The Best Markets in Brisbane to Eat, Drink and Shop Your Way Around Throughout Spring
Whether you're keen on street food, plants, local artisans, celebrating dogs or getting Christmas gifts early, there's a market for it in Brisbane this spring.
The Best Markets in Brisbane to Eat, Drink and Shop Your Way Around Throughout Spring
Whether you're keen on street food, plants, local artisans, celebrating dogs or getting Christmas gifts early, there's a market for it in Brisbane this spring.
Grabbing a bite from a restaurant is great. Buying clothes from shopping centres is fine. Ordering gifts on the internet works. And picking up a new plant for your home at Bunnings is okay (well, it's pretty good if you get a snag). But there's nothing quite like perusing rows and rows of food stalls, vintage wares, handmade goods and leafy greenery at markets — and just-picked produce, too — especially when it's spring. 'Tis the season, obviously.
Whether you're interested in culinary specials, picking up something for your house or seasonal local produce, you have options. Whatever you're after — even if it's just browsing and having a bite to eat in the process — here are our must-attend markets happening around Brisbane (and sometimes a bit further afield) during September, October and November 2024.
Top image: Lachlan Douglas.
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You might have thought King George Square looked pretty fine during the day and maybe a tad finer at night, but it’s at twilight City Hall really shows off its colours. And what better backdrop when you’re shopping the evening away — especially when the King George is filled with some of Brisbane’s best designers and makers.
The regular Brisbane Twilight Market shows off a sizeable array of stalls — usually more than 60, in fact — all staffed by some pretty nifty and talented local artists. Returning for 2024, the Friday-night event will host an eclectic selection of items, so prepare to browse and buy. You’ll be perusing everything from handmade clothing, accessories and leather goods to paper goods, homewares, art and ceramics (and more) on September 13 and November 22.
Image: Brisbane City Council.
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Help the environment, save money, restock your wardrobe: buying secondhand fashion ticks all three boxes. Tired of your old threads? Want to save perfectly good textiles from landfill? Feeling a budget crunch? Then plan a trip to the Portside Wharf Love Me Again Markets. This excuse to turn someone else’s unwanted outfits into your next favourites is now hitting up Hamilton’s riverside precinct in 2024.
Find it near Rise Bakery on the second Saturday of each month. You’ll be indoors, too, and with change rooms on hand. Here, you’ll have more than 20 stalls to peruse. Clothes, shoes, accessories: they’ll all be on offer. Among them, so will designer wares and popular labels, and a range of shapes and sizes. The market runs from 9am–1pm, so you’ll want to roll out of bed early to head along. Live tunes will provide a soundtrack, and entry costs $3 — and you’ll need your card to pay.
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When The Market Folk first brought a heap of stalls to Newstead’s old gasometer a couple of years back, it was clearly a smart move. Browsing and buying beneath one of inner-city Brisbane’s most striking sights — what’s not to love? Because some ideas are too great to stop, this winning combination has made a comeback for 2024. On regular dates — Saturday, September 14 and Saturday, November 2 are the next — you’ll be heading to Newstead and shopping for fashion, art, homewares, plants, pots and ceramics.
The September event is all about spring, taking place from 9am–1pm. To start November, you’ll be shopping by twilight from 5–9pm. Either way, the Gasworks Plaza Markets will feature plenty of artisanal goodies to tempt your wallet. As always, Brisbane creatives will be in the spotlight, so you’ll also be showing them some love as well. And, there’ll be live music on the lawn, soundtracking your shopping. Plus, bringing your pooch is 100-percent encouraged.
Image: The Market Folk.
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If one person’s trash is another man’s treasure, then a trunk full of junk may as well be a treasure chest. Suitcase Rummage gets that when it comes to shopping, secondhand reaps the best bang for your buck. For years, it has been hosting regular events around town — and, although the past few years have been a bit chaotic, it’s still going strong in 2024.
Next unpacking its bags from 12pm on Sunday, September 15 and Sunday, October 6 at Reddacliff Place — and Sunday, October 20, too, then Sunday, November 3 and Sunday, November 17 — Suitcase Rummage features a crowd of open suitcases filled with the type of clothes, knick-knacks and craft you probably don’t need but definitely deserve. If you can’t make it now, try again on the first and third Sundays of each month. And, if you’ve got a pile of unwanted bits and pieces that someone else could love, you could always take your own suitcase along. Those who wanting to sell their wares must register — and it’ll cost $33 for a ‘stall’. You can bring up to three suitcases, so you can lug in all those shoes you’ve been promising to wear but certainly will not.
Image: Suitcase Rummage.
