FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – The Why Not Wednesday street fair kicked off for the first time Wednesday, drawing hundreds of shoppers to Downtown Fresno.
At least 100 vendors sold food, clothes and jewelry.
The City worked for several months to organize the event on Fulton Street.
“It’s an exciting time with a mix of small business and community and culture all coming together as one,” Elliott Balch with the Downtown Fresno Partnership said.
While the event may sound similar to the long-standing Arthop street fair that has existed in the same location for years, Fresno City Councilman Miguel Arias says there is an important distinction: Why Not Wednesdays is sanctioned by the City.
He says Arthop attracted vendors who sometimes sold goods without business licenses, and there was no infrastructure to close roads or police the event.
“It’s more beneficial because, as parents who were sending their teens to enjoy the street fair bar hop, we can now give them complete assurances that we’re going to have dozens of police officers,” Arias said.