Location: Bentonville
Organization Type: Community & Cultural
Mission: Downtown Bentonville Inc. exists to build, nurture, and promote a vibrant, welcoming, and dynamic downtown for all members of the community. As a private, nonprofit organization, DBI’s purpose is to:
- Activate downtown Bentonville through a robust calendar of community-focused events — from farmers markets, art markets, festivals, to parades and public gatherings — helping keep the core of the city lively, inclusive, and accessible year-round.
-Support, celebrate, and uplift local businesses and cultural venues, helping create a thriving economy downtown by encouraging commerce, visitation, and community engagement.
-Encourage community connection and sense of place by fostering spaces and experiences where residents and visitors can gather, explore, enjoy arts and culture, and share in what makes Downtown Bentonville unique.
-Provide storytelling and media coverage of downtown life, via their digital storytelling project and their TV show, to amplify the voices of residents and highlight the character, people, and evolving culture of the city.
In doing so, DBI aims to make Downtown Bentonville a “heart of the city” — a place where people naturally gather, make memories, support local commerce, and experience the best of the city’s culture, charm, and community energy.
Downtown Bentonville Incorporated
Location: Bentonville
Organization Type: Community & Cultural
Events
Please visit this organization's website or social links below for upcoming events. You can also check out CACHE's Arts + Culture Calendar, featuring hundreds of creative events every month in Northwest Arkansas. Zero FOMO.
Mission
Downtown Bentonville Inc. exists to build, nurture, and promote a vibrant, welcoming, and dynamic downtown for all members of the community. As a private, nonprofit organization, DBI’s purpose is to:
- Activate downtown Bentonville through a robust calendar of community-focused events — from farmers markets, art markets, festivals, to parades and public gatherings — helping keep the core of the city lively, inclusive, and accessible year-round.
- Support, celebrate, and uplift local businesses and cultural venues, helping create a thriving economy downtown by encouraging commerce, visitation, and community engagement.
- Encourage community connection and sense of place by fostering spaces and experiences where residents and visitors can gather, explore, enjoy arts and culture, and share in what makes Downtown Bentonville unique.
- Provide storytelling and media coverage of downtown life, via their digital storytelling project and their TV show, to amplify the voices of residents and highlight the character, people, and evolving culture of the city.
In doing so, DBI aims to make Downtown Bentonville a “heart of the city” — a place where people naturally gather, make memories, support local commerce, and experience the best of the city’s culture, charm, and community energy.
About
Downtown Bentonville Inc. (DBI) has been at the center of transforming Downtown Bentonville into a lively, world-class destination for well over two decades.
Origins & Evolution
In the early 2000s, local civic and community leaders began a concerted effort to revitalize Bentonville’s downtown — focusing on improving aesthetics, encouraging local business, preserving historic character, and creating a downtown that could serve as a cultural and economic hub.
On September 23, 2003, Bentonville officially joined the state-level preservation and downtown-revitalization initiative as part of the broader “Main Street” program, marking the beginning of a sustained push toward downtown renewal.
From that foundation, DBI (as a private, not-for-profit) emerged to lead efforts to revitalize downtown, to promote local business and culture, and to activate downtown spaces through events, markets, and community programming.
What We Do Now
Today, DBI organizes over 150 free community events per year, ranging from farmers markets and first-Friday art events to holiday celebrations and cultural festivals — keeping downtown lively, accessible, and community-oriented.
Through its media and storytelling initiative (including its weekly show), DBI captures and shares the stories of Bentonville locals — spotlighting businesses, residents, events, and the ever-changing heartbeat of downtown.
DBI also serves as a steward of downtown’s growth: supporting investments, advocating for businesses and improvements, and ensuring that downtown remains a place where commerce, culture, history, and community intersect.
Impact & Identity
Over the past 20+ years, Downtown Bentonville has transformed from a modest town square to a vibrant destination — known for its hospitality, cultural richness, and unique downtown charm. DBI has been central to that transformation, helping build and maintain a downtown that locals are proud of and visitors love to explore.
DBI’s work ensures that Downtown Bentonville remains more than just a historic district — it is a living, breathing community hub: a place to shop, eat, gather, celebrate, and connect.