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

Chapter 14, Section 5(h) carves out a specific street fair license from the general sidewalk merchandise sales rules: notwithstanding the rest of Section 5, the commissioner of public works and parks may issue a license to any not-for-profit corporation organizing a 'street fair' where vendors sell goods, wares and merchandise, including food and non-alcoholic beverages, for no more than five consecutive days on any public street. The commissioner sets the terms and conditions of the license, but issuance also requires the commissioner and the chief of police to jointly approve in writing the closure of the portion of the public street where the fair will be located.

The flat license fee for the entire street fair is $200, regardless of how many individual vendors participate under it, which is materially cheaper than licensing each vendor separately under Sections 2 or 3. Because the license runs through the organizing not-for-profit rather than each vendor, individual sellers taking part in the fair operate under the umbrella permission rather than obtaining their own street vendor or open-air sales licenses, though they still must comply with the health and safety terms the commissioner sets for the event.

The five-consecutive-day cap and the for-profit exclusion mean a merchants' association or a business improvement district cannot itself hold the street fair license unless it is organized as a not-for-profit corporation.