Street fair will take place outside the building, on arena property
The 15th season of Atomic Holiday Bazaar will be held on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27 at its new venue, Robarts Arena at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds, which stands at 3000 Ringling Blvd. in Sarasota, the show’s creator, Adrien Lucas, has announced.
The event was on a two-year “(and a too long) hiatus” because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a news release points out.
Atomic Misfit makers will be found inside Robarts Arena, while other makers will be located at the street fair outside the arena, on the fairgrounds property, the release adds.
“Atomic was fortunate to land the Small Business Saturday weekend falling right after the Thanksgiving holiday,” the release notes. The hours for Atomic are as follows:
- Saturday, Nov. 26, noon to 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 27, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission will be $6 for adults; children age 12 and under will get in free.
When Adrien Lucas moved to Sarasota from Los Angeles in 2000, “she decided to bring a bit of L.A. with her by creating a show with outlandish colorful craft and interesting people,” the release explains. Atomic launched in 2006, “showcasing 50 unconventional crafters who needed an affordable and welcoming venue to sell their unusual handmade wares. By producing an alternative craft show for Sarasota’s hip shoppers, Atomic quickly grew into an annual Sarasota holiday shopping tradition,” the release points out.
During its 15th season, the show will feature “170 vendors who create a wide range of interesting handmade arts and crafts in the theme of Atomic,” the release notes. “Atomic continues to feature style trends in merchandise that often make their way to big box stores a year or two later,” it adds. For example, the release says, think of the revival over the past five years of 1970s macramé wall hangings, “which you now will find at Target.”
Atomic features a wide range of items for all: screen-printed T-shirts, faux taxidermy, upcycled everything ranging from home décor to clothing and jewelry, “(for example, think of ‘upcycled’ as copper pipe that has been refitted into a desk lamp),” vintage clothing, kitsch, lowbrow to elegant fine art, holiday cards, jams, jellies, “the best canned pickle selections ever,” one-of-a-kind baby clothing, humorous chatchkes, ornaments, knits, catnip toys, doggie stuff, felted art, plants, plushies (unusual and humorous creatures), pop culture-graphic art posters, dark sentiments, body products, candles, “beachy vibe stuff,” ethnic Latin textiles, rock ’n’ roll edgy clothing, “sweet little creations that make you sigh, get the picture? No artsy stone unturned, Atomic has something for all!”
The release adds that Atomic features family-friendly “to PG-rated adult content.”
During the event this year, the food trucks at the street fair will be Mouthole BBQ and Big Blue Grilled Cheese, the release notes, and the Robarts indoor arena cantina “will be open for hungry shoppers.”
“The first lucky 100 adult’ish humans who enter the main auditorium at the stroke of Noon receive a swag bag with vendor gifts of samples, stickers and coupons that may be used during Atomic,” the release explains. Totes will be handed out by the local roller derby league, the Bradentucky Bombers, “who have been Atomic’s ‘welcome wagon hosts’ since 2006,” the release adds.
For more information about Atomic Holiday Bazaar, contact Adrien Lucas at 941-539-9044, email atomicholidaybazaar@gmail.com, or visit www.atomicholidaybazaar.com.