Midnight Madness not holding back
Holiday tradition returns to downtown Annapolis on Thursday
A historic downtown Annapolis holiday tradition is coming back Thursday in full force with live entertainment, shopping deals, lights and alpacas.
Residents and visitors are invited to stroll along Main Street, West Street, Maryland Avenue, State Circle, Market Space and Dock Street for Midnight Madness on the first two Thursdays of December from 4 p.m. until midnight and the third Thursday of December from 4 to 11 p.m.
The streets and participating stores will have holiday decorations, trees, garland and lights, and there will be a holiday light canopy over parts of West Street and Maryland Avenue in the Annapolis Arts District. Cabbage Alley will become Snowflake Alley off of Main Street that will help visitors begin the journey toward State Circle and Maryland Avenue.
The alpacas, courtesy of Alpaca International, will be on the top of Main Street. Downtown merchants may offer complimentary refreshments, specials and shopping incentives.
The streets also will be home to carolers, choirs, musicians and other street performers.
Erik Evans, executive director of Downtown Annapolis Partnership, said live entertainment was canceled last year due to COVID-19 protocols and not wanting people to congregate in one space.
“Everybody is looking forward to this. With the entertainment back, it will feel back to normal for people,” Evans said. “It is a tradition that people have done for decades, and we want to continue that for them.”
Midnight Madness will affect local businesses hugely, Evans said. There are 90 retailers and 80 restaurants in downtown Annapolis. On the days of Midnight Madness, these will be some of the busiest days for the shops, he said.
Evans is excited to see business returning to downtown and that most of the local shops survived the pandemic.
“We have very few vacancies downtown and that shows how strongly the public supported businesses throughout the pandemic,” Evans said.
Laura Cottrill, owner of Vignette, a home good store at 53 Maryland Ave., participated in her first Midnight Madness last year and said she can’t wait for this one after the last one was great.
“I think business will be double of what it was last year and I think people are really ready to shop,” Cottrill said.
Vignette will feature new items every week and will have beverages for guests, she said.
Last year was also the first Midnight Madness for Suzanne Tretowicz, owner of Salty Paws Doggie Ice Cream. She said last year’s event set the store up for a good fourth quarter. The ice cream shop will be doing a “Yappie Hour” and a secret Santa for rescue dogs. The “Yappie Hour” will have discounted treats for dogs.
“The whole feel of the town felt alive and that was such a welcome [feeling] after the pandemic and going through all of that,” Tretowicz said. “I really enjoyed it and can’t wait until this year.”
Tretowicz heard a lot of comments last year of people missing the entertainment, so she can’t wait to see it in full swing this year.
She said Annapolis has a different vibe than anywhere else, and the music and restaurants encompass that on Midnight Madness. She said it is a great community event and unique to the city.
“I can’t wait to see the people and feel the energy and positive vibes. It is just such fun,” Trerowicz said. “Everybody brings their dogs out with Christmas gear on and I love it.”