41 annual events in Downtown Wabash to add to your calendar

It’s no secret that Wabash First Fridays are an exciting place to be, but did you know that Downtown Wabash, Inc. organizes the Farmers Market, Summer Sidewalk Sales, Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza, Jingle Jubilee and Shop Small Weekend in addition to First Fridays? Well…now you do!

Check out our full Downtown Wabash, Inc. schedule of events for 2023 and then put them on your calendar. But first, let us give you the event-by-event rundown complete with themes, you know, for all the fun you’re about to experience. First, let’s start with the Farmers Market.

(Spoiler alert: There’s something for everyone.)

Downtown Wabash Farmers Market

Saturday mornings in Downtown Wabash full of local handmade, homemade and homegrown vendors
Every Saturday from May 13 – Sept. 30 (21 weeks) from 8 a.m. – noon at the Honeywell Center (275 W. Market St.)
The Downtown Wabash Farmers Market is generously sponsored by Grow Wabash County.

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Summer Sidewalk Sales

Weekend-long shopping spree on Downtown Wabash business sidewalks in conjunction with the 24th Annual Dave Kunkel Cruise-In with great deals
Friday & Saturday, Aug. 18 & 19

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Downtown Wabash Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza presented by Downtown Wabash, Inc. & Wabash Trucking

Downtown Wabash’s Greatest Spectacle in Candy with a LITERAL TRUCK LOAD of candy, costume contest, community vendors and so much more
Saturday, Oct. 28 from 5-7 p.m. (Rain date: Sunday, Oct. 29 from 2-4 p.m.)
Downtown Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza is generously sponsored by Wabash Trucking and Bachelor Creek.

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Jingle Jubilee

The official night kicking off the holiday season in Downtown Wabash with Santa, carolers, hot cocoa and twinkling lights
Friday, Nov. 17 from 4-9 p.m.
Miami Street Festivities during Jingle Jubilee are generously sponsored by Bachelor Creek.

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Shop Small Weekend

The holiday shopping weekend of the year with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Artist Sunday and Cyber Monday
Friday, Nov. 24: Black Friday
Saturday, Nov. 25: Small Business Saturday
Sunday, Nov. 26: Artist Sunday
Monday, Nov. 27: Cyber Monday
Shop Small Weekend in Downtown Wabash is generously sponsored by Bickford of Wabash.

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Wabash First Fridays

Monthly street festival jam-packed with arts and culture, downtown shopping, local restaurants and food trucks, local bars, community vendors and so much more

February First Friday: Downtown Chocolate Crawl (Already experienced)
Feb. 3: Guests brought their sweethearts and sweet families to embark on the sweetest, chocolate-covered Downtown Chocolate Crawl stamping map journey among nine small businesses and nonprofits.

March First Friday: Leprechaun-Con Bar Crawl
March 3: Returning for its second year in Downtown Wabash, Leprechaun-Con Bar Crawl is the perfect reason to grab a group of your lucky charms in the pursuit-of-hoppiness and follow the map to local bars throughout Downtown for St. Patrick’s Day-inspired drinks, food and even (s)hopping deals! (Consuming alcohol on the Leprechaun-Con Bar Crawl is for adults 21 and over. Drink responsibly.)

April First Friday: Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by Bachelor Creek & The Bunny Hop Shop
April 7: Last year, kids hunted for more than 10,000 Easter eggs. Bring them back in 2023 for the annual Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by Bachelor Creek at Paradise Spring Park. Don’t have kids, hop from shop to shop in Downtown Wabash for unique spring-themed shopping specials, dining, entertainment and more!

May First Friday: Meet the Boutiques!
May 5: Did you know that there are more than 20 shopping boutiques in Downtown Wabash?! (We know, right?) On top of those, there are more than 100 businesses in the district! (We know…RIGHT?)

June First Friday: Wabash Cultural District Celebration
June 2: Celebrate the Wabash Cultural District with us! From live music and interactive art displays to theatrical performances and dancing in the streets, the Wabash Cultural District is alive and well in Downtown Wabash. 

July First Friday: The All-American featuring The Bulldogs on Miami Street
July 7: Burgers and hot dogs. Dancing and live music. Bounce houses. The All American First Friday is open to families everywhere for an evening of summertime fun in Downtown Wabash.

August First Friday: The Downtown Hoedown
Aug. 4: August First Friday, but make it a country music hoedown on Miami Street.

September First Friday: Fiesta Friday honoring Hispanic Heritage Month
Sept. 1: Hispanic Heritage Month meets First Friday. Gather in Downtown Wabash for a night of delicious Mexican food, performance art, papel picado and more.

October First Friday: Theme TBD
Oct. 6: This is the only First Friday we don’t have a theme for yet! Have ideas you want to share? Send Carly an email at carly@downtownwabash.org!

November First Friday: Downtown Gallery Walk (A throwback to the original First Fridays in Downtown Wabash)
Nov. 3: We’re paying homage to the creators of the original First Fridays in Downtown Wabash with the Downtown Gallery Walk: a passport-based art-walk featuring all local art galleries from River to Rails.

December First Friday: Wabash Winterland & Downtown Cookie Walk
Dec. 1: Returning for its third year in Downtown Wabash, the Downtown Cookie Walk will feature delicious holiday treats to sample from various businesses while you cross off your holiday shopping to-do-list.

Wabash First Fridays in 2023 are presented by MetalX. Additional support for Wabash First Fridays come from Top Level Sponsors: Pettit Printing and Crossroads Bank; and Mid Level Sponsor: 95.9 KISS FM.

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When you think about your time in Downtown Wabash, especially when you’re spending money, remember that for every $1 spent in Downtown Wabash, 67¢ stays in the community. When you attend any of these 40+ events in the district, your dollars have an impact, and for that, we appreciate you joining us for all the fun we have.

Want to put your business in front of thousands of people in 2023? Consider sponsoring any of these events! Give us a call at 260.563.0975, shoot Andrea an email at andrea@downtownwabash.org or stop into our office Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at 189 S. Miami St., Suite 1.