Exeter BID helps bring city centre to life

Exeter Business Improvement District (BID) is helping to bring a wealth of arts, heritage and music festivities to the city centre with sponsorship of six major events in 2017 as well as support of Exeter Cultural Partnership’s own diverse programme of activities which promotes creative practitioners and organisations.

As well as hosting its own popular events including The Weekend Starts Here, Easter in Exeter, Style in Exeter and the Christmas Lights Switch on, which alone brought thousands of visitors and residents into the city centre for a huge festive celebration, the BID has invited independently run arts, film, food and music events to submit applications of support. 

Wayne Pearce, Chair of the Exeter BID Board said: “The aim of the BID is to champion Exeter’s thriving city centre and we are really proud to be supporting a host of events alongside our own.
We have a wonderful city with fantastic shopping, restaurants and attractions to enjoy but events are an important part of our cultural fabric and add to the atmosphere and variety of Exeter. The BID has chosen to support events that enhance the city’s reputation for diversity and excitement, as well as those that boost visitor numbers to the centre.”

So far this year, the BID has already supported Exeter Festival of South West Food and Drink on 29th April to 1st May and Arts Week Exeter which took place over 13th to 21st May. It is also sponsoring Exeter Street Arts Festival on Saturday 26th August, Exeter Music Group on Friday 3rd November, Big Screen in the Park from Monday 7th to Sunday 13th August and the city’s newest event Lost Weekend taking place across the city from Friday 5th to Sunday 8th October.

In total, the events combine to create 20 days and five evenings of additional footfall for the city and are predicted to draw in 100,000’s of visitors to the centre bringing additional revenue and exposure for businesses throughout Exeter.