BID PROGRAMS
Downtown Gift Certificates
Where to Use & Buy Gift Certificates
Cards are accepted at 40+ Downtown Auburn retail shops, spas & salons, restaurants, service businesses & entertainment venues. Click here to purchase with a credit card, or stop by with cash/check to the front desk of the Equal Rights Heritage Center. You can also call the BID office at 315.252-7874. Certificates can be purchased in values ranging from $25 - $500. BID collects no added fees for this service.
Our office is located at 25 South Street & Lincoln Street, in the Equal Rights Heritage Center. Parking is offered in the Downtown City Parking Garage located right next to the building.
BID Maintenance Program
BID has a wonderful partnership with the city of Auburn and its departments, and together we maintain parks, provide seasonal décor & amenities, snow removal, plus address safety and parking concerns and help organize and host special events & street festivals. The City has contracted with BID for 30+ years to manage downtown’s maintenance & appearance, and we are honored to be of service.
BID Flower Power Program
In summer, seasonal subcontractors mow & weed the City park lawns & grasses. BID plants & maintains the downtown flower pots, beds, hanging baskets and landscaping to beautify downtown green spaces. To save on the expense of daily watering, we’ve partnered with the local company BO-MER, to purchase self-watering pots. The flowers provided by Breezy Acres, are planted before Memorial Day with volunteers and maintained into the early fall.
Public Art Trail & Cultural Attractions
Downtown art & culture prevail with Auburn Public Theater, the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center, Finger Lakes Art Council, Seward House Museum & Cayuga County Arts Council. The public Art for Auburn projects include mosaic installations, sculptures, painted murals & vinyl banners that brighten downtown’s buildings & street views. BID has fully supported all of these projects, plus managed seven DRI-funded placemaking projects recently completed.
BID helped create a Public Arts Trail brochure & website to promote downtown’s public art scene. We also partner on projects with Auburn Beautification Commission, like the flower pot program. Call us for an Art Trail brochure at 315.252-7874, or visit the Art Trail’s website or Facebook page.
College Student Discount Program
Take advantage of this new program offering student discounts on products & services at Downtown Auburn BID businesses. Our partners include retail shops, eateries, entertainment venues & more. Just present your student ID and enjoy savings at the following locations: Auburn Public Theater, Finger Lakes Scuba, Fred’s Barber Cuts, Hairlooms Salon, The Liberty Store, Mesa Grande Taqueria, Moondog’s Lounge, Moro's Table, Parker’s Grille & Tap House, Sam’s Shoes, Silbert Optical and Subway.
Free Community Events
Downtown festivals, concerts & events are plentiful and free for families. Per event planning, BID is an active partner, and we are sought out by local organizations to help bring new downtown events online. We work very closely with various City departments to make sure everything goes safely & smoothly.
BID presents First Fridays monthly March - December at museums, shops, breweries & restaurants with free entertainment, art exhibits & refreshments. Staff also helps organize the Memorial Day Food Truck Rodeo and the city’s Founder’s Day street festival. The City & BID host summer Music on the Mall performances on State Street. A. T. Walley’s hosts the Italianfest and Santa Con events. BID partners with Auburn Education Foundation’s Gobble 'N Go eatery crawl, and TomatoFest to bring additional street festivals downtown. Staff also coordinates Small Business Saturday promotions and the city tree lighting ceremony. For more info about our events click here.
Awards
Most Arts-Vibrant Communities of 2024
Auburn proudly ranked in the country’s Top 40 Most Arts-Vibrant Communities of 2024 by SMU DataArts. Auburn is #10 Top Small Cities- and the only small city selected in New York State. SMU evaluated community vibrancy using a data-driven approach to assess supply, demand, and public support for arts and culture. We celebrate this honor with the city of Auburn and its Public Art Commission, the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center, Auburn Public Theater, Seward House Museum, the Schweinfurth Art Center, and all of Auburn’s Historic & Cultural Sites. It is encouraging that our efforts to develop a creative community have been recognized nationally through the rankings.
Auburn was the first East Coast city to offer Pango on-street parking. Pango is an easy convenient mobile phone parking option. Auburn received a Local Government Achievement Award from NYCOM for its successful implementation of Pango’s innovative program. For more parking and directions info click here.
Header photo by Mike Ryan of Dream Mural by Dawn Jordan & BluePrint II students.
