By Tyler Francischine

Dark, rain-laden clouds in the distance gave way to early evening sunshine on July 19, lending everyone a sweaty sheen that almost glittered. Against this sweltering summer backdrop, the How Bazar team was feverishly preparing for the first stop of their 2025 Bazar À La Carte Florida tour, which will see the Gainesville-based artisan market and third place take on new life with stops in four cities across the Sunshine State.

For the first stop, the team transformed Casselberry Arts Center — a gallery, art house, and public park, about 10 miles northeast of downtown Orlando — into a buzzing scene full of unique, local vendors, delicious and inclusive food options, and of course, the kind of high-energy DJ sets that make you stop in your tracks because they’re playing your song and you need to throw ass, immediately.

Some of the 500-plus attendees who attended July 19’s Bazar À La Carte stayed well after closing time, unwilling to break away from the connections they’d forged that evening or the rhythms that continued to shake the speakers. Though some guests stuck around for the entirety of the four-hour event (and later,) there’s one group of folks who put in unimaginable hours on that day: the small but mighty team of event organizers whose blood, sweat and tears make Bazar À La Carte possible.

Ever wondered what it takes to produce a large-scale, community-based event like Bazar À La Carte? I took a turn shadowing Laila Fakhoury, event co-producer for Bazar À La Carte and co-owner of How Bazar, as she worked alongside a team of Gainesville and central Florida-based folks to create this event. Get a glimpse into the behind the scenes here:

7 a.m., July 19 — Laila Fakhoury rises from bed on a sun-filled morning. It was a sleepless night for Laila, event co-producer for Bazar À La Carte and co-owner of How Bazar, as her anticipation about introducing How Bazar to new audiences had her feeling as adrenaline-charged as a student on the first day of school. She takes a walk around the Orlando neighborhood where she’s staying with her cousin, remembering to get in 10 minutes of stretching before showering and consulting her to-do list. New tasks emerge, and she spends the morning shopping at Home Depot, posting event information to social media and meeting with venue staff and volunteers.

12 p.m. — Laila ordered a mosquito fog to prevent pesky bites, which arrives six hours before the event begins. She paces the grounds of Casselberry Arts Center, finalizing a map that affords each of the 40 vendors enough space to set up shop, as well as enough forethought that vendors can easily slide into position upon arrival. 

2 p.m. — Vendor map still in hand, Laila greets a team of volunteers and How Bazar staff, including How Bazar co-founders Jose Peruyero and Ryan Akridge, who arrive from Gainesville with generators, signage and a pop-up bar and merch booth. Jahi Khalfani, co-producer for Bazar À La Carte, and Amayah Novela, whose hand-painted artwork adorns the flier series, arrive from Gainesville and begin unloading a car full of supplies before jetting off to gather more items. 

2:30 p.m. — A rare moment occurs in which no one is asking Laila a timely question. She holes up in a corner of the Casselberry Art House, attempting to respond to emails. Within five minutes, she receives a call asking her opinion on the placement of a rug in the arts center. Out the door she goes.

3:15 p.m. — Laila begins unfolding the quilts that will coalesce to become The Big Picnic blanket, the 40-foot-long centerpiece created over many hours by How Bazar co-founder Holly McCoy and others, which drives home the ethos of this event: providing space for creativity and collaboration. She shows volunteers how to conjoin each quilt until they almost cover the entirety of the grassy area outside the art house. Jahi begins setting up the bar, which will sling How Bazar’s signature Bazar-garitas, as well as a citrusy spritz made especially for the Casselberry tour stop. 

3:45 p.m. — The heat index is rising, and so is the time crunch. Laila requests that questions are paired with movement as she oscillates among various set-up areas. “We’re walking and talking, y’all. We rushing now,” she says.

4 p.m. — Vendors begin to arrive, fitting into the venue’s indoor and outdoor areas like so many puzzle pieces. First, the clothes vendors arrive; later, artisans selling accessories begin unloading. Laila staggered their arrival times to ensure smooth traffic. Zoe, a How Bazar intern, forces Laila into having a few sips of water.

