NEW CANAAN, CT — Local stores and restaurants will be on display this weekend during the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce’s annual Village Fair and Sidewalk Sale.
The event, which runs Friday and Saturday, will offer local merchants a chance to showcase items from their stores outside as shoppers hunt for bargains and specials.
The event will kick off Friday as stores in town move their merchandise out onto the sidewalk for customers to browse.
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The following day, portions of Elm, Forest and Main streets will be closed as the chamber welcomes over 100 vendors and organizations from all over Fairfield County, including a number of local merchants, to a pedestrian-friendly outdoor shopping mall.
According to the chamber’s executive director, Laura Budd, this year will mark the first time Main Street will be closed for the event, between East and Burtis avenues, since 2019. Both days’ events will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Saturday’s festivities will also feature musical performances, food and entertainment. School of Rock and the New Canaan Town Band will perform at the intersection of South Avenue and Elm Street, and the New Canaan YMCA will host a family entertainment area at the intersection of Elm and Main streets, according to the chamber website.
Budd said the music is what gives the event a fair vibe and noted the YMCA “has pulled out all the stops” this year with seven separate games for younger visitors to enjoy.
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Additionally, the New Canaan Butcher Shop and Chef Luis Restaurant and Boquitas Bar will sell grab-and-go food on the street. A number of restaurants in town will also offer visitors a front row seat to the action with their outdoor seating.
“Everyone likes a good bargain,” Budd said, “but [the event] is more than that…our residents and visitors enjoy walking up and down the street, enjoying some good music and food, seeing friends, meeting our local politicians and nonprofit organizations, etc.”
For Budd, this weekend marks the culmination of months of preparation and planning, which began earlier this year.
“While vendor applications go out the first week in May, planning actually begins in early February,” Budd said in an email to Patch, “as we have to secure permission from the New Canaan Police Commission to close Elm and Forest streets, and then we have to get permission from the state Department of Transportation to close the small section of Main Street, as it is a state road. We also use early spring to confirm with our music and entertainment vendors.”
Budd said the chamber was excited to welcome some new vendors to the event this year, including some new businesses that recently opened in New Canaan.
In addition to the chamber, a number of town departments play a key role in making sure the Village Fair and Sidewalk Sale runs smoothly over the two-day period.
“Our Public Works Department dedicates a big crew to prepare the streets the week before the Village Fair and Sidewalk Sale and keeps them clean during and after the event,” Budd said. “The event is monitored by our local police department, and our fire department is pairing up with our local home center, [Northeast] Weed & Duryea, to demonstrate grill safety.”
In order to make the event as accessible as possible, the town is offering free parking all day in legal spaces in the municipal lots on Friday and Saturday. Public bathrooms will be available at the town’s train stations, Budd said.
Budd noted she hopes the event will entice shoppers to try new stores and restaurants they may not have noticed or considered before in New Canaan, which is the goal of each event the chamber holds downtown.
“Closing the streets,” Budd said, “allows people stroll past all the booths and take the time to check out the local stores and restaurants they may not have noticed when they are driving through town.”
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