Eureka Friday Night Market returns May 22 with new main stage, 150 vendors

More than 150 local vendors, a new main stage at 2nd and G streets and a nonprofit zone in the gazebo will reshape Old Town Eureka’s Friday nights this summer, as the Friday Night Market returns with a clear economic mission: move more people through downtown and keep more of their dollars in Humboldt County.

The market opens May 22 and runs 14 Friday evenings in a row through Aug. 14, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Humboldt Made is again partnering with the City of Eureka and the North Coast Growers’ Association to turn the streets of Old Town into a weekly showcase for farmers, food producers, artists, makers and small businesses. NCGA describes the setting as the heart of Old Town, surrounded by boutiques, bars and restaurants, which gives the event a built-in spillover effect for neighboring businesses when foot traffic rises.

This season’s biggest change is the relocation of the main stage to the corner of 2nd and G streets, a move designed to create a more central hub for live music and performances. The gazebo will become a Non-Profit Spotlight Zone, giving local organizations a place to meet visitors and explain their work. That fits NCGA’s broader policy of reserving space for nonprofits and public service agencies to share educational information, while also giving those groups a chance to reach the crowds that fill the market each week.

Humboldt Made says the market will include three stages of performers, a bar stocked with local wine, beer, cider and cocktails, artisan vendors, street food vendors, food trucks and family-friendly activities. The organization, which says its mission is to grow the Redwood Coast economy by supporting homegrown businesses, has also added a new market coordinator, Olivia Gambino. Gambino, based in Eureka, is a performer, producer, small business owner and community organizer who has spent the past eight years running a massage therapy practice while also producing large-scale cabaret and burlesque events that raise money for local nonprofits.

The market’s growth has been visible before this season even starts. Humboldt Made said last year’s Eureka Friday Night Market ran 12 weeks from June through August, drew record attendance, featured more than 200 different vendors and helped 12 local nonprofits fundraise behind the bar. The 2026 lineup also includes themed nights tied to Kinetic Grand Championship season, Juneteenth, Pride Night and other summer events, extending the market’s reach beyond a simple vendor row and into a broader downtown draw.

There is also a transportation angle. Humboldt Made is launching a Punch Card Rewards Program with Humboldt Transit Authority to encourage bus ridership and reward attendees who use transit. HTA serves Eureka and other Humboldt County communities, and Eureka Transit Service runs Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

NCGA traces the county’s market culture back to 1978, when the first certified farmers’ markets began in Old Town Eureka at First and F streets with just six to eight local growers. The Friday Night Market has grown far beyond that origin, and this summer it is once again positioned as both a community gathering and a weekly sales engine for the Old Town economy.