Arnprior is one of the fastest growing municipalities in the country. As the population has grown, it has become more diverse in a number of ways. In order to foster a spirit of community and connectivity, the Town formed the Inclusivity & Diversity Advisory Committee (IDAC). During one of their early meetings, a committee member mentioned the success of a night market held by another small town. 

“There was an overwhelming response from the rest of the committee members,” says Graeme Ivory, Director of Recreation.

To help launch the Cultural Night Market in 2022, the Town of Arnprior received $38,350 from the Government of Canada’s $23.25-million investment in My Main Street through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). The Town of Arnprior received this funding as part of the My Main Street Community Activator program, administered by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI), to support projects that that foster community connectivity and generate economic activity. 

The event was envisioned as a “multicultural night market” that would encourage attendees to become more acquainted with neighbours from various backgrounds. In addition, the event was designed to support local food vendors, artisans and musicians.

The support of My Main Street helped the Town expand their capacity to organize and promote a top-notch event. They were not only able to hire a marketing coordinator, volunteer coordinator and event planner, but they also advertised the event throughout the Ottawa Valley.

The approach worked—the Cultural Night Market attracted many people from outside of the community. Ivory, who grew up there and knows just about everyone, saw plenty of fresh faces. Many people who came to the information booth mentioned they were from Ottawa or elsewhere in Ontario.

For the Cultural Night Market, the Town closed a section of the main street to vehicles, which created a vibrant pedestrian space for people to socialize and visit local vendors. The evenings programming began with a land acknowledgement, spoken by an Indigenous elder. This was followed by a diverse lineup of performances, including an Indigenous songwriter, Inuit throat singing, West African music and dancing, Caribbean steel drums, folk music and an Afro funk soul group. The night ended with a drag performance, which Ivory says was well embraced. One of the drag queens, who is from Arnprior, said it was empowering to be able to perform in their own community and feel safe and celebrated.

The market provided a big boost to local shops and restaurants, which stayed open late in anticipation of the crowds. The turnout exceeded everyone’s expectations. Even though the town had brought in additional picnic tables and modular seating, there were people leaning against the walls of businesses, sitting on the sidewalk and lounging in their own lawn chairs.

“Any of the businesses that sold food or drink did very well,” says Ivory. “Because many of them have patios on that strip. And they were packed from before dinnertime all the way through till one o'clock in the morning when they closed up.”

Ivory enjoyed seeing people of all generations, backgrounds and genders mingle and have fun.

“To me, that just says so much of what an event like this can do for a community. I think this was a really important event to happen at a time when Arnprior is in such a state of transition of its population.”

Photo Credit: Town of Arnprior

Photo Credit: Children and a performer are on stage, performing with Carribean steel drums.