"I can't believe how big this thing is!" was the refrain repeated several times the first Sunday in November. Those words were used to describe the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce's annual fall Village Street Faire.
It may be hard to imagine, but this big to-do known as the Carlsbad Village Street Faire, began as just a small sidewalk sale.
“When the faire began in the early 70’s it really was nothing more than a small sidewalk sale,” said Keith Kennedy of Kennedy & Associates, a company that organizes local fairs. “Eventually it became a community sale, and people from all over Carlsbad brought their wares.” When the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce got involved, the event completely transformed.
This year, nearly three decades later, over 100,000 visitors from all over the country and 900 vendors offering just about anything your buying heart could imagine lined the streets, sidewalks, alleys and parking lots of downtown Carlsbad.
Food, music, entertainment, pets and, of course, booths stocked with merchandise for sale, were the main attractions that kept the pedestrian traffic coming from as early as 7 a.m. to after 4 p.m. that day. Several city blocks were closed off for the fair, an event that branched out from Grand Avenue and State Street.
The largest one-day street fair in the nation is already receiving calls and requests for their upcoming spring Street Faire in May. The community can look forward to another successful event.
It may be hard to imagine, but this big to-do known as the Carlsbad Village Street Faire, began as just a small sidewalk sale.
“When the faire began in the early 70’s it really was nothing more than a small sidewalk sale,” said Keith Kennedy of Kennedy & Associates, a company that organizes local fairs. “Eventually it became a community sale, and people from all over Carlsbad brought their wares.” When the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce got involved, the event completely transformed.
This year, nearly three decades later, over 100,000 visitors from all over the country and 900 vendors offering just about anything your buying heart could imagine lined the streets, sidewalks, alleys and parking lots of downtown Carlsbad.
Food, music, entertainment, pets and, of course, booths stocked with merchandise for sale, were the main attractions that kept the pedestrian traffic coming from as early as 7 a.m. to after 4 p.m. that day. Several city blocks were closed off for the fair, an event that branched out from Grand Avenue and State Street.
The largest one-day street fair in the nation is already receiving calls and requests for their upcoming spring Street Faire in May. The community can look forward to another successful event.