Friday Night on the Square seeks vendors and partners for return to tradition

A Community Posting by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce

Vendor registration is now open for the Washington County Chamber of Commerce’s grand return of Friday Night on the Square, with organizers announcing significantly reduced participation fees and several new opportunities for local businesses to take part in the event.

The event is scheduled for Friday, October 2, once again kicking off Old Settlers Days festivities in downtown Salem. The Chamber announced earlier this year that Friday Night on the Square would return to its traditional Friday evening format after briefly moving the event to a Saturday.

This year’s event also represents part of a broader effort by the Chamber’s new leadership to rethink how its community events operate and create more opportunities for local businesses to benefit from them.

For 2026, Chamber members can reserve a standard vendor space for only $20, while food vendor spaces are available to Chamber members for $50. Available vendor spaces are marked in green on the event’s new interactive map.

Among the new changes this year is a food court area on the bricks just east of the square, where all food trucks will be stationed to make selection easier for attendees.

Vendors can select their preferred location directly from the interactive map and complete registration, review updated vendor policies and submit payment online.

Register for Friday Night on the Square here.

Food vendors may begin setting up at 3 p.m. and must be fully set up and ready for Health Department inspection by 5 p.m. Vendors are encouraged to bring their own generators whenever possible, as the limited electrical capacity downtown has caused blown fuses during previous events, particularly among food trucks.

The Chamber is also introducing a new "Passport to the Square" program designed to encourage attendees to visit and interact with participating businesses throughout the event.

Visitors will receive "passport" cards and can have them checked or stamped by participating vendors as they make their way around the square. Completed passports will then be entered into prize drawings at the end of the evening.

Chamber leadership hopes the program will do more than simply give attendees another activity.

"The Passport to the Square is really about creating more interaction between visitors and businesses," said Chamber Executive Director Jacob Dufour. "If someone comes to the event, we want them to walk around the square, check out the awesome businesses and resources that are represented there, and leave with a better understanding of what Washington County has to offer."

NOTE: Passport to the Square participation is limited to participating businesses and qualifying community-service organizations. Political organizations, churches, and organizations primarily engaged in partisan, ideological, or religious activity may participate in the event as vendors but are not eligible for the Passport program. Eligibility is determined by the Chamber based on the organization’s primary purpose and event participation.

The Chamber is currently seeking prize donations and sponsors to help launch the program.

Businesses interested in donating a gift card, merchandise, service, experience or another prize are encouraged to contact the Chamber. Businesses can also support the overall event through available sponsorship opportunities by contacting director@washingtoncountychamber.org.

“We've spent a lot of time looking at what wasn't working and listening to what businesses and community members actually want from these events,” Dufour said. “We're trying to make this something that works better for everyone, especially the businesses that are investing their time and money to participate.”

With live entertainment planned, a large Kids Zone, reduced vendor fees, an interactive vendor map, the new Passport to the Square program, the Chamber says it hopes to make this year's event one of the strongest versions yet.

Businesses interested in participating as a vendor, sponsoring the event, or donating a prize for Passport to the Square can visit the Chamber’s website or contact director@washingtoncountychamber.org for more information.

Vendor registration is currently open and spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis.