Night Market Music Promotion and Management

The City of Urbana is requesting proposals for live music concert promotion and management services for its Night Market event, a public family-oriented program held September 3, 10, 17, and 24, 2026 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at City Parking Lot #10-X, with proposals due July 24, 2026.

The vendor will deliver event promotion, artist booking and coordination, logistical management, and on-site oversight for four Thursday evenings. The Night Market is alcohol-free and free to attend, featuring live music alongside artisan vendors and food trucks. The City retains responsibility for securing arts and crafts vendors, food trucks, and portable toilets, and will maintain all control over primary advertising content, placement decisions, and brand management through its established design suite. The selected vendor will collaborate on cross-promotion but will not direct advertising strategy or brand positioning.

The contract term is one year. The City has operated the Night Market successfully for the past two years and is now outsourcing the live music management function for the first time in the 2026 season.

The budget template provided permits vendors to itemize costs across management fees, onsite personnel, artist fees for all four nights, artist hospitality, sound system rental, lighting equipment, stage equipment rental, stage setup and teardown, accounting and reporting, and insurance requirements for liability coverage. Vendors may add supplementary line items. No specific budget cap, pricing ceiling, or contract value is stated in the RFP materials. No incumbent is identified. Evaluation criteria and weighting are not disclosed in the posted documents.