What We Do
The City of Lancaster Office of Promotion aims to be the arts and cultural driver of the City of Lancaster by leveraging Lancaster City’s best assets and our partnerships to enhance and promote the City’s quality of life, economic vitality, and attractiveness as a destination and residence. The Lancaster Office of Promotion or LOOP has four main functions: planning special events, marketing the city as a destination, managing the Lancaster City Visitor Center, and permitting the use of public space.
Event Permits
Looking to reserve public space for an event? You’ll need to submit an event permit(s) below depending on the type of event you’re hosting. As a reminder, the public is welcome to use parks and public spaces recreationally. Event permits are needed to reserve spaces for special events. The Downtown Activity Permit is the form needed to reserve and host an event in Penn Square, the Special Event Permit is needed for large-scale events like a festival or run, and the Block Party Permit is needed to have a block party on your block while closing the street. *Please see the COVID-19 Safety Guidelines Addendum. This is currently needed for hosting events during the COVID-19 pandemic.*
- Downtown Activity Permit
- Special Event Application
- COVID-19 Safety Guidelines Addendum to Activity Permit
- Block Party Permit
- Noise Variance
- Traffic Control Permit
Questions? Call 717-291-4758 or email Kayla Forgrave at kforgrave@cityoflancasterpa.com.
If you’re looking to reserve a park pavilion or host an event in Long’s Park, go to cityoflancasterpa.com/services/parks or call 717-291-4711. These are managed separately by the Bureau of Operations in the Department of Public Works.
Services We Provide
The Lancaster Office of Promotion operates the Lancaster City Visitor Center located at 38 Penn Square. Each day our staff greet visitors from around the world and introduce them to Lancaster City. LOOP also works to market Lancaster City to potential visitors through the “Visit Lancaster City” website and social media. In addition to visitor services and marketing, LOOP plans the City of Lancaster’s special events like the Mayor’s Tree Lighting, Celebrate Lancaster, and the Red Rose Run. Finally, LOOP also permits the use of public space for events like festivals or block parties.