Yanicel Martinez 3/12/18 Yanicel Martinez 3/12/18

Celebrating Irish Culture in Lowell

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, there will be plenty of events celebrating Lowell's Irish community. Experience the wonderful celebration filled with food, live music and dancing!

Lowell Irish Cultural Committee will host their 35th annual Lowell Irish Cultural Week. Events scheduled include concerts and movie nights. On Saturday, March 10th, the Committee hosts a Dinner Dance featuring live music by the Silver Spears Irish Band and the annual Lucky Leprechaun $5 raffle. Tickets for the Dinner Dance are $39. On Sunday, March 11th, enjoy a free event at the Lowell Lodge of Elks featuring Traditional Ceili Dancing, or Irish Folk Dancing. For more information on Lowell Irish Cultural Committee and their events, click here.

This year, Cobblestones celebrates their 24th St. Patrick’s Day with style and the luck of the Irish. On the day of honor, March 17th, they will host “St. Paddy’s Day at O’Cobbletsones.” The menu will feature the traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner, along with drink specials.

There are also many other establishments that will be having live entertainment and classic Irish dishes. Fuse Bistro will have live music from 2-6 PM on March 17th, along with their house cured corned beef and cabbage. Garcia Brogan's will celebrate all weekend opening at 8 AM on the 17th to serve Irish breakfast. They will have a live show of traditional Irish music from Tom Courtney starting at 12 PM, and Whiskey Tango at 9 PM on the 18th. For a city restaurant guide, click here.

To wrap up a weekend of fun, join us for the kick off of the Wellness on the Walkways series! This urban hike is free and from 2-4 PM on Sunday, March 18th. The meeting point of this two mile walk along the Merrimack River is at the Lowell National Historic Park Visitor Center at 246 Market Street. For more information, click here.

Yanicel Martinez 11/13/17 Yanicel Martinez 11/13/17

Looking Back at the Origin of City of Lights

As the annual City of Lights Parade and Celebration approaches, I spent an afternoon at the UMass Lowell Center for Lowell History and looked through Father Armand "Spike" Morissette’s collection of documents from the early days of the City of Lights Parade. What began as a project and symbol of “Faith in Lowell” has now become an honored tradition for the city’s community and the beginning of holiday season festivities. Below are some of the events’ traditions that began in the 1950s and have evolved into today’s celebration.

Lighting the City

The City of Lights organizers wanted to demonstrate the vibrancy and joy of the holiday spirit and decided there was no better way to do so than to light up the city with lights. Lighting of public buildings, monuments, stores and homes was encouraged. The lights would not only fill the streets with local residents enjoying the brilliant display, but also bring people from neighboring communities to experience the beauty of a city glowing in light. After a hiatus and a decline in the number of lighting displays, the City of Lights theme was resurrected in the late 1980s/early 1990s through a partnership between the city and private businesses. Some 50,000 new lights and unique decorations were installed. A holiday stroll grew into a holiday parade. Nowadays, the tradition continues with an estimated 60,000 lights that bring the holidays to life and serve as the official start of the holiday season for many. The City of Lights program from the 1952-1953 season began this honored tradition, one that is as popular as ever six decades later.

Music and Poetry

With holiday singalongs, caroling, concerts, movies and more fun entertainment in the City of Lights Parade this year, it’s no secret that the community loves to be entertained. The origin of the City of Lights shows that this tradition goes back to the 1950s when music and poetry defined the entertainment of the Parade at the time. Songs like “Lights On In Lowell Town” written about the City of Lights by Paul Bordeleau and Henry Fournier were the embodiment of bringing the holidays alive in the community. Poems were the other big form of entertainment, with a poem called “Christmas Lights” being printed on the back of the City of Lights 1952-53 program book. Other poems were included in the actual event, with local poets being chosen to have their poem become the “Official City of Lights Poem” every year.

Contests and Activities

Nowadays, the Parade includes a multitude of activities such as the Festival of Wreaths, Photos with Santa, Strolling Carolers through Downtown and more. In the 1950s, many of the activities revolved around garnering participation for the City of Lights project. Contests helped do this, especially when it came to decorating. Home decoration contests allowed the community to get involved in the celebration and to show how festive they were in decorating their home. These contests had first, second and third place plaques that were awarded. Today, downtown stores compete in a window decorating contest and eateries compete in the Hot Chocolate Competition. It’s delightful to see how the activities have grown through the years and how the spirit of the early City of Lights program continues today and displays Lowell’s love for holiday festivities.

Guest User 1/6/17 Guest User 1/6/17

Another Year - Another Reason to Celebrate!

From kids' activities to a Craft Beer lovers dream...Winterfest has you covered!

#Winterfest 2017

From kids' activities to a Craft Beer lovers dream...Winterfest has you covered!
On February 24-25 catch Lowell's annual Winterfest weekend in downtown Lowell, featuring everything from a carousel and free ice-skating to an all-you-can-eat chocolate festival.

Activities include a microbrew showcase, north bowl soup competition, games, activities, the family fun zone and outdoor amusements.

