Who – and what – we saw at Localtopia 2020
St. Pete’s celebration of all things local, Localtopia, took over downtown Saturday, Feb. 22. The colossal gathering of more than 250 independent businesses started seven years ago with just a small crowd in a corner of Williams Park. Over the years it has grown to fill the park to capacity, and in 2020 it grew tentacles and extended into the surrounding streets. Food trucks, vendors, makers and nonprofits (yes, even us journalists) took part in the seven-hour mania. Localtopia has, indeed, become a defining annual event.
As St. Pete Catalyst Publisher Joe Hamilton describes it, “Localtopia is a heartbeat event for our city.”
This year, the St. Pete Catalyst team was on scene spreading the word about our work and celebrating our roots as a truly local, independent modern news platform. We met dedicated long-time readers and new readers, and many of those who had never read or heard of the St. Pete Catalyst at all. It was a reflection of the wonderful work we’ve done and a reminder of all of the great and challenging work ahead.
We were joined on scene by our team of incredible journalists, Finance Editor Margie Manning and Culture Editor Bill DeYoung. “I was impressed by the sheer number of people, everywhere,” said DeYoung. “It was shoulder-to-shoulder for much of the afternoon. The next day, someone who’d been there, she was from Atlanta, said to me, ‘I couldn’t believe how nice everyone was. It was so crowded and people were so polite.’ I think that says a lot about St. Petersburg, and why those of us who call it home feel so fortunate to be here.”
Fortunate feels like an understatement to this writer. I’ve been a St. Petersburg resident for less than five years, but each year Localtopia is a reminder of what makes St. Petersburg my chosen home. The talented makers, daring creators and driven small business owners of this city displayed at Localtopia are a microcosm of everything you see in the glowing reviews of St. Pete in places like the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and so many other national publications.
To the hustling food trucks, makers, booksellers, activists, health and wellness gurus, artists and all of you who just came to marvel at it all, thank you for making this city what it is, a weird and wonderful place.
Check out our full gallery of photos from Localtopia below, where we asked our readers to shout out their favorite local business.
