Bigger trade show and market coming to Okotoks Rec Centre

Visitors to a trade & lifestyle show in Okotoks this weekend will have more to see thanks to an increase in exhibitors. 

The Okotoks & District Chamber of Commerce Trade & Lifestyle Show is set for Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6 at the Okotoks Recreation Centre.  

The show is in partnership with MarketSquare's Spring Fling Market, and about 200 market vendors and trade show exhibitors will be taking part, said Dawn LeMaistre, the chamber’s executive director. 

LeMaistre said so many vendors haven’t been together under one roof since 2019.

"We’re really seeing a change, whether it's vendors or business owners, in being able to put the time in — or having the resources to be able to put the time in— compared to what they did two or three years ago,” she said. 

The trade show features business and services from electricians to hot tubs and home renovations, while the market features handmade, artisan goods. 

Organizers put the focus on businesses from Okotoks, the Foothills or the Calgary region. 

“We’ve stayed totally away from that third-party marketing,” LeMaistre said. “It’s all, you know, small, locally-owned businesses,” 

Non-profit groups, service clubs and the Town of Okotoks are also taking part, LeMaistre said. 

Members of Okotoks council will be there throughout the weekend along with representatives from the Highwood UCP constituency association and Conservative MP John Barlow, she said. 

The event goes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Food trucks, and some outdoor vendors, will be set up on the north side of the recreation centre. 

Admission is $5 and is good for the market and the trade show. Kids 12 and under are free. 

Tickets can be purchased in advance on Market Square’s website, where there is a full list of vendors and exhibitors, or at the door.

On Sunday, admission will be free from 2 to 4 p.m. with a donation to the Okotoks Food Bank. 

The vendor spots quickly sold out, and organizers might consider expanding the event next year, LeMaistre said. 

More information is available at themarketsquare.ca/upcoming-events.