Olive Tree Markets co-founder Justine Gaudry says their return on Saturday after a year-long absence will be an important step back to relative normality for the city and its arts industry.
The popular arts and food market last occupied Civic Park in February last year before COVID-19 forced it into hiatus.
The organisers held three successful online markets last year, but Ms Gaudry said on Friday that many stall holders had "really suffered".
"Some business have folded, which has been really hard and sad to see that happen to people who have had businesses and art practices for a really long time," she said. "Others have used this period to create new work and reassess how their business is run."
The market will be in Civic Park from 10am to 4pm on Saturday as part of City of Newcastle's 10-day New Annual arts and cultural festival, which started on Friday. The council has sponsored the first two markets.
Olive Tree's footprint will be smaller than usual on Saturday because it is sharing the park with The Hangar cabaret and bar installation.
It will return the following Saturday, February 20, with a different line-up of stall holders before returning to a full-size market in March.
Ms Gaudry expected the community to welcome the market's return after a long period of disruption.
"Community events are so important to people, and during this period there's been very, very little for people to do outside their normal daily life.
"Our community's really missed having live events and being able to meet and interact with our stall holders.
"Not only is it a retail space, it's a community space for meeting emerging and established artists."
The first online market had attracted 50,000 people in a day, 70 per cent of them from outside the Newcastle area.
"It was interesting to see that our markets and creatives were known on a bigger level," Ms Gaudry said.
"Some stall holders actually did better in the online market than they did in person, which was a really big surprise."
Many of the market's regulars had to "fully adjust their business model quickly".
"The new normal is not what we knew before, and we're all adjusting to it, and I'd say for a considerable time that's going to be the new reality."
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