If there’s one renaissance to talk about, it’s definitely the pop-up renaissance. While the name suggests these are random, unplanned events, pop-up events involve a lot of meticulous planning and intentional work. Gaining more popularity within the last decade, pop-ups have been increasing around Worcester and Central Massachusetts.

The Worcester Cultural Coalition and the city’s Cultural Development Office, alongside the Worcester Business Development Corporation, have been working with a group of artists and entrepreneurs to create Worcester Pop Up, with the intention of supporting and fostering a variety of citywide pop-up events.

The Worcester Pop Up opened April 25 in downtown Worcester. Located at 20 Franklin St., the Worcester Pop Up is a creative space at the heart of the city for live music, art exhibits, food, films, workshops and more. The Worcester Pop Up is redefining how we think about pop-ups. This is a step away from transforming certain venues into landscapes for such events, creating a venue specifically for pop-up events. Some events at the Worcester Pop Up will be recurring, like the Southeast Asian Coalition Food and Craft Bazaar, which will be hosted the first Wednesday of each month. Some events will be unique experiences like the Rings in Motion interactive circus-themed art event that was held in May.

In the age of Facebook and Instagram, pop-up events are easily marketable, especially within a short time frame. Businesses can announce their pop-up events as late as three days prior and still expect to see a great customer turnout.

There’s something about the secretiveness, the surprise, the unexpectedness, that really drives customer interest. Pop-ups aren’t limited to one industry, but stretch across a number of them, whether it be food, art, music or fashion.

3cross Fermentation Cooperative in Worcester is a local hub for pop-up events. This locally owned brewery serves up beer and kombucha, but also leaves room for local food businesses to host events, usually on Friday nights. One Love Cafe, a Jamaican caterer, “pops up” at 3cross every second and fourth Friday of the month, serving up bowls of Jamaican jerk pork, rice and beans, and other delicacies for just about $12.

“I was just excited to try Jamaican food, which is pretty rare in Worcester, in a cool brewery environment,” Brendan Burgess, a Clark student, said.

The Pierogi Pop Up, hosted by Jaju Pierogi at 3cross, also draws a large crowd. Pierogis are Eastern European dumplings usually filled with savory ingredients. On the nights of the Pierogi Pop Up, the line extends to the end of the taproom. Another big part of what draws the crowd is the “hang out” atmosphere, especially at 3cross. Patrons can try an interesting cuisine, drink a refreshing beer and listen to live music, all while hanging out with friends. Pop-up events provide the venue with a chance to gain revenue, and the vendors not only generate an income but build up a customer base. 3cross will inevitably gain sales on their beers, as patrons come in to try the various food vendors.

“That was kinda the beauty of it…it appeals to our current customers, who are looking for a food option, but then there’s a lot of people who are fans of the food vendor, and they’re like ‘we’ll go check this out,’” Jessica Howland, co-founder of 3cross, said.

One Love Cafe no longer has a physical location, so having the ability to host these pop-ups helps ease the barrier between customer and caterer.

“After the Wooden Noodles event, we had two people approach us and ask to do pop-up events,” Howland said.

Wooden Noodles markets itself as a ramen pop-up, as opposed to a ramen restaurant. It also doesn’t have a physical location; instead, it does a number of pop-ups around Worcester. Patrons waited over an hour in the line for Wooden Noodles ramen.

“I think just because it’s something that’s a little novel in Worcester, and so it excites people and they hear of new vendors, so I think it’s the novelty of it and the types of food we’re bringing in,” Howland said.

New City Microcreamery in Hudson serves up unique in-house ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. Though not engaged in many pop-up events just yet, New City is looking to do a summer-long pop-up in Boston, so that the ice cream can be more accessible to Bostonians during a season when everyone is looking to indulge in some cold treats. New City’s location in Hudson is inconvenient for people living in the larger cities like Boston and Worcester who want to try this concept of liquid nitrogen ice cream. By hosting a long-term pop-up, New City is providing potential customers with the chance to experience the product without the hassle.

In Southbridge, Starlite Gallery is a popular venue for art pop-ups. This contemporary art gallery hosts a variety of pop-up events throughout the year to support local artists in Southbridge and the surrounding towns. With a bar adjacent to the gallery, Starlite poses as a “half-bar, half-gallery” concept. Starlite now has four tables available every Monday night for any artists interested in vending.

“It’s promoting local artists… art never really dies, I feel, and like, there’s so much love and sentiment behind each piece that someone handmade, versus going to Walmart and picking up the exact same thing,” said Kenzie Feen, event organizer at Starlite Gallery.

“For the venue, you can draw in a lot of new people who didn’t even know the venue existed, and then you gain more customers for the space itself,” Feen said.

Small businesses and start-ups can gain a lot of traction by hosting pop-up events.

Amy Chase, who organizes pop-ups at the Crompton Collective, said, “We often partner with small businesses starting out…to help them get the word out about their product.”

For self-employed artists, pop-ups are a chance for exposure and to gain a customer base. Even if vendors don’t make huge profit from the event, a lot of marketing is done at these events.

Pop-ups have even entered the exercise and dance arena, with “Twerk, Yoga and Meditation” pop-up events being hosted at Ritmos Academy on Webster Street. Taught by “Boss Chick Empress,” these high-intensity dance workouts feature a variety of upbeat music, including Afrobeats and Caribbean dancehall. The organizer, Jennifer Gaskin, is the president of the Worcester Caribbean American Carnival Association, which organizes the annual Worcester Caribbean Carnival. While the Worcester community can indulge in Caribbean culture one day a year through this festival, it can learn the rhythm and the moves of Caribbean dance through these pop-ups. The Worcester Caribbean American Carnival Association also uses the revenue to support its annual carnival costs.

Pop-ups allow people to try something unique and new and offer fun activities for friends or even colleagues. Their continuous expansion is changing the landscape of how business works — in a good way. The excitement of both the customers and the vendors fuels that community aspect that has been missing in the business world for so long.

As Feen said, “Building a community and allowing people to have this space to interact and socialize is the biggest benefit of pop-up events…people inspire each other.”

Kaiomi Inniss