Calgary’s night markets bring life to the city

Calgary’s community has been looking closer than ever in the past few months and the streets are buzzing with people exploring and enjoying the city. 

Hoping to keep that spark going, more communities are starting to offer night markets in addition to the already popular Inglewood Night Market. On June 24, Marda Loop will be offering its first night market. 

Calgary is no stranger to markets, with last weekend’s Lilac Festival in Mission being the most popular and well-attended in the city. Continuously looking to support community life, the city’s night markets are an important part in connecting with business owners and shoppers alike. 

Connecting the community 

Jennifer Rempel is the event producer of the Inglewood market and the newly formed Marda Loop Market. Rempel says that night markets are a big part of the city’s fabric, and are a wonderful way to generate a connected community.

“We curate them very specifically for artisan based goods,” Rempel says. “Whether people know it or feel it, they’re entering a real true kind of artist experience and not bombarded by promotion and sponsorships.” 

By supporting local vendors, business owners like Breanne van Besouw are able to continuously produce handmade goods for their customers. 

van Besouw owns Peanut and Bumble, a sustainable children’s clothing store made locally by van Besouw herself. Having experienced previous night markets a couple of times, van Besouw says they are very important for small business owners to promote their goods. 

“The crowd they bring in values this artisan created stuff, which tends to come as a bit of a higher price tag — but the people there expect that and value that,” van Besouw says. “It’s just made it easier for me to get my stuff out there and get the exposure to the audience that needs to see it.”

A lively atmosphere 

By continuously hosting night markets, Calgary is not only generating attention for local business owners, but for the city’s night life itself. With so much potential to grow these markets and the people that visit, van Besouw says that the atmosphere is always upbeat and warm. 

“It’s just such a nice way to spend an evening as a shopper, even as a vendor — it’s just on a warm night with live music and food and everyone seems to be in a good mood,” van Besouw says.

“I think it’s really important to get people out and connecting with each other and just spending time outside, especially because we’ve been inside our homes for the past two years.” 

With a variety of night markets scheduled continuously throughout the summer, and the Marda Loop Night Market making its debut Friday, June 24, there are plenty of opportunities to head down and support local businesses while enjoying an evening in the city.