Northalsted Market Days

Dates: August 9-11, 2024, Friday – Sunday
Location: North Halsted Street – Chicago
Hours: Fri: 5PM-10PM; Sat-Sun: 11AM-10PM
Attendance: 150,000
Admission: Voluntary donation

Overview:

Over a weekend in early August more than 150,000 members and friends of the LGBTQ community will converge on North Halsted Street to celebrate the 42nd annual Northalsted Market Days.  This event is the oldest and largest LGBTQ street fest in the USA. 

The event takes place on North Halsted, a major Chicago thoroughfare and the historic epicenter of the city’s vibrant gay/lesbian community. Market Days spans six city blocks and features four music stages where more than 45 musical acts will perform. Many of them are top-name, national headliners. 

The event began 42 years ago as a sidewalk sale in which local merchants put merchandise on the sidewalks and sold for deep discounts.  Although the event has morphed into a huge operation, with major entertainment, food, and drink components- it has always retained it’s shopping/marketplace roots.  Chicagoans from all walks of life come to shop the nearly 400 exhibitor booths. These vendors, from all across the country, apply months in advance for the privilege of showcasing their wares to this huge, upscale crowd with a high disposable income.  Vendors are selected for the quality and uniqueness of their wares thus ensuring a unique and fun shopping experience for all.

So iconic is this event within the LGBTQ community that many attendees, including foreigners, plan their summer vacations around it. ‘Market Days’ has a pronounced economic impact on both the community and the City of Chicago.  Area hotels and restaurants are booked to capacity a year in advance, and bar and restaurant sales begin a significant increase as much as a month in advance of the event. 

Media coverage of the event is extensive. Most local TV news gives it coverage, and five or more major radio stations promote the event and have live presence on-site.

Sponsorship Opportunity

Northalsted Market Days provides a rare opportunity to directly target this audience of 150,000 upscale, educated, GLBT adults between the ages of 25 and 54 in a relaxed, friendly environment.

Sponsor benefits include naming rights, two days of direct live exposure, logo placement in print media and collateral materials, couponing and bounce-back opportunities, and customized promotions.