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There’s a new music festival in town!
The Ithaca Night Bazaar (INB) made its debut in May 2022, bringing a fun addition to Ithaca’s nightlife and the list of summer Finger Lakes events. (Another you may love is GrassRoots.)
It’s a colorful mix of live music, vendors, food, burlesque, circus, and a heady dose of summer nights and lakeside sunsets — aimed at the entire family.
I checked it out in June and talked to one of its producers. Here’s what I learned.
What is the Ithaca Night Bazaar?
The Ithaca Night Bazaar is an independent music and art festival that runs once a month from May until September at Steamboat Landing at the Ithaca Farmers Market Pavilion.
It takes place on a Thursday night during each of those months from 6 to 11 pm, rain or shine. (In fact, in June it weathered a tornado watch that luckily dissipated.)
I spoke to T.J. Schaper, a musician and talent manager, who dreamed up INB with Jack and Sarah Clausen, entrepreneurs and owners of the lifestyle boutique Sparks and Embers, in the fall of 2021, hoping to fill a gap in the Ithaca entertainment scene.
“In the past couple of years the town has lost the 16-plus, 18-plus things — recently most of the Ithaca bars and clubs downtown are 21-plus,” he says. “I don’t even know what these young adults are doing. We’re trying to create a safe place for them to socialize and experience music. These are the formative years. When I was that age, I was going to shows all the time — and now I’m a professional musician (not that everyone has to become a musician).”
The organizers also wanted to bring an evening event — “modeled after eclectic Asian street markets and magical European music festivals” — to the pavilion site to really use its full potential beyond the regular weekend farmers markets.
In the booths you’ll find 40 to 50 vendors selling everything from chocolates to jewelry and tarot readings, plus food and beverage stands.
Circus artists wander about, while a burlesque troupe and three bands from the local and regional music scenes take turns on two stages. The July 2022 market will also feature an afterparty at the Upstairs with a band from Nashville.
“There’s something for everyone,” T.J. says. “Stylistically, we’re open to everything and anything. We’re trying to create a place that’s a little more diverse — not just a bunch of white dudes playing music — and give people a platform to rock out and do their thing.”
The reception so far has been very positive. T.J. reports that more than 800 people came to the first event, and the second was also well attended (though some people stayed home because of the tornado watch).
Maryse Gregoire, a vendor selling her beautiful ShimaShima bags at the June market, also enjoyed herself. “The vendors, music, and entertainment at INB create a funky, fun vibe for people of all ages and backgrounds,” she says. “I had a great time, and the best part was watching people mingle through the crowd with one of our bags on their shoulders. The organizers do a great job, and I’ll definitely be back.”
A visit to the Ithaca Night Bazaar
Here are some impressions from my visit to the Ithaca Night Bazaar in June.
The festival invites you to explore “a world of music, art, food, drinks, craft, performance, weirdness and wonderfulness” — so I knew it would likely be quite different from the Taste of the Finger Lakes event I’d been to at the same site just a couple of days before.
The lovely backdrop was the same: the wooden Farmers Market Pavilion that sits right next to a dock (you can bring your boat!), the evening sun glittering on Cayuga Lake, a beautiful sunset…
I arrived on the early side, and as the evening progressed, more people started to fill in the crowd, which was very diverse (and, I admit, skewed younger than, well, me).
As I wandered from booth to booth to admire the artisan jewelry, clothes, henna tattoos, soy candles, herbs and teas, and many other things for sale (I loved Yen Ospina‘s Colombian-inspired, colorful art!), jugglers roamed the market, performing their tricks.
A demo of the powers of centrifugal force had everyone around me enthralled. The guy in the audience who lent the juggler his (full) beer can to be swung around in giant circles sure looked glad to get it back at the end of the act.
I was especially fascinated by hand balancer and foot juggler Sierra Rhoades who was showing off her skills against the background of the sunset over the lake. Check out the video below.
Shows by Parlor City Burlesque out of Binghamton provided a lot of the “weirdness and wonderfulness” (#keepithacabazaar) at this Ithaca music festival.
On the main concert stage towards the parking lot, three different bands played over the course of the evening. On that particular night, they happened to all have a rock flavor, though in different genres.
I had expected more food vendors, but there were a handful of options (I remember Silver Spoon, Peruvian food from Miski Tullpa, Ghanaian dishes from Asempe Kitchen, a baked goods stand, and Lucky Hare Brewing) and T.J. said there would be more at the next event. So consider having your dinner there. Eating down on the dock right on the lake is lovely!
The event runs for five hours, starting at 6 pm. I think you can arrive at just about any time and have a good experience, since the bands are spread out over that time, the burlesque show runs at least twice, and the vendors stick around.
I had a really nice time and plan to be back with friends for some of the next events. I’m happy the Ithaca Night Bazaar adds a fun new option to the list of Ithaca festivals and things to do in Ithaca in the summer.
Is the Ithaca Night Bazaar suitable for kids?
The Ithaca Night Bazaar is conceived as an event for all ages. Kids 12 and under enter for free, and youths older than 16 may come alone.
Since the bazaar night starts at 6 pm, it’s easy enough to come to the earlier part and leave by bedtime (or the summer version of bedtime).
I saw kids of various ages there, including a few riding around the pavilion on a tricycle.
Whether the burlesque element is suitable for your kids is very much up to your particular sensibilities. T.J. told me the performers definitely tone it down to be family friendly.
Personally, considering my young children (who weren’t with me that time), I felt more comfortable with the earlier (7 pm) of the two burlesque shows I saw. The later one, at 9 pm, seemed a little more risqué.
Judging by the fascinated groans of people around me (with a feeling of “I can’t watch! Argh, I’ve got to see this. No, I can’t watch!”) the act put on by a performer going by the name Party Tricks (Party Trix?) — among other things, hanging a bowling ball from her ear lobes and having people staple dollar bills to her body as tips — was pushing not only my boundaries of comfort. I just wouldn’t want to give my kids any ideas… (They have enough of their own.)
However, you can easily keep your children away from the burlesque show entirely because it’s at one end of the pavilion and the crowd obscures the stage if you stay behind it. So it’s up to you whether they’ll watch it. (Performers do walk around in their burlesque getup throughout the evening.)
If you’ll be up close to the music, consider ear protection for your little ones (and yourself, for that matter — I’ve been eyeing these professional ear plugs).
2022 dates for the Ithaca Night Bazaar
- May 19: Jimkata, Ariel Arbisser, Dom Martyr
- June 16: Maybird, Sun Parade, Vicious Fishes
- July 14: Mikaela Davis, Aubrey Haddard, Mopes
- August 18: Bella’s Bartok, Sundub, Road Man
- September 15: Comb Down, MJT, Cold Sugar
Additional information
- Website: ithacanightbazaar.com (appears to be defunct, as of 4/2023)
- Tickets: In 2022, prices range from $15 (“earliest bird”) to $25 (at the door). A season pass is available. You can purchase tickets via Eventbrite or at Sparks and Embers in Press Bay Alley.
- Food and drink: There are several vendors at the market. No outside food or drink is allowed.
- Participation: The organizers welcome inquiries from performers, vendors, volunteers or sponsors.
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