Uptown Saint John will be bustling on Thursday night as the Saint John Night Market returns for another season.
The outdoor market, which launched last spring, will see South Market Street filled with food, drink and craft vendors.
Andrew MacDonald, acting manager of the Saint John City Market, said they have 16 vendors lined up for the opening night – about half of the roughly 30 vendors they had each week last year.
“We’re not starting at full steam this year because we want to see how everything works with social distancing and we want to make sure that we’re prepared for larger numbers,” said MacDonald.
MacDonald said there will be lots of old favourites and a few additions this year, including a couple of City Market vendors which will be setting up outside.
“We’ve got lots of people who are inquiring and a lot of exciting new vendors who are knocking at the door at this point. As typically happens once you get started, we’ll hear from more as well.”
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have meant changes for many events, and the Saint John Night Market is no different.
A view of the Saint John Night Market on May 30, 2019. (Staff photo)
MacDonald said they have expanded their footprint to allow for physical distancing a new “sea can beer bar”.
“Last year, we just used South Market Street, down basically to the end of the market building. This year, we’re going to be extending down into the space below the market, right up to Germain Street, and then we’re also going to be using part of North Market Street.”
“That’s going to allow us more space for vendors but also more space for seating so people are going to be able to sit comfortably and have a bite to eat and a beer.”
MacDonald said while they are not anticipating the 3,000 people who showed up for the inaugural night market last year, they are prepared for however many people may show up.
He hopes the crowds of people who flock to the uptown for the market will also consider supporting other local businesses.
“We have seen in our city some local businesses close down and we can’t ignore the fact that we’re probably going to see more and that’s scary, so we really, really want to be able to create a situation where we’re helping these particular vendors but also helping the uptown and the city as a whole,” said MacDonald.
“We’re really hoping that, say at 9 o’clock when we kind of shut things down that some other places are getting some business or that people are planning to do some of their shopping on a Thursday night and to just come up and spend an evening in the uptown area.”
The Saint John Night Market runs from 5 to 9 p.m. every Thursday night throughout the summer months.
