A Day Full of Art, Music, Food & Community at the Watertown Arts Market
- Sam Dudley
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
On Saturday, August 8th, Arsenal Park came alive with art, music, food, and community for the 6th Annual Watertown Arts Market! From 12:00 - 5:00 PM, more than 100 artists, vendors, local organizations, musicians, performers, and food vendors gathered for a full afternoon celebrating the incredible creative community right here in Watertown and beyond.
And despite the heat, the community showed up!
3,000 people made their way to the Market throughout the day with attendees traveling near and far (some as far as North Carolina!) For some, the Arts Market has become a yearly tradition. For others, this was their first time experiencing the event, and they were blown away by the range of talent, creativity, and community all in one place.
Something for Everyone
The Arts Market's vendor loop showcased an extraordinary variety of artists and makers working across just about every medium imaginable. Visitors could browse pottery, paintings, mixed media, photography, jewelry, comics and stickers, stationary, music, dance, and so much more.
Whether you were looking for a one-of-a-kind piece for your home, a gift from a local artist, something fun for the kids, or simply wanted to discover something new, there was plenty to explore.
The Arts Market also brought together an incredible collection of local organizations. The Watertown Free Public Library rolled in with its bookmobile, while representatives from the Watertown Cultural District, local media outlets, the Watertown Cultural Council, arts and performance organizations, dance companies, and many more community groups were on hand throughout the afternoon.
See the full list of exhibitors here!
Photo Courtesy: Watertown Cultural Council
Two Stages, One Full Day of Music
The music and performances were just as impressive, with two performance areas keeping the energy going throughout the afternoon.
Over at the Court Stage, The Show Must Go On kicked things off with a lively showcase, followed by beautiful musical pieces and an opera performance by Vivace School of Music. The talented students from School of Rock then took over the stage and absolutely owned it, bringing an incredible amount of energy to the afternoon.
Indie rock musician Arto Vaun and his band followed with an outstanding performance before The Savtones closed out the Court Stage with their unique blend of blues, rock, soul and country.
Meanwhile, the Grove Stage offered a different - but equally fantastic - lineup. Internationally renowned Venezuelan harpist Eduardo Betancourt opened the afternoon with a beautiful performance, followed by the Watertown Lit Squad, who shared their author readings, poetry and prose. Wildcat Blue rounded out the day with their fun pop/rock sound.
Vivace School of Music Performance Photo Courtesy: Arto Vaun School of Rock Performance Lit Squad Performer - Photo Courtesy: DeWitt Henry
Come Hungry, Leave Happy
Of course, no summer festival is complete without plenty of good food!
Food vendors kept everyone fueled and refreshed throughout the afternoon with delicious lunches from Halva Mediterranean Grill, Plazita Mexico Tacos, and Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana. Visitors could also grab treats and refreshments from Campolongo Cookie Company, O'Some Cafe, Crepe du Jour, BESTEA, and Natural FruttiBerri - because who doesn't love tea, lemonade and frozen yogurt on a hot day?
It Takes a Community
An event of this size doesn't happen without a lot of people working behind the scenes - and our incredible day of volunteer team was unstoppable, even in the heat!
Volunteers helped artists and vendors unload, set up, and break down; answered questions and handed out maps; welcomed attendees through multiple entrances; assisted with parking instructions; and stepped in wherever they were needed to help keep the day running smoothly.
A huge THANK YOU to every single volunteer who helped make the Arts Market possible - especially our impressively hard working youth volunteer teams! Your energy, enthusiasm, and willingness to jump in made a tremendous difference and helped make this a day to remember.
We are also incredibly grateful to this year's generous sponsors - without you we would not be able to put on such a robust event, and our City partners for their support in bringing the Arts Market to life.
Finally, the wildly dedicated, creative, hard-working Watertown Arts Market committee who works tirelessly to prepare, plan, run, promote, and constantly improve the Watertown Arts Market each year for attendees, vendors, and volunteers. Find the full list of amazing volunteers on this committee here.
Courtesy: Vicky Sax Courtesy: Vicky Sax Courtesy: Vicky Sax
Supporting a Creative, Connected Community
The Watertown Arts Market is about much more than one day of shopping, performances, and fun. Events like this create opportunities for artists, musicians, performers, food vendors, local organizations, businesses, and community members to connect with one another - and that connection helps build a stronger local economy.
A thriving arts and culture community helps make Watertown a vibrant place to live, work, visit, and do business. When thousands of people come together to experience what our local creative community has to offer, everyone benefits.
Keep Supporting our Local Artists & Businesses
Missed the Watertown Arts Market this year? Or found an artist you loved and want to see more of their work?
It's not too late! Check out our 2026 exhibitors and shop online with your favorite artists and makers. And if the Arts Market left you hungry for more, visit our excellent local food vendors and keep supporting the businesses that helped make the day so delicious!
Thank you to everyone who came out, participated, performed, volunteered, sponsored, partnered, ate, shopped, danced, listened, browsed, and helped make the 6th Annual Watertown Arts Market such a memorable day.
We already can't wait for next year!
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