18th Annual Fair Trade Festival
Categories: Art • Food & Drink • Holiday Events • Holiday Events / Family • Holiday Events / Free • Holiday Events / Crafts & Markets • Music
Date and Time for this Past Event
- Sat, Dec 7, 2019 - Sun, Dec 8, 2019 12pm - 5pm
Location
O'Connor Brewing Co.
211 West 24th Street
Details
18th Annual Fair Trade Festival: Shop with Purpose, Local Beer and Live Music!
In its fifth year at O’Connor Brewing Company on 24th St. in Norfolk, the 18th Annual Fair Trade Festival has plenty to offer in terms of having fun: live music, unique gifts and, of course, great local beer. Held every year during the first weekend of December, this free and open to the public event allows you to do your holiday shopping in the nicest of circumstances: among friends, food trucks and music.
The best part is the festival’s raison de etre: all products sold at the Fair Trade Festival come from all around the world and are produced under fair labor conditions, meaning that the producers, farmers and artists are paid fair wages, work in safe and fair environments, often share in the profits of the companies they work for and in many cases, their work benefits their communities as a whole. A wide range of products and prices means you’ll likely be able to find something for many of the people on your list, as well as treats for yourself.
This year’s sponsors, AlterNatives Boutique, Clark & Clark Jewelry, Eco Maniac Company, Sugar’s Pinup Secrets, The Green Cat, and Tidewater Sowers of Justice, are a few of the many unique vendors included in this event. AlterNatives Boutique from Richmond, VA will be offering Christmas ornaments, ceramics, textiles and jewelry made by Maya women in Guatemala, many of whom have been widowed due to political violence. The Tidewater Sowers of Justice will be selling Divine Fair Trade chocolate, a company that is 44% owned by the cocoa farmers, allowing the farmers to share in the profits. Our sponsors will also be offering unique gift options including silver jewelry, eco-friendly products, vintage aprons, and Fair Trade certified clothing and accessories.
Other items that can be found at the Fair Trade Festival include Fair Trade recycled paper jewelry from Uganda, Elephant poo paper from Thailand and Sri Lanka, Organic Fair Trade teas, coffee from Haiti, textiles from Guatemala, India and Pakistan, as well as locally made soaps, jams, jewelry, crocheted items and free chair massage. With 24 vendors in all, there should be a little something for everyone.
The Fair Trade Festival also offers entertainment throughout the weekend including music from artists such as Who We Are Not, The Storyweavers and Amy Ferebee. There will also be belly dancers, hoopers and even a raffle to help support the festival.
Purchasing items made under fair labor, fair pay and fair working conditions may sometimes seem difficult to do. The Fair Trade Festival is one of the best chances to use our holiday dollars to make our friends and families happy, to improve the state of the world and its workers, and to let down our hair and have a good time.
What: The 18th Annual Fair Trade Festival
Where: O’Connor Brewing Company, 211 W. 24th Street, Norfolk, VA
When: December 7, Noon to 8pm & December 8, Noon to 5 pm
Contacts: Susan Posey or Christina Trapani, fairtradefun@gmail.com