An Artisan Market on Tucson Summer Nights

Jessica Melrose Art

 

The Summer Night Market is starting up again, so I’ve updated the links and info in this post. There are now over 60 participating vendors! The Market happens from 6-10pm the last Friday of the (Tucson) summer months – May through September.

2023 dates are May 26, June 30, July 28, August 25 + Sept 29.

—S


Jordana Saletan of Little Rabbit Jewelry
Jordana of Little Rabbit Jewelry

Tonight is the monthly Summer Night Market at the Mercado San Agustin (MSA) Annex here in Tucson. (You may have seen it on the summer Happenings List.)

Dramaburger x Melrose Art collab
Emily lighting up the Melrose Macramé booth (more of Jessica’s macramé and Emily’s lights in the top/featured photo)

A few dozen vendors bring their handmade goods and set up around the shipping container shopping center – along with food trucks and a DJ. Of course, the regular shops, restaurants, and bar stay open too.

Ricuras de Venezuela food truck
Ricuras de Venezuela food truck
Tap and Bottle pop-up Bar
Rebecca tending the Westbound pop-up bar

I wrote about all the food and beverage options over on Tucson Foodie, so I  hope you’ll go check that out!

moxie and sassafras booth
Moxie and Sassafras booth

For now, I thought I’d share a few photos from the Night Market in June.

BYNDbooks booth
Nicole and her friend Paola at the BYNDbooks booth

MSA Annex Night Market

Pottery booth
Joanna Hennigan Pottery

Updated May 2023.
Originally posted July 2021.

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Mesa’s Merry Main Street

Merry Main St

Mesa’s annual holiday celebration, Merry Main Street, includes concerts, an arts and craft market, food trucks, visits from Santa, and – most surprisingly in an Arizona desert city – an outdoor ice skating rink.

Merry Main Street

O Christmas Market

While there are Merry Main Street activities throughout the downtown, the centerpiece of the celebration is the 40-foot-tall Christmas tree and market that takes over Macdonald on the north side of Main Street.

Vendor at Merry Main Street

What you’ll find here…

  • Mesa’s official Christmas tree – this is where you can see Santa Friday and Saturday evenings.
  • Mesa Christmas Market – 30 local vendors selling handcrafted items, food and gifts in booths set up around the Christmas tree.
  • Concert stage with free performances on Friday and Saturday evenings.
  • “sELFie” Station photo backdrops. (Turns out, you can’t spell selfie without an “elf.”)
  • Extended store hours — Some downtown shops stay open late, so you can browse antique furniture or comic books while you’re in the neighborhood.

There are additional, ticketed holiday concerts and performances of The Nutcracker Ballet nearby at the Mesa Arts Center.

 

merry main st concert

When Phoenix Freezes Over

Most of the time, you’ll only find an ice rink in Arizona inside a large, air-conditioned building. So, the temporary Winter Wonderland Ice Rink installed for the holidays in Mesa City Plaza is a downright novelty. It’s really fun to watch people skating around there, even if some of them are wearing shorts.

ice skating rink at Merry Main St

Speaking of Arizonans’ winter apparel (or lack thereof), Winter Wonderland just assumes you don’t own ice skates (and you probably don’t), so they automatically include skate rental in the ticket price.

 

Merry Main St tree

Free Rides

You can ride the mile stretch of the Light Rail between Country Club and Mesa Drive free on December weekends from 5-10pm.

This weekend (December 13-14), there will also be special decorated “Polar Express” light rail trains with Santa, elves, cookies, and singing on board. Pajama-wearing is encouraged. No tickets are required.

 

mesa food trucks

Pioneer Park

The weekly Mesa Feastival Forest in Pioneer Park turns into Jack Frost’s Food Truck Forest on Friday and Saturday nights during the holidays. Check their Facebook page for updates on the food truck lineup.

Road Snacks food truck

Also in Pioneer Park…

  • The Mesa Farmers Market and Flea will continue to be held in the park on Saturday mornings – with a few extra festive touches like additional vendors and photos with Santa from 9-11am.
  • Kiddos can ride the trackless Main Street Express Train there for free during food truck or farmers’ market hours.
mesa mini train
Merry Main Street’s little train (at its old City Plaza location).

In past years, you could sometimes hear the choir singing outside the LDS Temple across the street. This year, however, the annual Christmas Lights display and concerts have been suspended due to major renovations of the buildings and grounds, which are scheduled to be completed in 2020.

 

Decorated palo verde trees

The Space Between

Like a microcosm of the City of Mesa itself, Merry Main Street is a bit sprawling (although it’s gotten less spread out than in previous years).

Activities are just close enough together that you’re not sure you want to wait for even a free light rail ride, but far enough apart that you have time to regret it as you traverse the vast, vacant expanses of sidewalk between things.

 

Merry Main Street banner

How to Merry Main Street

The the best approach might be to enjoy different parts of Merry Main Street throughout the season, instead of thinking of it as all one event. Stop by the food truck forest before heading over to a performance at the MAC. Have an ice skating night. Do some holiday shopping and take some photos in front of the tree (or in the selfie stations or with Santa).

Why not go multiple times? There’s no admission cost, parking is free, and each time the weather will probably be so nice you could wear shorts to go ice skating.