Hugely-popular Vernon night market returns this summer

After a very successful run last year the Polson Artisan Night Market returns to the Vernon park next week.

Co-founder Mayla Janzen said she started the market as a way to sell her handmade blankets during the pandemic when all the craft shows had been cancelled.

"We thought what can we do? Something on a Friday night would be really wicked, and also there's that whole Polson Park which no one ever uses and it's such a nice place," Janzen said.

From there, Janzen applied to the City of Vernon to hold the event and the first market took place midst the heatwave on July 2, 2021.

The night market ran each Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the summer and quickly grew in popularity from 20 vendors to around 70. From originally just one food truck, more came along until the maximum six spaces were filled.

The market features an array of local vendors selling everything from fresh fruit and vegetables, to locally made clothing and jewelry, and everything in between. There is also live music, and plenty of space to have a picnic.

"It's good to come out have some good food meet some cool people and see some cool artisans and see what they can create," Janzen said. "It's about getting the opportunity to come out and run into people and have natural interaction."

The Polson Artisan Night Market starts May 20 and will run each Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the summer in Polson Park.

For more information go here.


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Ben Bulmer

After a decade of globetrotting, U.K. native Ben Bulmer ended up settling in Canada in 2009. Calling Vancouver home he headed back to school and studied journalism at Langara College. From there he headed to Ottawa before winding up in a small anglophone village in Quebec, where he worked for three years at a feisty English language newspaper. Ben is always on the hunt for a good story, an interesting tale and to dig up what really matters to the community.

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