WELCOME TO DOWNTOWN EVANSTON
Evmark d/b/a/ Downtown Evanston is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit corporation that provides marketing, special event, placemaking, and management services to the downtown Evanston business district. The mission of the organization is to market, maintain, develop, and improve the vitality of the local economy and quality of life within the designated Special Service Area (SSA) boundaries. Established in 1987, Downtown Evanston is governed by a Board of Directors and works in partnership with local property owners, business operators, residents and visitors, the City of Evanston, and many other organizations and community stakeholders.
Evmark d/b/a/ Downtown Evanston is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit corporation that provides marketing, special event, placemaking, and management services to the downtown Evanston business district. The mission of the organization is to market, maintain, develop, and improve the vitality of the local economy and quality of life within the designated Special Service Area (SSA) boundaries. Established in 1987, Downtown Evanston is governed by a Board of Directors and works in partnership with local property owners, business operators, residents and visitors, the City of Evanston, and many other organizations and community stakeholders.
SERVICES PROVIDED
- Maintenance of the public space within the district, including routine landscaping and seasonal plantings in the large planters throughout downtown.
- Placemaking initiatives, including holiday street pole lighting, activities at Fountain Square, a district-wide banner program, and public art throughout downtown.
- Special programming and annual events, including the Thursday Night Markets, Downtown Summer Sounds concert series, S'mores on the Square, Halloween Trick or Treat, Holiday Light Celebration, and more!
- Marketing and promotion, including paid regional advertising, biweekly e-newsletters, and targeted social media campaigns. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates.
- Supporting the City of Evanston's economic development team with business attraction and retention efforts, as well as general advocacy on behalf of the local business community.
SPECIAL EVENT PERMITS
If a business, organization or other entity is interested in hosting an event at Fountain Square, or one that would require street closures, please reach out directly to the City of Evanston Parks & Recreation to apply for a special event permit. Click here to learn more about the City's permitting process.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Before colonization and settlement by people of European descent, the place we know as Evanston was home to the Potawatomi, Odawa (Ottawa) and Ojibwe Tribes, also known as the Niswi-mishkodewinan (Council of the Three Fires), an alliance of Anishinaabeg peoples. It also served as an important crossroads and meeting place for a number of other Indigenous tribal nations, including the Ho-Chunk, Illinois, Inoka, Kickapoo, Miami, Menominee, Peoria, and Sac and Fox Nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of this land, as well as the Indigenous people that still call this area home, and support their continued work for justice, self-determination, and sovereignty. Courtesy of the Evanston Public Library.
ANNUAL REPORTS AND AUDITS
2024 Annual Report
2023 Annual Report
2022 Annual Report
2021 Annual Report
2024 Audit
2023 Audit
2022 Audit
2021 Audit
2020 Audit
2019 Audit
If a business, organization or other entity is interested in hosting an event at Fountain Square, or one that would require street closures, please reach out directly to the City of Evanston Parks & Recreation to apply for a special event permit. Click here to learn more about the City's permitting process.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Before colonization and settlement by people of European descent, the place we know as Evanston was home to the Potawatomi, Odawa (Ottawa) and Ojibwe Tribes, also known as the Niswi-mishkodewinan (Council of the Three Fires), an alliance of Anishinaabeg peoples. It also served as an important crossroads and meeting place for a number of other Indigenous tribal nations, including the Ho-Chunk, Illinois, Inoka, Kickapoo, Miami, Menominee, Peoria, and Sac and Fox Nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of this land, as well as the Indigenous people that still call this area home, and support their continued work for justice, self-determination, and sovereignty. Courtesy of the Evanston Public Library.
ANNUAL REPORTS AND AUDITS
