A fast-approaching hot summer night is sure to result in some sizzling sales and scorching fun in downtown Dresden.
The annual summer Dresden Night Market takes place on Saturday from 4 pm. to 10 p.m.
Co-organizer Morena McDonald said the summer event first took place in 2018. It, like so many other public events, was interrupted during the pandemic, but it returned and continues to grow.
The market leads to the downtown core being shut down to vehicular traffic. The streets are transformed into one large outdoor market.
“We create a fun atmosphere. Everything is vibrant,” McDonald said, of the ever-growing interest in the evening.
“We basically take four main blocks of downtown, shut down the roads, and include Jackson Park,” she added. “It’s an event that celebrates small business and the community. We have lots of vendors downtown and the downtown businesses are open late as well.”
Stores and vendors are open until 9:30 p.m. The final 90 minutes of the event is focused in Jackson Park.
There, visitors can find food trucks, live entertainment and a pop-up bar.
The park is open for fun at 4 p.m., just like the downtown.
McDonald said people come from as far away as Toronto and across the border to check out the Night Market, as word has spread about the fun and excitement.
“The businesses and volunteers tell us they’ve had customers from London, Sarnia, Windsor and as far away as Toronto and the (United) States too,” she said. “People will tell their family who are outside of Chatham-Kent and they tend to come.”
Sustainability is an important element of the Night Market, McDonald said, as shoppers are encouraged to bring reusable shopping bags with them, just like they do when going grocery shopping.
On top of that are the cups for the pop-up bar. McDonald said they cost $1, and are reusable. And people tend to bring them back year after year.
“We give you a cup and you can reuse it over the course of the night. We’ve heard people say they have the same cup from when they first bought it (at a previous Night Market),” she said. “We really try to keep sustainability in mind. We have significantly reduced the amount of waste we produce from the event.”
The Dresden Night Market in the past has earned a spot in the top 100 of Festivals and Events Ontario.
