Elves Night Out 2025 transformed downtown Anacortes into a bright, laughter-filled holiday scene. Families, friends, and full squads of elves filled Commercial Avenue, visiting shops, sipping cocoa, and soaking up the magic. And at the center of it all were the businesses whose creativity and care made the night truly shine. This year’s Holiday Cheer … Continue reading Holiday Cheer Contest Results: Celebrating the Businesses at the Heart of Elves Night Out
News
2025 Q3 Report – 589 Volunteer Hours, 8,000 Local’s Passes, and a Downtown in Full Bloom
Downtown Anacortes continued to bloom this quarter—literally and figuratively. From vibrant planters to new programs that strengthen our community, Q3 was full of progress and collaboration. Here are a few highlights: 🌼 Beautification and Design Our volunteer Planter Patrol kept downtown in full color all summer long, and we launched our new Façade Grant Program … Continue reading 2025 Q3 Report – 589 Volunteer Hours, 8,000 Local’s Passes, and a Downtown in Full Bloom
Students + Sensors: Tracking Foot Traffic in Downtown
This summer, the Downtown Anacortes Alliance partnered with Black Box Robotics — a team of talented Anacortes High School students — to explore a big question: when and how do people actually come downtown? The students designed and built custom door-mounted devices that track entries in and out of shops. Six downtown businesses volunteered to … Continue reading Students + Sensors: Tracking Foot Traffic in Downtown
A Fresher, Cleaner Downtown
If you’ve strolled down Commercial Avenue lately, you may have noticed something missing — those old, abandoned newspaper boxes that had been sitting empty for years. Thanks to a recent cleanup effort, our sidewalks look better than ever! Before-and-after photos tell the story best, but the difference is night and day. Where there used to … Continue reading A Fresher, Cleaner Downtown
The Locals Pass Is Here
Downtown Anacortes wouldn’t be what it is without YOU — our amazing locals! From morning coffee runs to date nights, gift shopping to family traditions, it’s our neighbors who make downtown thrive. That’s why this fall we’re rolling out a brand-new way to say thank you: the Locals Pass. What’s the Locals Pass? The Locals … Continue reading The Locals Pass Is Here