AHA! New Bedford’s monthly celebrations have brought crowds Downtown for more than 25 years. Now, thanks to ARPA funding from the City through the New Bedford Economic Development Council, the organization is expanding its downtown services beyond the popular events on the second Thursdays of every month.
AHA! New Bedford recently received $180,000 in funding from the NBEDC after an RFP process, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, to provide management services for the entire Downtown for the next two years. AHA! will expand its cultural programming and manage the Summer Sound Series of free concerts, boost marketing efforts, and undertake beautification initiatives and other enhancements across Downtown.
“AHA! has reliably delivered exciting programming in the Downtown for twenty-five years,” Mayor Jon Mitchell said. “It is well-suited to manage the enhanced efforts of businesses to take the Downtown to the next level.”
“On an AHA! Night, there can be as much as 76% more people than on a regular weeknight in Downtown New Bedford,” said Kim Goddard, executive director, AHA! New Bedford. “We get to explore how to take that energy and engagement beyond second Thursdays. We are honored and excited to take on this challenge of developing equitable solutions with lasting social, economic, and cultural benefits.”
As part of this project, AHA! is also being asked to develop a sustainable model to continue these efforts beyond the end of the grant funding in November 2026.
“Like the rest of the community, we want to see New Bedford continue to thrive,” Goddard said. “We will seek input from all Downtown stakeholders in a robust engagement effort that will help inform what we tackle in the short term and how to make this sustainable in the future. We look forward to seeing where the process and discussions lead us.”
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The Origins of AHA! New Bedford
In the late 90s, New Bedford convened a Regional Community Congress, which brought together six sectors of society: business, education, health and human services, arts and culture, the environment, and communities of faith. With a shared vision, they launched a plan to invigorate Downtown New Bedford and help it realize its future as a vital regional hub of commerce and culture. AHA! New Bedford was one of the results – a free cultural event held on the second Thursday of each month to honor and celebrate the city’s hallmarks: its art, history, and architecture.
AHA! Today
For over 25 years, AHA! New Bedford has helped build and promote a creative economy that, alongside other arts organizations and supporters, transformed Downtown New Bedford into the cultural epicenter of the region.
AHA! continues to offer and showcase free arts and cultural experiences Downtown on the second Thursday of each month, February through December. Programming has expanded to include music, film, storytelling, block parties, art markets, and more. AHA! is a fiscally sponsored program of the SouthCoast Community Foundation. Learn more at ahanewbedford.org.