5 p.m. — The fire marshal arrives for an inspection. A couple adjustments are made to the layout to ensure compliance. Though 40 vendors and a handful of DJs are moving about, readying their stations, there’s a serene quiet to the grounds. It’s almost as if everyone is conserving their energy for what’s to come.

5:55 p.m. — Five minutes before the event officially starts, Laila and Jahi are huddled around their laptops, finalizing details to send to attendees. Laila announces that in addition to reaching 500 RSVPs for the main event, tickets to the afterparty at Sessions in downtown Orlando just sold out. No one lets out a hoot or holler in response, yet the mood in this makeshift office feels lighter, almost like relief.

5:56 p.m. — Justin Luper, arts and marketing supervisor for the city of Casselberry, enters the office. There’s an issue with the outlets near the Big Picnic blanket: there’s no power, and the DJs need to run their setups and speakers here. Laila speed-walks over to the pair of spare generators that the team hauled down from Gainesville — one starts and sputters for a few moments before stopping, but the other works just fine. Ryan lugs over to the picnic area before someone realizes that it’s going to need more gas. Attendees will be arriving at any minute. Laila high-fives Justin. “Events!” she exclaims, breaking into a wide grin.

6:30 p.m. — Guests of all ages and backgrounds are milling about the Casselberry Arts Center. Older couples pull dollars from their fanny packs; young people use 2000s-era digital cameras to capture their outfits. The sprawl of the venue grounds creates an adventurous atmosphere — no one really knows what awaits around the next bend or behind the next door, so guests move slowly and curiously. Laila is on the move, making rounds among the picnic area, the rows of vendors, the art house and the arts center, asking vendors if they need anything and making small adjustments. She smooths out kinks in the picnic blanket here, adjusts volume levels on the music there. 

7 p.m. — Laila and Zoe begin handing out goodie bags to each vendor. Brown paper sacks featuring a juicy orange on top, the bags contain a hand-written thank you note, underscoring the fact that it truly takes a village to put on each and every Bazar À La Carte. Khary Khalfani, co-founder of How Bazar and creative marketing director of Bazar À La Carte, conducts his own laps around the venue, alternating among multiple cameras in order to capture the scene completely.

8 p.m. — As I struggle to keep up with Laila’s sprightly gait on our never-ending rounds of the grounds, she turns to me. “You know what’s crazy?” she says. “After all the planning, all the wondering, all the dreaming about how an event is gonna go, it’s over, just like that.” I ask her if she’s intentional about savoring the moment before time runs out. “I try to take it all in, definitely,” she assures me.

9 p.m. — Laila starts an Instagram livestream of the event, sweeping the venue from the short film screening on the far end of the grass to the arts center, where a large crowd, elbow to elbow, dances around the D.J. booth. As the DJ transitions from GloRilla to Panic! At the Disco, the crowd erupts, and Laila takes a few moments to snap some photos with friends new and old, both local to central Florida and folks who traveled down from Gainesville because they knew this night was not to be missed.

9:45 p.m. — Kaelin Ellis performs on the Big Picnic blanket, and though it “feels like” 91 degrees out, people are still dancing like no one’s watching, using paper fans in attempts to dry their ever-present perspiration. Just to the side of the picnic blanket, Laila is being interviewed by The Vision District, an opportunity to reflect on the event during its final moments.

10:36 a.m. — Jahi and Laila start disassembling elements of the event, though attendees are still holding it down for the pair of DJs whose beats echo throughout the grounds. It’s almost like no one wants the evening to end, maybe except for the folks who have to begin the tiring work of breaking down every little part.

12:18 a.m., July 20 — Jahi leaves Casselberry Arts Center in a vintage kei van with a whole lot of attitude, and returns it to its owner. Laila rushes into an Uber to head to Sessions, where the afterparty with Orlando House Party has already been going strong since 10 p.m.

2:50 a.m. — After hours spent debriefing and people-watching at the afterparty, a feast from Taco Kat is enjoyed before Laila and Jahi return to their crash pads for the weekend.

5:15 a.m. — Jahi’s head hits the pillow, a whole 90 minutes before the sun lights up the central Florida sky.