Holland celebrating 20th anniversary of street performer series

HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — Downtown Holland’s Summer Street Performer Series is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The Gentex Street Performer Series, which takes place on Thursdays during the summer from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., started two decades ago after the city passed a Street Performer ordinance, allowing performers to buy a permit to busk for tips in downtown Holland.

The series has grown from 10 performers at five spots along 8th Street to a rotating group of 100 performers at 25 locations, downtown Holland said in a release.

On Thursday, downtown Holland and Gentex, the event’s title sponsor, will be hosting a 20th anniversary party . Along with the regular street performers, there will also be prizes, giveaways and a photo op. Downtown businesses are also offering discounts throughout the day, and attendees can enter to win $20 gift cards to several downtown shops and restaurants.

“I’ve been involved with the planning of the Street Performer Series for the past 15 years and every summer I continue to be amazed at the event’s growing popularity,” Downtown Holland Marketing Coordinator Kara de Alvare said in the release. “Performing artists from across West Michigan continue to embrace the event each year, along with our shops and restaurants, the local community, and summer visitors.”

Downtown Holland opened a social district in 2021, which helped attract more to the series, the city said.

The downtown area is busy this year, with a cheese shop and donut spot recently opening on or near 8th Street, and construction is underway on a new business hub and an ice rink .

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