These free activities are coming to Worcester Common this summer

Worcester residents and visitors looking for things to do this summer that won’t break the bank don’t have to go further than Worcester Common.

The city park will be full of free activities this summer, including the Out to Lunch Festival and Farmers Market, Movies on the Common and the city’s summer fitness series.

Those who want to break a sweat in the shadow of Worcester City Hall can attend boot camp, a strength and conditioning class set to music, on Mondays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. or HIIT, high intensity interval training, on Fridays from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The free classes have already started and are scheduled to continue through Aug. 27.

• Read more: Movies on the Common returning to Worcester this summer with 4 free screenings

The Out to Lunch Festival and Farmers Market is scheduled to return for its 13th year with festivals scheduled for Mondays on Aug. 3, 17 and 31 and a rain date of Sept. 7. The events will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The festivals will feature live music, performances, community organizations, homemade crafts and local farm stands, according to a press release from the city.

“We are thrilled to invite our community (to) Out to Lunch on the Worcester Common again this summer,” Yaffa Fain, program assistant for the Cultural Development, Division, said in a statement. “The Out to Lunch Festival series is one of the most-loved and anticipated events that the city hosts. We’re looking forward to sharing more of these fun afternoons Downtown with the community and visitors.”

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The festivals’ headliners are already scheduled with the Aug, 3 event set to feature Crocodile River Music, Ball in the House scheduled for Aug. 17 and Stomp N’ Holler scheduled for Aug. 31.

The city is still accepting applications for vendors for the events with an application deadline of July 5.

Movies on the Common kicked off on June 15 with a screening of the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite, but there’s still three more screenings this summer:

• The Pixar film “Turning Red” on Thursday, July 20 for “Disability Pride Night”
• The Marvel superhero movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” on Thursday, Aug. 17 for “Filmed in Worcester Night”
• “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” on Thursday, Sept. 21 for “College Night.”

The film series features a variety of pre-movie activities, such as comedy acts, caricature artists, music, face painting, local food vendors and more, according a press statement from the city.

The pre-movie activities start at 6:30 p.m. each night showings are held, and the movie screenings begin at dusk, with English language closed captioning available for viewers, according to the statement.

Ahead of the Aug. 17 show, Edgar Luna, the business development manager for the City of Worcester, will give viewers a “special behind-the-scenes talk” on the scenes shot in the area in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

• Read more: Hundreds gather outside to celebrate Worcester’s Out to Lunch Festival and Farmers’ Market

The movie featured several Worcester locations during its production in summer 2021.

The July 20 screening of “Turning Red” will be presented in partnership with the city’s Accessibility Division and Accessibility Advisory Commission along with the Center for Living and Working to show the film’s message of “embracing individuality and overcoming obstacles,” as part of “Disability Pride Night,” the city said.

Attendees are encouraged to come to the events early for their choice of seating, the city’s statement said, since space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The first 100 attendees will also receive free popcorn and the first 50 attendees will also get a free food and drink voucher to use at one of the on-site food vendors.

Seating options are available around the common, but guests may also bring their own blankets and chairs. Refreshments will be available on site or at restaurants around the common, but attendees are free to bring their own food.

The 2023 Movies on the Concert series is presented by the City of Worcester, the Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District (BID), Clark University, the Mercantile Center and Perrone Landscaping along with additional support from Cornerstone Bank and the Worcester Cultural Coalition.