Summer in the Gateway Cities stands out for its full blossom of cultural showcases, music festivals, and other distinct celebrations of community life. These events are mostly continuing this year, maybe with a mix of fear and trepidation, but also with lots of pride, resilience, and hope.
Last week, New Bedford’s immigrant community took to the streets for four days of celebration at the 109th annual Feast of the Blessed Sacrament. Thousands of people flocked to Campanelli Stadium in Brockton to celebrate the 31st annual Cape Verdean Day Festival. And the relatively new Fiestas Patronales ran again in Holyoke.
St. Mary’s Orthodox Church held its annual Albanian Festival in Worcester at the beginning of the summer, but unfortunately the city’s Annual Latin American Festival was cancelled this year due to a variety of factors, including concerns that federal immigration authorities might interrupt the event and detain attendees.
Despite fear and uncertainty, arts and culture continue to bring people together from all walks of life in Gateway Cities throughout the state. Like a single-engine plane trailing a large banner, our small but mighty Gateway Cities stalwartly promote unity amongst difference. Lowell famously does this with its grand free folk festival. More recently, Springfield’s three-day Jazz and Roots Festival has become a major draw for residents of Western Massachusetts. And every Gateway City has quieter events that bring their people together in community. Take Fall River’s Summer Evenings in the Park. In July and August, you’ll find hundreds of residents enjoying free concerts, free food, and free arts and crafts at parks throughout the city.
With fall fast approaching, now is the time to get out and take part in these community celebrations. The Lynn Arts and Culture Festival is this weekend. Be sure to check out the work that Lynn Public School students created through Beyond Walls’ excellent Classroom to the Streets program.
When we’ve taken stock of summer happenings in past editions of this journal, we encouraged readers to think about what these events mean for social capital and community building rather than in pure economic terms. But with signs that the economy is contracting, we should consider the revenue that these gatherings bring to local small businesses that are always struggling to make ends meet.
We’ve been closely watching hotel occupancy and meal tax collections as a measure of downtown vitality. Support for small businesses during the pandemic helped entrepreneurs, especially entrepreneurs of color, launch a new generation of storefront businesses. This activity is apparent in the data. Gateway Cities have outpaced the state in the COVID-19 recovery as measured by inflation adjusted increases in room occupancy taxes. On average, Gateway City collections rose 34% between FY 2019 and FY 2025. The average increase statewide was just 28% over this period. Reliance on Gateway City hotels for family shelters could be driving some of this outsized growth.
However, Gateway Cities also performed well on meals tax collections. Revenue from this source has grown by 17% since the pandemic, nearly twice the average statewide growth rate. Over the past year, collections have remained strong for hotels, especially relative to the statewide rate. But meals tax collections have been weak for both Gateway Cities and other Massachusetts communities.
As we look to make the most of the last few weeks of summer, consider opportunities to get out into the community to support Gateway Cities and their small businesses.