By Christine Davis Program Manager Carlsbad Village Association

This year has truly flown by. As a new year begins, it’s only natural to look back to see how far we’ve come.

The Carlsbad Village Association (CVA) is proud of the year it has had in the Village. Just looking at its events alone, they’ve grown in popularity and attendance and have helped elevate Carlsbad Village in the minds of locals and visitors as an ideal place to shop, dine and play. CVA added two new events in December alone – the Village Night of Lights and Movie Night in the Village  – making our downtown even more fun than it was before.

This past year CVA hosted over 51 Farmers’ Markets (with only one rain day all year), 10 Village Voices meetings, two merchant mixers, eight outdoor movies (Flicks at the Fountain), a juried art faire (Art in the Village), a merchant hospitality night (Village Night of Lights), a holiday classic movie in the Carlsbad Village Theatre (Movie Night in the Village), and co-hosted a charity event (Pets on Parade) with 100% of the proceeds benefiting a Carlsbad-based dog rescue. These events were all designed to help support the hundreds of merchants that call Carlsbad Village home.

This past year has also seen growth in the Village with the addition of new restaurants, coffee shops, wineries and boutiques. With nearly 100 dining establishments, ranging from taco shops to fine dining, five relaxing coffee houses, four contemporary wine and tasting bars, and two authentic French bakeries, eating and drinking well is not a problem in downtown Carlsbad.  Now, add roughly 100 independent retail establishments, a half dozen award-winning art galleries, five day spas, dozens of beauty salons, an antique mall, a movie theatre, a performing arts theatre, and seven miles of pristine beaches, and enjoying a day downtown just became easy as can be. Don’t forget that the Village also touts a robust service industry, including everything from car repair to real estate, operated by dozens of family-owned and operated businesses eager to show you exceptional customer service.

The CVA and the downtown merchants are already working on its 2017 events, activities and improvements to keep our downtown growing strong. We can’t thank you enough for shopping small today, tomorrow and always, and making Carlsbad Village all it can be.