A new market is kicking off in the heart of downtown Anchorage Friday. The Anchorage Summer Night Market is one of several weekly summer events in the park, and is a new summer tradition according to the city.
Zaneta Stetsunova is the owner and founder of the new market. She was born and raised in Anchorage, rented her first apartment on Third Avenue, and said downtown used to be more vibrant.
“Downtown was popping, truly. I had a whole downtown experience in my 20s, right here in Anchorage,” Stetsunova said. “I think that more people than not haven't been downtown in months, some years. I truly want to give people a reason to come back downtown on a regular basis.”
Anchorage has a flourishing market scene. Roughly a dozen different events happen each week throughout the summer, boosting local entrepreneurs, musicians, and farmers. Stetsunova also hosts the Sunday Fresh Market in South Anchorage, which starts for the summer on Sunday.
While some markets run late, Stetsunova said she thinks hers is the first specifically designed as a nighttime market. Her aim is to bolster the feeling of community among residents.
“I want this to be a place where you can meet people and chat. I think that that's something that has kind of been a lost art, just being able to go somewhere and spark up a conversation with people,” she said.
The city’s Parks and Recreation department contacted Stetsunova two months ago about starting the nighttime market. The department’s community engagement coordinator, Ellen Devine, said there’s a lot of desire to renew Town Square.
“It felt like there was not as much for some of our community members to really utilize downtown,” she said. “We want to reactivate it, bring people back, making it not just a tourist destination, but someplace our locals want to spend time as well.”
The city of Anchorage is planning a series of upgrades to the park, including security cameras, more lighting, and making walkways more accessible.
The push to bring more events into downtown has been met with some skepticism, she said, but overall, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“They get really excited when I tell them more about what the motivation is. The more people you bring in, the safer and happier and more community we have.”
The Anchorage Summer Night Market will host live music, local vendors, a beer garden, and a handful of food trucks most Fridays from 5-8:30 p.m. Town Square Park is sandwiched between 5th and 6th avenues, next to the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts.
