Northshore Nights night market proposal was headed to Bothell City Council for direction

What the records say

In the agenda packet posted ahead of the Jan. 14, 2025 City Council meeting, the agenda listed a 'Projected Agenda Discussion' item — 'Direction on Proposal Received for a Night Market Event Series' — as a staff briefing, with the Gilly Wagon LLC proposal attached ¹. The accompanying staff memo says the council directed staff in October 2024 to create an RFP for a third party to produce a weekly night market series in downtown Bothell, and that in December 2024 staff received one proposal, from Gilly Wagon LLC ¹. The proposal seeks to create 'Northshore Nights,' a 15-week Saturday evening series planned to run from late May through August, featuring local artisans, food/beverages and music, on Main Street between 101st and 102nd Avenues NE ¹. Gilly Wagon lists production costs at about $15,000 per event, and staff estimate that with City in-kind services (permitting, sanitation, and traffic control) the total 2025 cost would be about $300,000 ¹. Because the item was a briefing and discussion item rather than a public hearing or vote item, the record did not show a specific decision scheduled, and the available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.

• The Jan. 14, 2025 agenda listed 'Direction on Proposal Received for a Night Market Event Series' as a projected discussion item, structured as a staff briefing with the Gilly Wagon LLC proposal attached ¹.
• The staff memo says the council created the RFP in October 2024 and that Gilly Wagon LLC submitted the only proposal ¹.
• The proposal calls for 'Northshore Nights,' a 15-week Saturday series from late May through August, running 7 p.m. to midnight, on Main Street between 101st and 102nd Avenues NE ¹.

Why it matters

If the council directed staff to negotiate, Bothell residents could see weekly Saturday night markets on downtown Main Street through the summer, with rotating local vendors, food and music. The proposal also carries notable costs — roughly $15,000 per event in production costs, with City in-kind services bringing the estimated 2025 total to about $300,000 — so the council's direction would shape both downtown nightlife and how City resources are spent ¹.

What changed / what's next

• A proposal for a night market event series from Gilly Wagon LLC was added to the council's Jan. 14, 2025 agenda as a staff briefing item under 'Projected Agenda Discussion' ¹.
• The records do not reveal what direction, if any, the council gave at the Jan. 14 meeting. The staff memo says that if the council chose to proceed, staff would begin negotiations with Gilly Wagon LLC and later return to council for further direction and/or contract approval — but whether that happened is not established in these records ¹.