More than 100,000 people will take in the beauty of our seaside city while browsing through unique booths, indulging in delectable eats and enjoying family entertainment when the largest one-day street faire in the nation returns next month.
The Carlsbad Village Faire, brought to you by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 6, 2012, at Carlsbad Village on Grand Avenue from Carlsbad Boulevard to Jefferson Street. Each year, the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce hosts the faire on the first Sunday of May and November. Now in its 39th year, the free event has grown to be so popular that it not only attracts people from all over Southern California, but also from other states. Some visitors even plan their vacations around the bi-annual event.
“The reason so many people return to the faire every year is that they can count on finding quality items to purchase because of the wide variety of vendors,” said Ted Owen, president and chief executive officer of the Carlsbad Chamber. “You name it and it’s for sale at the faire.”
Just like at past faires, vendors will sell everything fathomable, including clothes, accessories, plants, household products, art, antiques and home decor. The international food court will once again feature booths serving everything from Thai to Hawaiian cuisine. A new addition this year is the Johnsonville Big Taste Grill, a 90-foot long grill that sits atop a semitruck from the popular sausage-maker.
The children’s area will entertain youngsters with games, a super slide, a bounce house, a rock climbing wall, face painting and arts and crafts.
The Rotary Club of Carlsbad’s beer and wine garden will entertain fairgoers with a large screen TV and live bands. The Kiwanis Club of Carlsbad will continue its more than 25-year tradition of hosting a pancake breakfast at the Carlsbad railroad depot. The meal, which includes pancakes, sausage, coffee and juice, will be served between 7 a.m. and noon.
Grand Avenue from Carlsbad Boulevard to Jefferson Street, and all the cross streets in between, will be closed for the event. To make parking more convenient, complimentary shuttles will run to and from the faire. Shuttles will pick up and drop off passengers at the Poinsettia Coaster Station and the northwest corner of Sears at Westfield Plaza Camino Real, courtesy of Pechanga Resort and Casino.
North County Transit District will have a 2-for-1 COASTER and SPRINTER promotion for the event and run extra trains.
The event’s sponsors are Brecht BMW / Mini, Scripps, Pechanga Resort and Casino and Johnsonville Big Taste Grill.
For more information, please call 760-931-8400, or visit www.carlsbad.org.
