Local artisans and businesses line Commercial St. for the weekly Night Market every Thursday, attracting thousands downtown. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

last call

Final downtown Nanaimo Night Market caps summer of uncertainty, change & opportunity

Aug 28, 2025 | 5:30 AM

NANAIMO — For one last time this summer, downtown’s Commercial St. will come alive on a Thursday night.

The year’s final Commercial Street Night Market, hosted by the Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce, will run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28 along Commercial St. between Terminal Ave. and Church St.

Market organizer with the Chamber Rinny Jose told NanaimoNewsNOW recently completed construction along the corridor presented challenges but also opportunities.

“Early on, there was uncertainty with construction and street changes. The planters, new road layout and traffic flow made me nervous until the midday before the first market, to be honest, but by 5 p.m. when the vendors started to load in and the transformation was complete, the street came alive.”

She said in the end, work in the area was a “blessing in disguise”.

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“Construction allowed us to re-imagine and expand the market in ways we hadn’t thought before. This year, for the first time, we expanded onto Bastion St….and we added a few food trucks and vendors and also moved the key entertainment tent around.”

A closure of traffic on Bastion St. during market hours also meant a safer area atop Commercial St.

In past years, traffic control has been stationed on Bastion St., however a closure this year created a more complete market experience. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

An average of between 5,000 and 6,000 people have attended market nights downtown, with some weeks drawing closer to 8,000, according to photo data collected by the Chamber.

Between 150 and 180 vendors greet the crowds each week, but they aren’t the only benefactors.

Jose said storefronts along Commercial St. see a spike in traffic through their doors as a result of the market.

“It’s not just the vendors or the food trucks coming in, it’s about how the merchants in the downtown are feeling. We had good feedback from the merchants. Each time before the market starts my team goes around and we just check in…they love having this come to the downtown.”

Thursday’s finale will kick off with a performance from the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival, with new artists performing through the four hours after.

The Commercial Street Night Market runs Thursdays from mid-June to late August.

Thousands of people venture downtown every week for the night market. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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