ABOUT THE RIVERSIDE ARTS MARKET

Produced by Riverside Avondale Preservation, Inc., the Riverside Arts Market is every Saturday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., rain or shine. RAM features a variety of small businesses, everything from farmers to artists to makers and bakers. Under the Fuller Warren Bridge at 715 Riverside Avenue, you’ll find a family-friendly event that attracts an average of 3,000 visitors every Saturday. The riverfront amphitheater seats 350 people and features hours of live music each Saturday. Every first Saturday of the month, enjoy a brew while sitting along the St. Johns River or while exploring the market.

Every Saturday, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients have an opportunity to purchase local produce from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. RAM works closely with Florida Organic Growers to feature incentive programs where a customer can double their dollars.

Also, RAM features Morning Yoga at 9 a.m. on the river stage from March until it becomes too cold. Also at 9 a.m., meet on the sidewalk near Black Knight Financial for a RAM ride, a bike ride hosted by ZenCog!

VISIT THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Arrive by car, boat, food or bike! In 2010, Riverside-Avondale was named one of the country’s 10 Great Neighborhoods by the American Planning Association. With a walkscore.com score of 70, starting your day off at RAM and exploring the neighborhood is a great way to spend the day the way the locals do.

Neighboring RAM, The Cummer Museum, features one of the finest art collections in the Southeast, with nearly 5,000 objects in its Permanent Collection and 2.5 acres of historic gardens along the St. Johns River. Enjoy free admission every first Saturday of the month. Walk a few more blocks and you’ll run into 5 Points, a shopping district full of restaurants, Sun-Ray Cinema, and great boutiques. Stroll a bit further and enjoy one of Riverside’s favorite parks, Memorial Park.

HISTORY OF RAM

Originally slated to be a retention pond, surrounded by a chain-link fence, this unique events venue was the result of a 15-year effort led by activist Wayne Wood. HIs vision was to capture this riverfront setting as a public marketplace. It’s award winning design with pedestrian pathways, landscaping and lighting was created by architect Melody Bishop.

On non-market days, the RAM site is utilized as Black Knight Financial’ parking lot and throughout the week, the riverfront amphitheater is widely used as a public park known as Northbank Riverwalk Artists’ Square, which forms the terminus for the Northbank Riverwalk. The Riverside Arts Market is a great example of public/private partnership with funding for its extensive infrastructure obtained from FDOT, the City of Jacksonville, JEA, JTA, and Fidelity National.