Center City Allentown is getting its first open-air marketplace on Saturday, Nov. 14, with food, music and handmade goods from local businesses set to fill DLP Plaza from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free, family- and pet-friendly event runs rain or shine, and organizers say it is designed to show off the full range of cultures and small businesses that call downtown Allentown home.
The Downtown Allentown Marketplace is presented by the Downtown Allentown Alliance in partnership with the Allentown Chamber of Commerce, according to discoverlehighvalley.com. As lehighvalleylive.com reports, the marketplace will take place at DLP Plaza, near Ninth and Hamilton streets, and is billed as the first of its kind for the area. Lisa Finkelstein, executive director of the Downtown Allentown Alliance, said the event celebrates Allentown and Lehigh Valley cultures, businesses and people, with fresh produce, prepared foods, live music, local artists and artisans, hands-on activities and downtown businesses all part of the mix, per the same report.
Six Performances, One Afternoon
Organizers have lined up six distinct cultural performances for the day, according to the outlet's reporting. Paza, Tree of Life will share Native American traditions, while the Janosik Polish Dance Ensemble performs Polish dance. The Philadelphia-based group describes itself on its own website as janosikdancers.org as celebrating 30 years of performing Polish folk and national dances and songs.
Rounding out the lineup, Carmen Belly Dance and Arabic Drumming will perform belly dance and Arabic drumming, The Pilgrims of Deep Run will bring traditional Irish music, and Afro Friends LV will take the stage alongside DJ Romeo. Clave Legacy, a 12-piece ensemble, is set to close out the day with Latin jazz and salsa, the outlet's report notes.
Food Stalls and Local Makers
Hungry visitors will find a global spread, with food vendors including Spice Route, Kou Kitchen, La Cocina del Abuelo, Cozy Crumbs Cafe and Beestar Tanghulu, according to the same account. Local farmers and artisans are also expected to sell fresh produce and handmade items alongside the food stalls.
Brittney Ciardi, senior vice president of Allentown initiatives for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the marketplace demonstrates the value of collaboration, per the outlet's reporting. On LinkedIn, Ciardi-Miller promoted the event with a note to come hungry, come curious and stay awhile, pointing followers to DLP Plaza at 835 Hamilton Street for the free, rain-or-shine, pet-friendly gathering, according to her post on LinkedIn.
Parking and Getting Downtown
Organizers have mapped out several parking options for the day. City Center Group is offering free parking at the Eighth and Walnut garage, 777 Walnut St., while the Allentown Parking Authority will charge $5 for event parking at the 940 Deck, 940 Linden St., available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the report states. Drivers can also use the Spiral Deck at 836 Linden St. or the Maple St. Deck at 920 W. Maple St., both of which charge standard hourly rates.
Vendors interested in joining the marketplace can reach out by emailing [email protected], according to the event listing on discoverlehighvalley.com. Organizers are already planning a second marketplace for spring 2027, according to lehighvalleylive.com's report, suggesting the Nov. 14 debut could become a recurring fixture for downtown Allentown.
