Nanaimo’s downtown night market has been a place to be once again this summer, and there’s only one more opportunity this year to be part of it.
The final Commercial Street Night Market of 2022 happens this Thursday, Sept. 1, from 5-9 p.m.
The Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce puts on the night market and chamber CEO Kim Smythe said organizers are really pleased with how the summer has gone – the weather has been great and the market-goers have been enthusiastic.
“We still seem to be getting the numbers that we were back in 2018 and 2019,” he said. “Lots of happy, smiling faces and that’s the most important thing to see. That’s what we’re doing it for.”
Downtown Nanaimo went two summers without the night market during a time of pandemic health and safety restrictions, and people really missed the event, Smythe said.
“We heard it especially from the businesses, from the hotels because they have great fun getting their guests to go down to the night market and then they come back and they’re jubilant about the whole event,” he said. “[There was] a lot of pent-up demand, is what we’ve found.”
One local business owner had houseguests from out-of-country this summer who attended one night market and couldn’t stop talking about it the rest of their stay, Smythe said.
He said organizers are continually trying to make improvements; for example, this summer they added a park-and-ride from Nanaimo North Town Centre and bike valet parking, and will look at how to improve or expand those services. There’s also been discussion of a second stage for entertainment.
The entertainment acts for the final night market include juggler Akron the Barbarian, Latin dance with Walewska, VIBE Dance Studio’s hip-hop team, musicians From the Earth and Regular John, and one surprise act as a finale.
For more information, visit www.nanaimonight.market.
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter