Special Events & Permits in Worcester, MA (2026)
3 verified special events & permits rules for Worcester, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Parade Permits
Worcester requires a permit from the chief of police before any person or group can march or parade on a city street. The permit fixes the route, and marchers cannot deviate from it once it is set, with limited exemptions for funerals, city police and fire units, and military or veterans' organizations.
Worcester Parade Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsWorcester Revised Ordinances of 2008, Chapter 13, § 25
No person, group of persons or group of vehicles shall march or parade upon any street or part thereof except under a permit of the chief of police designating the route of such parade, and there shall be no deviation from the route designated by the chief of police and such other regulations as are set forth herein which may apply. This section shall not apply to § 24 of this chapter, the poli...
Street Fair Rules
Only a not-for-profit corporation can organize a licensed street fair in Worcester, and the commissioner of public works and parks caps it at five consecutive days on any public street. The $200 license also needs the chief of police to sign off in writing on closing that stretch of street to traffic.
Worcester Street Fair Vendor Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsWorcester Revised Ordinances, Chapter 14, § 5(h) (Sidewalk Merchandise Sales, Street Fairs)
(h) Notwithstanding any provision in this section to the contrary, the commissioner of public works and parks may issue a license to any not-for-profit corporation organizing a "street fair" where vendors will sell goods, wares and merchandise, including food and non-alcoholic beverages, for a period of no more than five consecutive days on any public street in the city on such terms and condit...
Sidewalk Dining & Cafés
A Worcester restaurant that wants to extend seating or displays onto the adjoining public or private sidewalk must first get an open-air sales license under Chapter 14, Section 3, then layer on a public health permit and, if alcohol is served outside, a license commission permit. The base license costs $250 and covers at most 30 days.
Worcester Sidewalk Cafe Dining Permit
Some RestrictionsWorcester Revised Ordinances, Chapter 14, § 4 (Sidewalk Food Sales), incorporating § 3 license terms
§ 4. Sidewalk Food Sales (a) No person, either principal or agent, shall extend his or her restaurant sales and displays onto the public or private sidewalk adjoining said restaurant without first having obtained a license under the provisions of section three of this chapter. A restaurant may not be extended onto any street, way, alley, or other passageway. (b) No license shall issue under thi...