Diamond Empire Band performs during a previous Market After Dark. The band will return to perform at the 2026 Market After Dark in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The popular Market After Dark makes a return to downtown Cedar Rapids this Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026.

The free event runs from 6:30 to 11 p.m. with more than 100 vendors, live entertainment, beer, wine and more.

See photos from last year’s Market After Dark.

Vendors will line the streets of downtown Cedar Rapids, selling handmade crafts, prepared foods, fresh produce, floral bouquets and other items.

Diamond Empire Band takes the main stage at 6:30 p.m. Other entertainment includes the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy at 6:30 p.m. on the local stage, and Lighted Ballerinas with Prestige Dance at 8 p.m. and
Redemption Band at 8:30 p.m.

The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, which hosts the annual event, notes that pets other than service animals are prohibited. Only beverages from beverage tents or at participating bars and restaurants inside the venue can be consumed at Market After Dark.

Attendees purchasing alcohol must present valid identification verifying age of 21 and over at an ID tent, and will receive a wristband. Alcohol vendors on the street will accept both cash and card in separate lines.

In 2025, Market After Dark celebrated its 10th anniversary of the open-air event, which typically draws crowds of 30,000 to 50,000 people.

The daytime Downtown Farmers Market from 7:30 a.m. to noon, attracts an average of 12,000 visitors to each market and ends its 2026 season after markets on Sept. 5 and 19.

Customers looking for other local markets can find details on more than 50 Eastern Iowa farmers markets on the Homegrown list.

Crowds flooded downtown Cedar Rapids in 2024, for the annual Market After Dark. (photo/Cindy Hadish)