the outdoor space, allowing them to carry it out after purchasing from one of the restaurants on Main Street, director of recreation and culture Colin Service said. They would not be able to then enter another business with the alcohol, but they could bring it with them to enjoy the outdoor features.
Business development specialist Dave Lowes said they will work with businesses to offer additional features, such as event menus, special promotions like receipts from a lunch menu resulting in a discount at a retailer, and a gift card campaign. He said they would connect directly with businesses in the coming weeks regarding their involvement.
Parking was a point of discussion. BIA chair Tom Hempen suggested using the parking lot at the municipal offices for overflow, with signage at the trail system directing people toward the downtown event. Cane Parkway was also brought up as an area for added parking during the event.
Hempen said he knows the town recreation department always does an outstanding job at events. He said the BIA and business are not yet in a position to organize something like this but hope they can contribute further in future years.
“I look forward to seeing this event grow,” he said. “We don’t have the human resources to organize this, so I’m thankful to the town for looking after this.”
