Marton Market Day draws crowd of about 8000

The Marton Market Day went off without a hitch on Saturday. Photo / Lewis Gardner

The Marton Market day went off without a hitch on Saturday, when about 8000 people poured into the town to visit more than 200 stalls for a spot of Christmas shopping and a nice day out.

Despite the previous night's rain making the park damp underfoot, event co-ordinator Jenna Britton said the event ran smoothly.

"The feedback has been pretty awesome, and despite the fact the grounds weren't fun to deal with, the overall event went bloody well," Britton said.

"The ATMs always had a line; it actually even became frustrating to walk through."

Britton said she estimated 8000 people came to Marton for the day, making it the largest event in Rangitīkei.

There were more than 200 stalls at the event. Photo / Lewis Gardner

"Last year in the afternoon it sort of petered out a wee bit. This year in the afternoon it felt pretty consistent.

"The turnout would be relatively similar, but just a different flow."

There was also a large take-up among businesses in Broadway.

"This is the first year that we had such a significant participation from our local businesses. Usually they don't step out of their shop.

"This year every single business that was open had a stall out the front and they all said how they hadn't had such a good day in a long time."

The Mukume Taiko Japanese Drum Team performed at the market. Photo / Lewis Gardner

Britton said organisers wouldn't know how much was spent at the event until Eftpos use figures were released next month, but expected them to show a good boost to the Marton economy from the day.

"The ATM and Eftpos reports will be really interesting when they come in around a month. It just seemed like it was absolutely crazy."

The Marton Market Day is organised each year by Project Marton, a not-for-profit organisation that puts on events that "promote inclusivity and resilience as well as a sense of community pride".