About 150 shoppers packed into Main South Rd for the Green Island Market Day on Saturday.
The market featured food, stalls selling Christmas gifts made by local creators and performances from local school pupils.
Greater Green Island Community Network member Ben McKenzie said the event was filled with "cool positive vibes".
It was run by the local business association, but the network had been roped in to help organise the event as many business owners were busy at this time of year.
The event had run for as long as he could remember and was much loved by everyone, Mr McKenzie said.
Green Island Lion Club member Mervyn Tikey said the club had been feeding the crowds at the market for at least 25 years — but Saturday’s market was the first time he could remember it raining.
"The people have changed, but they keep coming," Mr Tikey said.
He was pleased to see younger people coming through and enjoying the market.
The event started as a Friday night Christmas parade before becoming a market day in the late 1980s, he said.
Mr Beecher said they enjoyed the atmosphere and it was great to be out and about now Covid-19 restrictions had lifted, which had improved people’s moods.
Mrs Beecher said their lively costumes brought smiles to people’s faces, which they enjoyed.
They were drawn to steampunk by the creative aspect of it, but she found it made her look at things in today’s world differently, she said.
They were planning to follow up the Green Island market by attending Oamaru’s Victorian Fete yesterday.
