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Smiling attendees sit at the tables lining the venue as they watch the event performers. The symphony of chatter and music carries along a winding path to reveal a secret cove of vendors—their art creating a fusion of vibrant colors. 

Brighton-based pop-up market Brighton Bazaar partnered with Allston Pudding, an Allston-founded music publication, to host their third annual indie music festival and market, The Big Gig, on Oct. 4 at Charles River Speedway (525 Western Ave). 

The event blends the local indie music scene with local food and craft vendors, hosting six bands and 100+ vendors this year. Performances included Ivy Boy, Puppy Problems, Mozz, and more. 

“I think it’s fun. I think even if people don’t want to buy stuff, they can listen to the music, grab a beer, grab a pizza,” said Brianna Watts, an attendee at the market.

“I think it’s just a great setup; it’s a great way to also get to know some local artists around Boston as well.”

Formerly known as The Left of the Charles, the event was rebranded as The Big Gig this year. Brighton Bazaar was seeking a co-producer for a market and live music venue. Since they were in close circles with Allston Pudding staff, Brighton Bazaar owners contacted them to help curate a musical lineup. 

“We’ve been having markets for so many years; we wanted to use that to start expanding into other kinds of entertainment and performance, and that included local live music,” said Andrew Gilford, co-founder of Brighton Bazaar.

Gilford and Emily Robertson founded Brighton Bazaar in 2021. As vendors long before the pop-up market, they were inspired during the COVID-19 pandemic to host appointment-only backyard sales. After noticing the lack of vendors who ran markets, they felt their experience would help them create their own curated market.

The two have since hosted 120+ markets, highlighting small local businesses ranging from crafters to vintage sellers and media dealers, and bringing around 1,000 to 3,000 attendees to each market.

“I do know it’s an organization that is run and started by vendors themselves, so I really like those values,” said L Rego, founder of Obrigada Designs, one of the vendors. 

“It’s pretty easy and accessible for people who are trying to start a new business.” 

After attending previous Brighton Bazaar events, Rego was inspired to create lino prints. In their artwork, they combine Azorean culture through lino prints, linoprint stickers, and upcycled apparel. 

Sami Martasian, lead singer of the band Puppy Problems, said there are frequent discussions about how to connect musicians to local vendors and food businesses in their community, and The Big Gig has “a really successful way of doing that.” 

As a previous attendee of the market, Martasian said events like these put people out of their comfort zones in discovering new music, moving away from typical avenues through online algorithms. “People should be excited to find other ways to explore new artists in their city when it’s a little less convenient.” 

Next year, the market plans to differentiate the next Big Gig event in the spring, hosting an outdoor folk festival called River Folk at the Speedway. A festival theme that Gilford says hasn’t been hosted in Boston since the early 2000s. 

Brighton Bazaar will host events later this month, including The Brighton Bazaar: October Edition and their sixth annual Halloween BOOzar, events tailored to bring different communities together. 

“Our events are an opportunity for people to come out and experience kind of a microcosm or a cross-section of their community,” Gilford said.