Somerville, MA Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Section 8-14 restricts who can even apply: only a nonprofit educational, charitable, religious, or philanthropic organization organized under the General Laws may receive a license or permit to run a carnival, circus, festival, fiesta, street fair, or similarly designated amusement or entertainment event, whether it's held on public or private property. Beyond the mayor's sign-off, subsection (a) requires the city council's express approval before any such event can proceed on any property in the city, public or private. Any organization that does get a permit must indemnify the city, in a form the mayor and city solicitor approve, against any lawsuit or claim arising from an accident connected to the event, and the city must be named as an additional insured on the event's insurance before the permit issues.

Section 8-14 also carries a location-specific ban: subsection (b) forbids any city officer or official from issuing a carnival permit for Lincoln Park or any other city park or playground, no matter who the applicant is or what the event. The ordinance dates to the 1963 codification and was updated by Ordinance No. 2009-07 in May 2009, and it sits in Chapter 8's licensing article alongside the city's other entertainment-related license requirements, including the separate mobile food vendor and amusement device licensing articles.