We are extremely excited to announce the BID’s biggest event yet! Showtime on North Street, a family friendly event, on Saturday 14th September from 12 noon-10pm. Pen it in your diaries now and start thinking how your business can get involved and benefit.
Theme
Picture vintage circus meets Covent Garden! In the daytime, you can expect circus performers, including jugglers, acrobats and stilt walkers as well as circus skills workshops, face painting and more! Live music, from The Jjarrs, a well-known and much-celebrated covers band from the area, will keep the crowd entertained through the evening.
Location & Setting
A road closure will be in place for the whole day, from the crossroads with Bridge Street/High Street, down to Water Lane. Cafes and restaurants within the closure will be encouraged to set up tables and chairs in front of their premises for alfresco eating and drinking. The BID will be liaising with the relevant hospitality businesses and facilitating this.
Communal seating will also be made available, to encourage the public to bring takeaways from businesses elsewhere in the town centre and enjoy the atmosphere and entertainment. Do you offer takeaways currently? If not, you might want to think about doing so. We intend to promote all BID eateries on the day, perhaps with QR codes linking to menus, made available in the North Street area and listed on marketing materials.
Future Plans
As well as providing an exciting event for the community, the BID is trialing the pedestrianisation of North Street and the relevant road closure and diversions, with the aim of implementing a permanent weekend/evening pedestrianisation moving forward. The 14th September is an opportunity to showcase the space, its flexibility and heritage, as well as provide a gathering place and outdoor performance space in the absence of a usable market square.
Pedestrianisation Intentions
The overall objective of pedestrianising this part of North Street is to increase footfall and encourage people to rediscover this part town, and Bishop’s Stortford generally. Following the closure of The Causeway and Charringtons surface car parks, the north-side of town has become somewhat disconnected from the rest, as people take different routes from other car parks.
In the longer term, we hope creating a pedestrianised area and hub for the community will put Bishop’s Stortford on the map, benefiting the public, our businesses and visitors alike.
Please feel free to email us here if you have any questions. We’ll update here as plans evolve.
