Business News - October 21st

🎬 FREE Movie + Parking Meeting 🅿️

Author

Joya Garris
October 21, 2025

Happy Tuesday!

Today’s Top Three:

  • The City of Roanoke’s public parking meeting is on Monday, October 27th. The parking survey is also live!

  • Movie Night is this Friday in Market Square!

  • Three exciting announcements were made recently. Scroll down to get the inside scoop.

Bonus: The first Halloweekend starts Friday! Make sure to review all of the events and associated street closures.

Keep reading to stay informed!  

- Joya Garris, Director of Marketing & Communications

Get Involved

City to Host a Public Meeting: Parking Study 🅿️ 

As part of a larger study, The City of Roanoke is hosting a public parking meeting on October 27th, 2025 at 5:30pm at the Berglund Center. Additionally, a survey is available online. If you were unable to attend the Retail & Restaurant Meeting and want to voice your opinions, we recommend participating in this session. Learn more about the project here.

FREE Movie Friday Night 🎬️ 

Friday, October 24th | Activities begin at 6pm

DRI and 202 Social House are joining forces to bring a free movie to the market! Enjoy the original Ghostbusters (PG) movie, free popcorn, snow cones, and kids’ activities in Market Square. Activities begin at 6pm and the movie starts at dusk. Bring your friends and lawn chairs for a Halloween classic to perfectly kick-off the holiday festivities.

Reminder: Market Street between Campbell Avenue and and Kirk avenue will be closed 6pm - approximately 10pm.

Submit Your Events to the DRI Calendar 🗓️ 

As we approach the busy holiday season, I ask that you please submit your events to the DRI calendar if you want to be included in newsletters and social media promotion. Unfortunately, I won't have much time to search for and add events to our website from now until the new year.

I’ve updated our website, newsletter, and social media guide. Click here to learn how to submit information to DRI for inclusion in digital, organic marketing.

*Please do NOT submit sales and special to the events calendar! They will be deleted. All sales should be submitted to our specials page.

Thank you for your cooperation and assistance!

-Joya Garris

Small Business Saturday Registration 🛍️ 

Don’t forget to register for Small Business Saturday on Saturday, November 29, in Downtown Roanoke! All participating locations will be listed on DRI’s event webpage, calendar event, Facebook event, and feature post. We have 12 registered businesses so far. Let’s promote downtown shopping!

Win CASH Prizes this Halloween 🤑 

Get your ghoulish costumes ready because DRI’s annual Downtown Roanoke Employee Costume Contest is back! On October 31st at 12pm, dress to impress and compete for cash prizes (and bragging rights).

1st Place - $200, 2nd Place - $100, 3rd Place - $50, & Best Group - $100

This contest is open to all employees within the Downtown Service District.

Dickens 🎄 & The Elf on The Shelf 🧝 

Delta Dental Dickens of a Christmas, the Roanoke Valley's largest holiday celebration, returns for its 43rd year, taking place on the first three Friday nights in December (5, 12, & 19)! Festivities include the tree lighting, Christmas parade, pet costume contest, live performances, kids’ zone, and holiday cheer.

We’re asking businesses to stay open late to accommodate the increased foot traffic. All businesses that do will be included in our Roanoke Times insert (you can view last year’s here). Please submit any of your holiday events to our website so we can help promote those!

Vendor and parade applications can be found on this page.

The Elf on The Shelf Adventure in Downtown Roanoke is returning November 28-January 5 per our contract with LumiStella. Eligible businesses should have received an email and registration link.

Email [email protected] with questions about EOTS.

Stay Informed

In Case You Missed It 📢 

The Promissory Announced

The historic First National Exchange Bank building at 201 S Jefferson Street is being transformed by Hist:Re Partners into The Promissory Hotel, which will blend hospitality, music, and cuisine. The Promissory will feature a 27-room boutique hotel, The Exchange (a 1,000+ capacity concert hall), and a Spanish-inspired restaurant & wine bar. Anticipated open is January 2026.

Kirk & Soul Soft Launched

Located at 312 2nd St SW, Kirk & Soul is self-described as a fast-casual restaurant that brings together the rich flavors of Soul, American, and Caribbean cuisines. They are having another soft opening this weekend.

The Marigold Coming Soon

Formerly known as The Fallon Florist building, located at 23 Church Ave SW, The Marigold is a new destination in Downtown Roanoke that features a restaurant, an upstairs bar, and a 2-bedroom short term Airbnb rental.

Warm Welcome for Upcoming Conference 🧑‍💼 

Oct. 26 - 29 | Hotel Roanoke

The Virginia Recreation and Park Society (VRPS) Annual Conference is coming to Hotel Roanoke! Make attendees feel welcome by printing and placing signs in your windows, posting on social media, and decorating your sandwich boards! We’re trying to make life simple, so we’ve linked a sign below that you can download.

Stormwater Projects & Information Sessions 📝 

The City of Roanoke Stormwater Utility will be constructing a storm drain project Downtown along 1st Street SW at the intersections of Luck Ave SW, Church Ave SW, and Kirk Ave SW starting in early 2026. The project includes the upsizing of five existing storm drainage inlets, with the goal to reduce flood risk in the area.

The City is hosting two information sessions on Monday, October 27th at 10am and 2pm at the City’s Office of Economic Development at 117 Church Avenue SW.

Ambassador Update 💙 

Consider the impact of just 5 minutes of cleaning by our Downtown Roanoke Ambassadors. If such a brief effort can make a difference, imagine the amount of work they accomplish in a week: 300 hours, which equals 18,000 minutes! 💙

Events, Street Closures, & Parking

Downtown Events and Street Closures 🚧

The following street closures and associated events may affect Downtown traffic and business for the week of October 20-26

Additional closures:

  • Drainage Project — Find updates and closures here.

Upcoming Festivals, Concerts, & Events 🎉 

We’ve officially entered festival season! Whether you want to get involved or need to staff your business, mark your calendars for the following festivals and events.

Find Downtown Parking 🅿️

With more than 1,300 on-street spaces and 7,000+ off-street spaces, plenty of free or paid parking options exist.

DRI - Your Downtown Partner

Put DRI to work for you! 💼

Our mission is to make Downtown Roanoke the preferred place to Work, Live, and Play. As a Downtown business, you have a valuable FREE resource at your fingertips. Let us help share your story!

Website Listings on DowntownRoanoke.org - Our business listings often come up among the first in Google searches. Help us enhance your listing by providing us with vital information, including website, phone number, description, hours, menus, and images.

Job Listings on DowntownRoanoke.org - Downtown Roanoke is the most vibrant workplace around and a destination for job seekers. Let us help get the word out when you’re hiring!

Event Listings on DowntownRoanoke.org - Our Event Calendar is THE place people go to find out what’s happening Downtown. Get your event in front of the audience you’re looking for.

Important Contacts 👤

Often, businesses need phone numbers for government services, such as solid waste, permitting, etc., and other services, such as private parking and transportation.

Check out our list of frequently requested information!