New-look Arts Centre market launches
Tomorrow will see the launch of a newlook weekend market at the Christchurch Arts Centre, a week after the old Sunday market was closed.
Called Seekers Mākete, it will offer artisanal crafts, gourmet street food and live entertainment. Hours will be 10am to 4pm each Saturday, rain or shine.
Arts Centre director Philip Aldridge said they were expecting 40 to 50 stalls.
The move comes after the Arts Centre decided on a change of style and a larger market.
“The reason that we have decided to change market operators is that we’re expecting more stalls supporting more artisans, more customers, and therefore more income to support the Arts Centre,” Aldridge said.
Products will include handcrafted jewellery, art, pottery, homewares, candles, fresh produce, street food, and sweet treats and pastries. A bar will sell both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and the market will be dog-friendly.
The Arts Centre has contracted events business The Garden City Mākete to operate the weekly market.
The business, run by Leah Humphreys, runs markets at a range of locations, including a Christmas market at the Transitional Cathedral in December, and a one-off summer market at the Arts Centre in February.
Previous Sunday stallholders expressed their disappointment in March when they were told of the closure.
At $90 for a casual site and $65 if a stallholder commits to four Saturdays, the new market’s fee will be higher than the $40 charged for the Sunday market.
Seekers Mākete will be held in Market Square and will extend through the canopy behind the old Boys’ High building and down Engineering Laneway.
The Arts Centre has been trying to boost its income, and seeking reinstatement of funding from Christchurch City Council, to sustain itself in the face of rising costs such as insurance and heritage maintenance
Aldridge addressed city councillors this week, asking them to include money for the Arts Centre in its new long-term plan.