LEWISTON — Four years ago, the town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, began hosting a multi-week busking festival that now draws over 25,000 visitors each summer.

Joe Grochmal, who now works as a special assistant to the administrator in Lewiston, was part of the team that coordinated “Berkshire Busk” in his hometown, and he and others at City Hall are making a serious push to try the idea here.

Busking, which is the act of street performance in public spaces, can include music, dance, magic and other unique talents to engage passersby.

In a presentation to city officials in May, Grochmal envisioned what a busking festival might look like in Lewiston as the city seeks to create more downtown programming that can drive foot traffic, produce economic development and improve its image. City councilors were quickly on board, seeing it as part of the momentum stemming from new City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath.

Officials believe a multi-week festival would be a first in Maine, and could attract visitors who also would spend time and money at downtown businesses, particularly at a time when some businesses have struggled.

On Wednesday, Grochmal said the city is planning for the full festival to begin next year, but wants to host a “trial run” event this fall.

Lewiston recently selected a firm called Community Busk to help develop the framework for its festival, and established a 10-week turnaround time. The firm will talk with buskers, look at possible locations, schedules and more. The city will pay Community Busk $24,000 out of its marketing budget.

Grochmal said a one-week trial in September or October could allow people to engage with the concept, pique public interest and work out what could be improved before launching the full slate in 2026.

“I’m excited to try to help our goal of bringing economic development to the city,” he said. “And I believe this is a great tool for us to do that.”

While the plan has yet to be ironed out, Grochmal said Lewiston’s busking festival would operate in much the same way as Berkshire Busk — with multiple performances scheduled on a set day or weekend over a number of weeks.

He said the multi-week run allows organizers to bring in a variety of programming and appeal to more people. For example, he said, one week could have blues music and acrobats, while the following could feature indie rock and public art.

In Great Barrington, Grochmal said, organizers often would talk to people a few weeks into the season who were first-time attendees, who had heard about the festival’s first few weeks through word of mouth.

The multi-week structure “gives time for word to spread organically, and allows people to engage who might not have been able to” in previous weeks, he said. If it’s a one-off week, potential attendees would have to wait until the following year.

During the initial presentation to the council, Councilor Josh Nagine said Grochmal “hit the nail on the head” for the kinds of ideas Lewiston should be pursuing. He said when he spent time in Burlington, Vermont, busking attracted people to downtown spaces.

“(It’s) something different and there’s a low barrier to get it started,” he said. “It’s nice out-of-the-box thinking.”

Mayor Carl Sheline said he believes the festival will be well-received by the community.

“The demand for downtown events is certainly there — this past Friday we had an amazing art walk block party that was very well attended,” he said.

Since being hired, Kaenrath has made downtown revitalization and image improvement a top priority, and he has said that expanding downtown events is an immediate goal. L/A Arts, the cultural nonprofit based downtown, hosts summer art walks, but has also revived a more consistent slate of concerts, recently adding a stage at its 168 Lisbon St. location.

Officials this month also approved a slate of new public art projects, including storefront window murals meant to activate vacant or blighted spaces.

Some cities, like Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada, have made busking a part of its cultural identity. Halifax has hosted an annual festival each summer since the 1980s, which now draws over 20,000 visitors over six days.

Grochmal said that since starting in 2021, Berkshire Busk has grown every year. What began as a dozen acts in its first year has turned into a program that draws talent from around the world for 10 weekends each summer, drawing an estimated 25,000.

He said survey data from the program showed that 97% of attendees believe the festival improved their perception of the town, and that 40% of attendees came from outside the town.

Performers don’t have to be musicians, and the festivals often feature acrobats, gymnasts or performers that incorporate fire stunts. The festivals often give performers stipends for the work.

During his presentation to the council, Grochmal also argued that hosting community events has become important in the post-pandemic world, with data showing that people are less likely to go to public events and engage with neighbors.

“We’re hoping to get as many voices involved as possible so we can deliver programming that hits the mark for what this community is looking for and what will bring us all together,” he said.

Angelynne Amores, Lewiston’s director of communications and marketing, said while the city’s consultant on the project will help them find the best way to deliver a solid event, decisions surrounding acts will be made locally, and with highlighting local talent in mind.

Grochmal said if Great Barrington, a town of some 7,000, can attract a wide array of performers, Lewiston shouldn’t have a problem.