Concord’s Market Days Festival Begins Thursday

CONCORD, NH — Concord’s Market Days Festival begins on Thursday and is a couple of months earlier than expected.

After a move to August last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Intown Concord, the organizers of the 48th annual event, decided to move it sooner rather than later.

Jessica Martin, the executive director of the organization, said a lot of downtown business owners chimed in about the August dates and requested a move back to before the Fourth of July. Many capital region residents, she said, as well as downtown employees go on vacation after Independence Day, leading to thinner crowds and conflict with employee schedules, too.

There are, however, a bunch of new offerings this year and some minor changes.

One new handy item found online is a map with vendor and event listings.

Martin said the inspiration for the map was actually the Taco Tour in Manchester, which had an extensive map for attendees.

“I thought, ‘This is going to take some work,’” Martin said. “‘(But) if I want this kind of map, I think everyone will want one.’ I’m very proud of it.”

Another new draw this year will be a headlining concert featuring Vertical Horizon, sponsored by the Capitol Center for the Arts.

Xfinity, a prime sponsor, is also offering wi-fi hotspots at the festival.

Instead of one beer tent, there will be three beer gardens — the one that is normally in the middle of the festival, one at Penuche’s homegrown stage, and the main stage, Martin said. This will allow attendees to make their own beer crawl at the event.

There are around 160 vendors, plus the Concord Arts Market taking a good chunk of Pleasant Street.

The festival's layout is slightly different, with vendors moving back a bit, allowing for better passage on Main Street.

Even though Vertical Horizon will be a big draw, there are still a lot of local performers and entertainers who will be playing at the festival.

Over the years, there has always been a battle, of sorts, with what to do with the music — will there be a big stage with a headliner, or will it be intimate performances focused mostly on local talent. The Vertical Horizon booking is a shift back to a big headliner. But there will still be plenty of other musicians to check out, she said.

“It’s all trial and error,” Martin said. “There is a fine balance. We want to support local performers, but we also want to draw people who wouldn’t normally come to Market Days.”

In the past, local musicians did not get paid to play, but this year, Intown Concord is “working really hard to try and compensate them,” she said. Money has been raised through raffles and other efforts to create a collective fund. Venmo tips, too, will be accepted during the event. All the monies will be divided at the end of the festival, she said. Bands are also going to be allowed to have merch tables out, and attendees can also donate Venmo tips directly to a band, too.

Next year, Martin said, Intown Concord hopes to be able to pay the bands outright. The org is in the process of applying for a community engagement grant through the NH Arts Council. The grant has not been approved yet, but Martin was hopeful it will be.

“We’re trying really hard to get that,” she said.

Also new this year is a doggy splash pad and a global food bazaar with rotating cuisines.

Gone for this year, though, is the touch-a-truck event.

Martin said the organization decided to try something different at that end of the festival and said, with so many vendors, the room was needed. Other orgs, too, like National Night Out in August, do a much better job of having touch-a-truck.

Unlike past Market Days Festivals, the weather later this week is looking pretty good, too. No microbursts or thunderstorms are expected either.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, June 23, Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25. It is free.

For more info, with maps, schedules, and everything else, visit the Market Days Festival website.

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