Portsmouth’s Market Square Day takes place Saturday. It’s the annual event’s 40th year.
The festival kicks off with a 10k road race at 9am and continues with street vendors and live music until 4pm.
It’s hosted by the non-profit group Pro Portsmouth. Barbara Massar is Executive Director.
“Altogether we probably accepted 170 vendors this year. So if you stand in Market Square and look in four directions, you’re going to see –beyond a sea of people—you’re going to see rows and rows of tents.”
Organizers expect as many as 80,000 people to walk through downtown Portsmouth tomorrow. Several streets will be closed to traffic.
The event celebrates the renovation of the city’s historic intersection in the 1970s. That project is seen by many as a key turning point in the city’s revitalization.