the fling is back

Friday Fling, the weekly outdoor market hosted by the Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce, is back in downtown Palmer for its 24th year. The season kicked off in May and runs every Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through August 14.

Each Friday brings about 50 vendors, roughly 15 food trucks, and live music into the streets of downtown Palmer, drawing a steady crowd from across the Mat-Su Valley.

The market skips one week in June for Colony Days, Palmer's major community celebration, when downtown is already full with its own festivities.

For Valley families, Friday Fling has become the summer routine: parking near the elementary school, walking into downtown, picking up food truck fare, and catching whoever is playing music that week.

The Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce says markets like Friday Fling give small businesses across Palmer, Wasilla, and Houston a consistent weekly customer base. For local bakers, growers, and crafters, the market is a recurring chance to sell directly to Valley shoppers, and the chamber says that weekly traffic is often what keeps small Valley businesses running through the rest of the year.