#OVERVIEW

Lowell Winterfest transforms JFK Plaza and Lucy Larcom Park in downtown Lowell into a magical, winterize park. A cold-weather proof festival, Winterfest includes a skating rink in the heart of downtown, lodge, winter market with local artisans and beer garden, heated tents, holiday trees, fire pits and plenty of cozy seating.

Winterfest is one of Lowell's must-experience winter attractions, offering family-friendly activities by day with amazing light shows, delicious food and drinks by night.

#NEW FOR 2017

New this year, the two sites will include more seating indoors and out, a viewing deck next to the skating rink, expanded food options from local eateries and artisans (think amazing hot chocolate, holiday treats and more), twinkling lights and pretty cool events.

Plus, the winter market and beer garden will offer the added bonus of outside firepits and seating will make a perfect base camp for an all-day hangout at Winterfest.
2017 special events will include the annual Soup Competition, Microbrew Showcase, a Glow Party, live entertainment and much more.

Main New Attractions:

#1 - JFK Ice Rink

The centerpiece of this year's Winterfest experience on JFK Plaza is the Ice Rink, a medium-sized ice skating rink. A new Lowell tradition, the Ice Rink is a family-friendly outdoor activity. On-site skate rentals available..

#2 - The Lodge

After a few laps on the Ice Rink, warm up inside The Lodge, an onsite restaurant within a heated tent, comfortable seating and refreshments from local restaurants.

Whether you're skating or just looking for a winter retreat, The Lodge is a place for a relaxing break with a menu of tasty bites. Warm up from the cold with a cup of coffee or grab something stronger. The bar at The Lodge features local craft beers, wine and spiked hot beverages.

While you take a break from the frosty weather enjoy a good book, oversized games and entertainment.

#3 - Magical Winter Beergarden

For the weekend of Winterfest parts of Lucy Larcom Park will be transformed into a magical winter beergarden featuring food, music and craft beers. Find the best Lowell based food trucks, craft brewers and wine merchants and enjoy local bands with the backdrop of illuminated canals.

ADMISSION

General admission to Lowell's Winterfest is
FREE. Admission to the JFK Ice Rink is free as are skate rentals. Convenient, safe parking is available close by.

Admission to special events as follows:
Soup Competition: $5 p.p. (12+ competitors) Tickets available day of only
Microbrew CraftBeer Showcase: $30 pre-sale / $35 day-of (no food included)
Glow Party: $5 p.p. (Cover only) Tickets available day of only

Guest User 10/28/16 Guest User 10/28/16

7 Signs you haven't really been to Lowell yet

1. You haven't eaten a donut from the Donut Shack

Sure, there are plenty of donut places in Lowell. But we don't really consider you an insider until you have eaten a daily, made-from-scratch donut at The Donut Shack. This place is a true Lowell original as far as donuts go.

2. You think Marko is just another guy

One could say that Marko is the inventor of mobile food. Before Gyro was a thing, Marko was. Long before food trucks were hip and trendy, Marco was! Lowell's history is one of inventions and success and, Marko's Mediterranean Grill, home to the famous Monster Fries, is kind of the father of mobile food in Lowell.

3. You think of flour when you hear Mill No.5

Yes, there are a lot of mills in Lowell. No, none of them grind flour, although you can buy some at Mill No. 5, or pick up some local baked artisan bread when you visit. This mill, which was named a "safe haven for hipsters" by Boston Magazine is now home to more than 12 unique shops, pretty good coffee, an independent movie theater and a few of Lowell's hottest start-up companies. (Photo: Tory Germann) - Visit Mill No. 5's webpage here.

Photo Credit: Tory Germann courtesy of Mill No. 5

4. You're not expecting a lot of urban when you hear National Park

Let's be honest, when you hear National Park, you think nature. You know, mountains and all. But not after you have been to Lowell. Lowell is home to the first Urban National Park in the United States. From trolley rides to boat tours, exhibits to hands-on workshops, Lowell's National Park is visited by over half a million visitors annually and is lots of fun to explore.

5. You never had lunch next to a waterfall in the heart of the city

Nestled in the heart of the city, just where the Pawtucket Canal meets the Concord River is our favorite lunch spot. You'll forget you're even in the city when you sit down on the Lower Locks Plaza to eat your lunch. With the soothing sounds of falling water, what could be better?

(Photo: lowellheritagepartnership.org — (Photo: lowellheritagepartnership.org

6. You're not moved when you hear Art is the Handmaid of Human Good

In Lowell, Art is the Handmaid of Human Good. We take art seriously. So seriously actually that we made it part of our city seal! Who does that? We do!
And we're proud of it. Over 900 artists from a variety of disciplines call Lowell home, and Western Avenue Studios is home to the largest artist community in the Northeast. Not to mention plenty of galleries and art coops like The Brush Art Gallery and the Arts League of Lowell.

7. You seriously think 5.6 miles of canalways are boring

Lowell has been called the Venice of America. And rightfully so! There are plenty of places with canals, but 5.6 miles of them, still used today to generate hydro power? Well, there's only Lowell. And these days, with initiatives like the Waterways Vitality Plan, parts of our canals become hotspots for creative economic development, new events and spectacular art and light installations. - Learn More about this!