BID PROGRAMS
Downtown Gift Certificates
Where to Use & Buy Gift Certificates
Cards are accepted at 40+ Downtown Auburn retail shops, spas & salons, restaurants, service businesses & entertainment venues. Click here to purchase with a credit card, or stop by with cash/check to the front desk of the Equal Rights Heritage Center. You can also call the BID office at 315.252-7874. Certificates can be purchased in values ranging from $25 - $500. ADP collects no added fees for this service.
Our office is located at 25 South Street & Lincoln Street, in the Equal Rights Heritage Center. Parking is offered in the Downtown City Parking Garage located right next to the building.
Maintenance Program
ADP has a wonderful partnership with the city of Auburn and its departments, and together we maintain clean streets, provide seasonal décor & amenities, plus address safety and parking concerns, and help organize and host special events.
Flower Power Program
ADP plants & maintains the downtown flower pots, beds, hanging baskets, and landscaping to beautify downtown green spaces. To save on the expense of daily watering, we’ve partnered with the local company BO-MER, to purchase self-watering pots. The flowers provided by Breezy Acres, are planted before Memorial Day with volunteers and maintained into the early fall.
Power Hour Monthly Meetups
Second Monday of each month, visit a different downtown business or organization for updates, stakeholder sharing, networking, and learning something new. See the schedule and Facebook event for more information.
Public Art Trail & Cultural Attractions
Downtown art & culture prevail with programming and events at Auburn Public Theater, the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center, and Seward House Museum. The public Art for Auburn projects include mosaic installations, sculptures, painted murals & vinyl banners that brighten downtown’s buildings & street views. ADP has fully supported all of these projects, plus managed seven DRI-funded placemaking projects recently completed. Visit the Facebook page.
Since 2010, ADP & Art for Auburn volunteers have facilitated 25+ projects, contributing to the livelihood of dozens of local artists. The new Public Art Trail brochure, redesigned by Maria Welych and Jeremy Secora, is available at the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center. Visit the partner Finger Lakes Art Council’s website for more info. We also partner on projects with Auburn Beautification Commission, like the flower power program.
College Student Discount Program
Take advantage of this program offering student discounts on products & services at Downtown Auburn businesses. Our partners include retail shops, eateries, entertainment venues & more. Just present your student ID and enjoy savings at the following locations: Auburn Public Theater, Finger Lakes Scuba, Fred’s Barber Cuts, Hairlooms Salon, The Liberty Store, Mesa Grande Taqueria, Moondog’s Lounge, Moro's Table, Parker’s 129, Sam’s Shoes, Silbert Optical, and Subway.
Free Community Events & Promotions
Downtown festivals, concerts & events are plentiful and free for families. Per event planning, we are an active partner and are sought after by local organizations to help bring new downtown events online. We work very closely with various City departments to make sure everything goes safely & smoothly.
BID presents First Fridays monthly, March - December, at museums, shops, breweries & restaurants with free entertainment, art exhibits & refreshments. Staff also helps organize the Memorial Day Food Truck Rodeo and Duck Derby. The City & ADP host summer music performances on State Street. Staff also coordinates Small Business Saturday promotions and the city tree lighting ceremony. For more info about events, click here.
Awards
Most Arts-Vibrant Communities of 2025
Auburn proudly ranked #67 in the country’s Top Most Arts-Vibrant Communities by SMU DataArts. SMU evaluated community vibrancy using a data-driven approach to assess supply, demand, and public support for arts and culture. We celebrate this honor with the city of Auburn and its Public Art Commission, the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center, Auburn Public Theater, Seward House Museum, the Schweinfurth Art Center, and all of Auburn’s Historic & Cultural Sites. It is encouraging that our efforts to develop a creative community have been recognized nationally through the rankings. https://culturaldata.org/arts-vibrancy-2025/top-100-communities/
Auburn was the first East Coast city to offer Pango on-street parking. Pango is an easy convenient mobile phone parking option. Auburn received a Local Government Achievement Award from NYCOM for its successful implementation of Pango’s innovative program. For more parking and directions info click here.
Header photo by Mike Ryan of Dream Mural by Dawn Jordan & BluePrint II students.
