Since 1970, Saturday Market has been Eugene's weekly celebration of local artistry, food, music and culture. It's the oldest weekly open-air crafts market in the country. The Market provides a place for artisans to sell their handcrafted goods directly to their customers - everything at Saturday Market must be handcrafted by the seller. It also features fifteen food booths, and presents live local music all day long on the Market Stage. An estimated 5,000 - 7,000 customers visit the Market each Saturday. Since most artisans and many visitors are from the Eugene-Springfield area, local culture is both represented and strengthened each week as people gather to shop, eat, dance and just hang out together in the vibrant, bustling marketplace atmosphere. This weekly gathering place for informal interactions and commerce is the pulsing heart of Eugene, one of the few commercial enterprises still in existence after nearly 50 years downtown. Rooted in it's "hippie" heritage, the Market continues to grow and adapt to the present day. Environmental sustainability efforts such as sorting and composting of tons of event generated trash and the use of re-usable metal forks are important developments. Whatever adjustments take place, the original mission of the Market is strong and honored weekly, presenting a marketplace where artisans sell their own work directly to customers. Saturday Market moves annually in mid-November to the Exhibit Hall at the Lane Events Center and becomes Holiday Market. This beloved holiday shopping, food and music fest runs weekends from the weekend before Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve, giving local residents and holiday visitors the opportunity to send locally handcrafted gifts to friends and loved ones around the world.