Nanaimo residents who want to attend the Thursday night market on Commercial Street downtown now have access to a free shuttle bus and bike valet service.
Shuttle buses run hourly on Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. from the south parking lot at the Nanaimo North Town Centre, near Montana’s BBQ and Bar at 4715 Rutherford Rd.
The bike valet service, run by Hub City Cycles, is located on Wharf Street in the middle of the market.
Open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the market features live entertainment, a dozen food trucks and more than 150 vendors.
The Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the market, partnered with the Regional District of Nanaimo and the Nanaimo North Town Centre on the shuttle-bus program.
“Traffic and parking are challenging at every night market, so we came up with some car-alternative solutions,” said Kim Smythe, chief executive of the chamber.
Each Thursday, 4,000 to 6,000 people attend the market, Smythe said.
“It has come back strong from the two-year shutdown due to the pandemic,” he said.
“I think there was a lot of pent-up demand for social interaction.”
