An Expanded Monroe Street Fair Returns to Ann Arbor on April 2
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN , UNITED STATES: The 20-year old Monroe Street Fair returns to Ann Arbor on April 2nd after a two-year hiatus due to pandemic protocols. The Fair has more vendors spread out over more space than previous years; has more things to see and do; and has made ethical adjustments to allow for greater safety as America handles the COVID-19 crisis.
The Monroe Street Fair is sponsored by Ann Arbor’s Arborside, Weedmaps and Ooze.
"The Ann Arbor City Council has allowed us to expand the Fair further down Monroe Street and along Tappan Avenue," said Fair organizer Charlie Strackbein. "We are able to bring more vendors in, offer more space, more variety, and give more space to those attendees who want to practice social distancing."
Music has always been integral to the Monroe Street Fair but this year there will be no stage. "Music is part of our celebration every year, but the stage is a place where people congregate closely together. Considering our situation right now, that's not a good thing," Strackbein explained. "When we proposed having a Fair without music we weren't certain how the community would respond, but that decision has been appreciated by everyone we've spoken to about it."
The Monroe Street Fair and the Hash Bash are complementary events; the Bash is just a few blocks from the Fair. "We have a similar theme, we share the same crowd and the same clouds," Strackbein offered. The Fair is a cannabis-friendly event. Although several licensed Michigan cannabis companies will have booths at the Fair, sales of cannabis products are not authorized. Cannabis companies participating include Ann Arbor's own Arborside, Treehouse 603, Apothecare and Green Planet, along with Cookies, Pure Roots, CLAW, Winewood Organics, High Profile, Exclusive Brands and Information Entropy.
The show features many Michigan brands from smaller operations like the Upper Peninsula’s Northern Specialty Health, a local favorite mom and pop shop, to couple of Michigan brands with operations in several cities across the state.
Several donated booths have been dedicated to those organizations fighting for our caregiver, patient and homegrown rights, including Michigan Weed Warriors, The Michigan Cannabis Association, Michigan Weedsters, MINORML, Cannabis Caucus Michigan Democrats, and the Great Lakes Expungement Network.
Other Michigan based brands such as Packwoods, ArtifaCT, Octo-Pot, Seed & Cellar, Lightly Toasted, MI Tech NEWS & 420 Post, Scott Roberts law offices, a Hash Bash T shirt dealer on every block, Michigan Bud God, Broken Buddha, Catch a Fire, WeedNerdz, MMMR Report, Heller Glass, Art by Larry, Sponsorship Boutique, and CAS Design Studio.
The Fair runs from 11am until 6pm on April 2nd. Approx. 60 booths will line the streets, including vendors of artwork, clothing, crafts and more. Non-profit organizations will be present, too. 20,000 plus attendees have been reported during recent years with good weather. "This year the Monroe Street Fair will be back, bigger and better than ever," Strackbein said. "We have a lot to celebrate."
