What’s at stake?
After angering vendors over abruptly announced changes to Fresno’s popular ArtHop event, the city has unveiled plans for what the new outdoor half of the event will look like.
After splitting Fresno’s longstanding ArtHop tradition into separate indoor and outdoor events, city leaders shared details this week on what the new outdoor half of the event will look like.
Rebranded as “Why Not Wednesdays,” the monthly street fair will debut Sept. 18.
It will recur every third Wednesday of the month after that, distinguishing itself from ArtHop, which takes place primarily downtown and in the Tower District on the first Thursday of every month.
Also unlike the previous incarnation of ArtHop, it will cost all vendors and food trucks a fixed fee to set up shop – a reversal of city leaders’ previous announcement that ArtHop would remain free for vendors.
“If you’re going to save someone a spot, you want to have some level of commitment that they’re actually going to show up at that spot,” Councilmember Miguel Arias said as to some of the reasons fees were introduced.
Still, other aspects of the event will stay the same as before.
The street fair will take place downtown on the stretch of Fulton Street between Mono and Fresno Streets. It will also continue to feature street vendors, food trucks and artists.
“What we’re transitioning to is an event where there’s a lot more structure and safety and comfort that’s built into the way we run the event,” said Elliott Balch, president of the Downtown Fresno Partnership, which will now host the monthly event.
Here’s what you should know about Why Not Wednesdays.
Who’s running Why Not Wednesdays?
The City of Fresno is on the hook for policing, restrooms and trash services during Why Not Wednesdays, as leaders had previously announced.
Wednesday’s update added that the Downtown Fresno Partnership is stepping up to collect vendor applications and fees.
They also plan to pair successful applicants with organizers – ideally some of the organizers they’ve worked with in the past.
Some of those groups include Fresno Street Eats, Bad Kids Club, Mas Fresno, and The Alley in the Valley.
How do vendors, food trucks and artists get involved in Why Not Wednesdays?
Vendors, food trucks and artists can apply online for one of roughly 150 slots at Why Not Wednesday, Arias said.
The Downtown Fresno Partnership is running the online platform, which lists the deadline for applications for the first Why Not Wednesday as Sept. 6.
The applications include different fees for different applicants at each event. That includes:
- $50 for one 10 by 10-foot vendor booth
- $100 for one 10 by 20-foot vendor booth
- $100 per food truck
Artists who perform at the event won’t be charged a fee, Arias said, and part of the proceeds from the other fees will go toward paying these performers.
The rest of the money collected will go toward paying for insurance and staffing costs for the Downtown Fresno Partnership as they take on hosting responsibilities for the event.
“We really tried to keep (the fees) modest and simple,” Balch said, “so that it would not be a barrier if you’re a vendor who’s out and really meeting the market with products that people are liking. We think that $50 is a reasonable amount.”
How did we get here?
The announcement of Why Not Wednesday comes after weeks of heightened tensions brought on when the city first announced it was canceling all outdoor activities at the Aug. 1 ArtHop.
What ensued was an ongoing debate about what defines ArtHop, who it’s for and who’s in charge.
The event started off in the ’90s as a humble assortment of gallery exhibitions but morphed into a massive street fair drawing as many as 15,000 people downtown each month.
City leaders said they were trying to get ahead of possible health and safety concerns with the decentralized event when they announced the cancelation of outdoor activities at the Aug. 1 ArtHop.
The move to Wednesdays for the street fair was due to police schedules, Mayor Jerry Dyer said previously.
But several vendors have taken issue with the city’s abrupt crackdown on the event.
Some said they would miss out a vital source of income from their sales at ArtHop each month – and still set up shop at the Aug. 1 ArtHop in protest. Others have questioned whether moving the event to another night will cancel much-needed momentum bringing Fresno’s downtown.
City leaders said they’re optimistic they can rally people around Wednesday nights – eventually.
“FresYes used to be hard, now it’s not. Fiestas Patrias used to be hard, now it’s not,” Arias said.
“Now we have one more day in a month where families and the youth of our city and the surrounding communities can come enjoy a street festival,” he added, “that’s going to be extremely well-organized, as safe as any festival they’ve seen with the diversity of vendors and food that our region has to offer.”
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