FREDERICTON (NB): Fredericton Tourism has announced the suspension of the Garrison Night Market for the 2020 summer season, due to provincial restrictions on large gatherings and maintaining physical distancing.

The Garrison Night Market, an open-air market that draws several thousand to the downtown core every week, has multiple access points from the streets, green spaces and parking lots surrounding the site. After thoroughly reviewing numerous options, City staff determined they are not safely able to manage crowd size to meet current social distancing requirements, thus putting both vendors and the public at risk.

“The decision to suspend operations was not made lightly” said Fredericton Tourism Manager Stacey Russell. “The market is very densely packed with people. Ensuring public safety is our top priority, and the night market’s popularity as a community gathering spot necessitates this temporary closure.”

“We’re hugely disappointed that we can’t run the market this summer and we know it will be a difficult and disappointing decision for many of our vendors and the public” says Russell. “But those people who have come to the market over the past 2 years and know how tremendously successful and crowded it has been will understand that the risk is simply too great. On a good night we’ve seen upwards of 6-8,000 people.”

The Garrison Night Market began in June 2018 and operated every Thursday evening from mid-June until mid-September. Located on Carleton Street north of Queen to the Saint John River, and using the parking area behind the Fredericton Public Library, the market features local and imported handmade products, art, craft & design, clothing, locally-grown farm products, local microbrews, ciders, wines & meads, youth entrepreneurs, buskers, and food vendors.

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Media Contact: Stacey Russell, Fredericton Tourism, 506-260-6958