Market Square construction moves outdoor farmers' market to Dundas Place
Construction outside the Covent Garden Market is expected until July 1
Image | Construction at Covent Garden Market
Caption: Construction has begun on Market Square at the Covent Garden Market in London, which is expected to take three months to complete. (Travis Dolynny/CBC)
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The Market Square at Covent Garden Market is under construction this spring, which means the weekend outdoor market and early spring festivals will be happening on Dundas Place.
"Construction started in our parking garage last year, so it has been going on for some time," said Sam Regier, the events manager at the Covent Garden Market. "This is just the next phase, but structural repair work is taking place."
The construction is expected to be complete by July 1, without any major changes to the outdoor space.
"The ice rink and everything will be going back in, and the layout of the square will essentially be the same," said Regier, adding that there will be no interruptions to the inside of the market during construction.
The outdoor farmers' market that traditionally takes over the square on Saturdays starting Easter weekend will be moving to Market Lane, a pedestrian corridor between the market and Dundas Place.
"Some of the larger events that have formally taken place on the square are either confirmed coming over or are still figuring out if and how they can come over to Dundas Place," said Ryan Craven, the manager of Core Area Programs at the City of London.
"We want this to be a community space. We want this to be a thriving economic space for the businesses and that's what we continue to work toward," said Craven.
Upcoming events happening along Dundas Place:
March 28: London Knights Playoff kickoff
April 3: Art Crawl Thursdays begin
April 12: Vintage on the Block
May 3: Free Comic Book Day
Changes coming to market hours
Starting May 1, the Covent Garden Market will be closed on Mondays, then open Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The changes mean vendors will have one day off a week, and people who live downtown and attend events will have more time to visit the market when it's open.
"We're really excited for the square to be done and welcome back all of the festivals that have been here in the past, and also welcome some new ones to the square this year," said Regier.
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