BID PROGRAMS
Downtown Gift Certificates
SUPPORT LOCAL
Please do your part and purchase gift certificates from our downtown businesses, use online ordering, pick-up and delivery options wherever possible, and make donations to local arts & entertainment venues that have suspended programs & productions due to COVID-19 safety mandates.
Where to Use & Buy Gift Certificates
Cards are accepted at 50+ Downtown Auburn retail shops, spas & salons, restaurants, service businesses & entertainment venues. Click here with a credit card, or in person at the front desk of the Equal Rights Heritage Center at 25 South Street. You can also call the BID office at 315.252-7874. Certificates can be purchased with cash, check or credit card; values range 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. Free two-hour upper-level 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 and its departments, and together we maintain parks, provide seasonal décor & amenities, snow removal, plus address safety and parking concerns and set-up for special events & street festivals. The City has contracted with BID for 25+ years to manage downtown’s maintenance & appearance, and we are honored to be of service.
BID Flower Power Program
In summer, seasonal staff mow & weed the City park lawns & grasses. BID also 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 are planted before Memorial Day and maintained into early fall.
Public Art Trail & Cultural Attractions
Downtown art & culture prevail with Auburn Public Theater, Finger Lakes Art Council, Seward House Museum, Spotlight Studios & 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 the mosaic projects, and funded vinyl banners & painted murals, with many more DRI projects on the horizon.
BID helped create an 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 & the Dazzle Downtown tree lighting project. 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. We have 16 partners on board including retail shops, eateries, entertainment venues & more. Just present your student ID and enjoy savings at the following locations: Auburn Public Theater, Finger Lakes Scuba, Elements Salon, Fred’s Barber Cuts, Hairlooms Salon, Historic Grounds Coffee, Hunter’s Diner, The Liberty Store, Mesa Grande Taqueria, Moondog’s Lounge, Moro's Table, Parker’s Grille & Tap House, the Rev Theatre Co., Sam’s Shoes, Silbert Optical and Subway.
Free Community Events
When it’s safe, 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.
First Fridays happen monthly at museums, shops, breweries & restaurants with free entertainment, art exhibits & refreshments offered from 5 – 8PM. BID also helps organize the City’s Founder’s Day weekend street festival. The City & BID host summer Music on the Mall performances on State Street, then there's A. T. Walley’s Nick’s Ride for Friends and Santa Con events. BID partners with Auburn Education Foundation’s Gobble 'N Go eatery crawl, and TomatoFest to bring additional street festivals & events downtown. BID also hosts the Holiday Parade & Miracle on Genesee Street. For more info about our events please click here.
Awards
Auburn is the first East Coast city to offer Pango on-street parking. Pango is an easy convenient mobile phone parking option. BID supported this City program by placing advertising, creating videos & signage, providing info in our brochures, on our website and at downtown events. 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.
