During last year’s run of the Astoria Sunday Market, between May and October, as many as 10,000 people were drawn downtown on a single day — the equivalent of the city’s population.

Last year’s market brought more than 150 rotating vendors to 12th Street and was again voted the winner of the Coast Weekend Readers’ Choice Award in the Best Farmers Market category.

“It’s wonderful the community chose us, and it’s reassuring that our locals love us,” said market manager Tamara Cameron.

Last year’s market ran for 22 Sundays and collected a total of more than $1.8 million in vendor sales. “We’re a big market and we want to be both a local market for local folks and a wonderful gathering spot for guests and tourists,” Cameron said.

Of the handful of farmers markets in the area, the Astoria Sunday Market is the largest in terms of the number and diversity of vendors, from produce to grocery items to prepared food to arts and crafts.

Other markets in the region include the Ilwaco Saturday Market, which came in second place for Best Farmers Market this year, and the Seaside Farmers Market, which runs seasonally on Wednesdays and came in third.

The Astoria Sunday Market rotates its vendors throughout the summer. “About a third of our vendors are new each week,” said Cameron, as some businesses book only a limited number of dates.

Cameron added that the market is also a place where farmers can sell produce inexpensively. For new or small vendors, it offers an accessible opportunity to learn how markets work.

The market continues to strive to be a place for groceries, Cameron said, so that locals “can come and shop with us instead of going to the grocery store for produce and fruit, and maybe even meat, seafood, at some point, things we don’t have currently.”

Last year’s full roster of musicians included local performers Brownsmead Flats, Barbara Anne and John Orr on the food court stage.

This year, the market will launch a new activity for children. From June to September, the Sunday Market Kids Club will provide an opportunity for children ages 5 to 12 to participate in activities designed around local food and healthy eating.

Club members will receive tokens to spend on fresh fruit or vegetables and learn from the vendors what items are healthy and in season.

This year’s market will open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 12 and runs through Oct. 13. “I hope everyone will join us Mother’s Day for the first market,” Cameron said.