20th Street North
Management
20th Street North, also known as Birmingham Green, has witnessed the evolution of downtown. Lined with a mix of contemporary businesses, shops and restaurants, the street retains its historic charm with well-preserved architecture and landmarks.
Keep reading to dig deeper into the upkeep and programming of the Magic City’s main street.
20th Street North Refresh
In 2022, the property owners who fund the City Center sub-district of the Downtown BHM BID partnered with REV Birmingham, the City of Birmingham and private funders to transform the streetscape of 20th Street North stretching from Morris Avenue to Linn Park. The project added dedicated bike and flex lanes, native and drought-resistant landscaping, flexible cafe-style public seating, sidewalk and crosswalk improvements, and public art.
The project, which includes five years of street maintenance and programming, was funded by proceeds of the Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District, funding specifically dedicated to downtown improvements. The updated usability and appearance have helped existing business owners draw more customers while attracting new businesses to vacant spaces.
On May 20, 2022, downtown celebrated the re-opening of this iconic street with a vibrant (20th) Street Party.
7
blocks renovated
31
tables + chairs
4,462
feet of bike lanes
6,308
plants
5,100
(20th) Street Party attendees
The Downtown BHM BID partnered with REV Birmingham and collaborated with community partners to instigate planning and design for the project. PNC supported pre-development work. Cawaco RC&D donated trees. Landscape design partners Dix Hite + Partners, Golightly Landscape Architecture, Goodwin Mills Cawood, Macknally Land Design, Renta Urban Land Design and Studio A Design contributed pro bono conceptual designs. A demonstration project was completed in the fall of 2020 in partnership with the American Society of Landscape Architects and supported by Hunter Trees, Shelby General Contractors and Vulcan Materials.
Ongoing Management & Programming
20th Street North is staying clean and vibrant thanks to the combined efforts of CAP’s Clean & Safe team and REV’s downtown team. In addition to their standard litter and safety patrols, CAP Ambassadors regularly pressure wash the flex lanes to keep them bright. REV oversees landscaping maintenance and upgrades, and continues to program activations like Live on 20th to add extra flavor to an already vibrant street.
Live on 20th
REV Birmingham manages Live on 20th, a seasonal program that brings quality entertainment to Birmingham’s main street. From dancers to instrumentalists to vocalists to fine artists, these entertainers are not only enhancing the pedestrian experience by sharing their craft but encouraging a high-quality busking culture downtown.
In 2024, Wall Street Journal shared an article on the power busking has to revitalize downtowns across the country, and Live on 20th was prominently featured in the piece. Check out the full article here.
Click below to apply for a Live on 20th performance slot!
Application, rules and important details
Birmingham has more —entertainment.
Attention performers! Downtown BHM is looking for entertainers for Live on 20th, a program that brings buskers and street performers to 20th Street North to add vibrancy downtown.
These performances are meant to create a pleasant ambiance rather than a “concert” type performance, as passersby will be coming and going. We would love to showcase a variety of unique talents — from music to dancing to balloon art!
Performers will be provided a battery-powered PA speaker/mixer with four input channels and a microphone. All amplified sound for the performances must go through the provided speakers.
Rules:
- No drums
- Performers must use only the provided amplification (one speaker with four input channels) by Downtown BHM.
- Performers must use the provided signage and tip jar. (Note: It does have a place for all your links and socials!)
- Performances will take place at the date and time specified by Downtown BHM.
Important details:
- Performers will receive $200 base pay upon completion of their shift.
- Performers keep ALL TIPS received during their performance.
- We carefully review all applications before reaching out to performers.
- With a large volume of submissions, we evaluate each one and select performers based on a diverse range of scheduled performances.
- There are a limited number of slots per season.
- Performances will take place on Wednesdays in June 2024 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. to entertain our bustling lunch crowd.
- Performers will be assigned a spot on 20th Street North somewhere between Morris Ave. and Linn Park, but the exact location may change weekly based on what’s happening downtown.
With those rules and details in mind, we want you to be creative! Applicants should submit through the form located to the right and expect a response from our team within a couple of weeks. Thank you for helping us keep 20th Street vibrant and exciting!
What is a busker? A person who entertains in a public space, like the performer below.
Live on 20th
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