About 22,000 people visited the Downtown Elgin Market on Riverside Drive in 2023. It opens this year at 3 p.m. Friday and continues weekly through October. It has a new name and logo and 17 new vendors but Elgin’s downtown farmers market will boast the same sights, sounds and familiar smells when it opens Friday for another summer season, organizers say.
It also made sense to refresh the monikor by giving it a “new name that would better reflect the broad product offerings we have,” Fukala said. “ reflects what this has grown into.” Perhaps the biggest beyond the name change is the addition of 17 new vendors, bringing the total to 55, said Sarah Michaels, DNA events and promotions coordinator.
DNA also will be partnering the event with a few public and private festivals this summer. First up is an early Juneteenth celebration on Friday, June 14, featuring an extended market showcasing black businesses, an array of goods and food, and an exploration of African heritage. Working with local organizations on their festivals helps the market reach new audiences as well as making it attractive to more vendors, Fukala said.
The new location, required due to construction on Spring Street and DuPage Court, worked well, Michaels said.