What We Do
The City of Lancaster Office of Promotion (LOOP) 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.
LOOP has four main functions: planning special events, marketing Lancaster City as a destination, managing the Lancaster City Welcome Center, and permitting the use of public space.
Lancaster City Welcome Center
The Lancaster Office of Promotion operates the Lancaster City Welcome Center, located at 38 Penn Square. Each day our staff greet visitors from around the world and introduce them to Lancaster City.
Online Event Permit Application
Solicitud de Permiso de Evento en Línea
Event Permits
Looking to reserve public space for an event? You’ll need to submit an event permit application, depending on the type of event you’re hosting. As a reminder, the public is welcome to use parks and public spaces recreationally.
- Block Party Permits are required to host a neighborhood block party on the public right of way (street, sidewalk, public park, etc.)
- Penn Square Activity Permits are required to host events in the Fulton or Heritage quadrants of Penn Square. Please note, the Fountain and Lancaster Marriott/Lancaster County Convention Center quadrants are not available for events.
- Special Event Permits are required for large-scale events such as festivals/concerts, runs/races, or community events that could have an impact on public property, infrastructure, or other resources.
Have questions? Email Kate Wright at kawright@cityoflancasterpa.gov.
Permits & Resources
Please note, online event permit applications will be offline July 3–7, 2023 for scheduled maintenance.
- Binns Park/Ewell Plaza Activity Permit – Online
- Block Party Permit Application – Online (Coming Soon!)
- Block Party Household Signature Sheet – Printable PDF
- Block Party Trailer Application – Online
- City Hall Flag Raising Application – Online
- Noise Variance Application – Online
- Penn Square Activity Permit Application – Online
- Special Event Permit Application – Online
- Traffic Control Permit Application – Printable PDF
Trash Removal
Trash Removal
Event hosts are responsible for all trash remediation, including providing recepticals and removal of trash after the event.
Park & Pavilion Rentals
Parks and pavilions, including Long’s Park, are managed separately by the Bureau of Operations in the Department of Public Works. To reserve a park pavilion or host an event in Long’s Park, call (717) 517-5745 or click here for more information.
Marketing & Tourism
LOOP oversees the City of Lancaster’s tourism and destination marketing efforts. Working with partners like Lancaster City Alliance and Discover Lancaster, LOOP works to tell the Lancaster City story to residents and visitors alike through the Visit Lancaster City brand.
Special Events
LOOP plans the following annual City of Lancaster events:
- Red Rose Run
- Celebrate Lancaster
- Hispanic Heritage Month
- Mayor’s Tree Lighting
- Small Business Saturday (in conjunction with Lancaster City Alliance)
- Lancaster Shops Late (in conjunction with Lancaster City Alliance)
- Santa in the City
- New Year’s Eve