Last year the event was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions, but locals were out in full force on Saturday as blue skies and warm weather made for a great day in town.
Dunedin City Council events adviser Olha Viazenko said the event had drawn a crowd of 5000 to 10,000 people.
"It’s absolutely wonderful to see so many people out here, and it’s a wonderful day for it."
Food vendors lined the lower Octagon and other stallholders lined the streets of the CBD, including the Octagon, Princes St, George St and Stuart St.
One vendor, graphic designer Katie Willis, of Mosgiel, was manning her stall Pudunkart in lower Stuart St, selling hand-crafted earrings, graphic prints and resin artwork.
Miss Willis said she had begun with prints, but over seven years of creating art, she had branched out, hoping to bring joy with her kiwiana creations.
"I’ve always been into nostalgia. Sometimes life can be really tough, so focusing on things that made you happy when you were a child can bring people some joy," she said.
Even the store’s name was based on childhood nostalgia — an old friend had called her Pudanka as a nickname growing up.
She was pleased to be working face to face at the market, as she ran her business online.
"I’m trying to get out more, and people are so nice today. I get nervous but people have been so nice and reassuring, and it’s lovely when you see someone come to your store wearing one of your pieces."
