Outdoor vendors upset after Fresnos next Arthop goes indoors [Video]

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE) – The next Arthop on Aug. 1 will have no outdoor vendors, activities, or entertainment, but it will still have exhibits and vendors at indoor venues.

Fresno’s next ArtHop will not be outside: ‘Consequence of success’

At a press conference on Friday, Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias cited extreme heat and public safety as the city’s reasoning for only allowing Arthop to happen indoors next month, but the main sentiment was that Arthop has gotten too big.

“It’s literally the consequence of their success,” Arias said.

Arthop began as a “gallery-crawl” in the 90s. Each event drew maybe a couple hundred people according to Arias. Now, the monthly event draws crowds of 15,000 with street vendors, artists, and performers lining dozens of blocks from Downtown to the Tower District.

Arthop is an unpermitted event, and most of the vendors sell without permits as well. This keeps the event free for artists and attendees but then isn’t able to …