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The BrisStyle team is a rather busy bunch, putting on markets around Brisbane with frequency. If you’re particularly after a treasure trove of handmade goodies — and who isn’t? — then you’ll want to hit up its opportunity to browse and buy that’s dedicated to exactly those kinds of objects. Fashion, art, jewellery, homewares — if someone’s been using their nimble fingers to make it, then you can probably trade your hard-earned cash for their hard work. In fact, there’ll be more than 50 artisans selling their wares. And, while you’re shopping, you’ll also be able to grab a bite at the onsite cafe and listen to live tunes from local musos.
The Handmade Markets always take place on Saturdays, on the fourth Saturday of each month. So, mark Saturday, September 28 and Saturday, October 26 — and Saturday, November 23 as well — in your calendar now. Head along from 10am–3pm, with it all taking place in the Queensland Museum’s whale mall.
Image: BrisStyle.
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Any weekend is a good weekend to shop for plants at the Brisbane Markets, the old faithful of the Brissie market scene. That said, Saturday, October 5, 2024 will be better than ever thanks to a returning event: Plantapalooza. It’s the fifth time that the Rocklea spot has held a plant festival and, running from 6am–1pm, that’s something to get excited about. You’ll still find the venue’s regular 100-stall-plus market array, but it’ll be joined by thousands of extra indoor and outdoor plants, as well as plenty of flowers and succulents — and demonstrations from horticulture experts to help you put your green thumb to work.
If you usually put off getting into the garden when spring is well and truly in swing, here’s your motivation. Or, if you’d like to brighten up your house with a potted piece of nature, here’s your chance as well. Remember: there’s absolutely nothing wrong with giving a name to your favourite houseplant. Entry costs $2, or $6 with premium parking.
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On any given Saturday morning across Brisbane, plenty of pooches can be found descending upon the city’s markets. Come 6am–12pm on Saturday, October 12, 2024 in Carseldine, dog lovers and their furry four-legged BFFs will be doing what they usually do — with the added bonus of attending the northside spot’s returning Barktoberfest.
What do cute canines have to do with celebrating this time of year? Nothing, but don’t let that get in the way of a dapper doggo-friendly morning out. As well as the usual food and fresh produce, an array of pet-related stalls will ramp up the fun to barking great levels. There’ll also be a pupper fashion parade and a pawparazzi photo contest — to determine just which canine cutie friend is the most adorable. Dog-focused demonstrations, pupper prizes, a hydration station that’ll come in handy given Brisbane’s sultry spring weather — they’re all on offer, too. Entry is free, and live entertainment is part of the 150-plus-stall market as well.
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If you’ve ever made dinner plans at the Night Noodle Markets when they’ve popped up in Brisbane, then enjoyed plates and plates to eat surrounded by a sea of fellow diners, then you’ll know that the River City loves an excuse to grab a meal from an array of culinary stalls under the stars. Brisbane Powerhouse is capitalising upon this fact, too — and combining it with art and music — via neon-lit after-dark culinary event Night Feast.
For a month from Wednesday, October 16–Sunday, November 10, food, tunes and installations are on the menu outside Brisbane Powerhouse. Fourteen folks and eateries are returning for the event’s third run, each slinging their signature dishes. If you’ve enjoyed a bite from Donna Chang, Gerard’s Bistro, Southside, Allonda, Ngon, Hoy Pinoy, Wonderbao, Bugster’s and Mary Mae’s at Night Feast before — and LouisB, Lek’s Thai, Anchalee’s and La Mano as well — get excited about tucking in again. This time, they have company from Gelato Messina, which is whipping up a bespoke dish — and from Byblos for Mediterranean and Lebanese flavours, Cartel del Taco for Mexican fare and Calida‘s Latin-inspired meals. Diviners and Savile Row are also teaming up, while Central, the new restaurant from the folks responsible for Rick Shores and Southside, is taking part, too.
Image: Pixel Frame.
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For a beer with a killer riverside inner-city view, Brisbanites should be well-acquainted with Felons Brewing Co. It has also become a regular go-to for Brisbane’s creative community, with the Howard Smith Wharves brewery launching a makers’ market in late 2023 — and bringing it back multiple times in 2024.
Next taking over Felons’ Barrel Hall on Saturday, October 19 — and free to head along to — The Great Artist Market features over 70 artists and makers. Attendees can spend a day from 8am–3pm browsing, buying and supporting local talents, going home with the mindfully made items that they have on sale. For the spring event, the stalls will also sprawl outside across the rivergarden lawn, which is a result of the increased interest from creative folks to sell their wares. Whether you’re looking for gifts or just love art and design markets, expect a wide variety of makers and items — with glassworks, ceramics, illustrations, furniture and pickles just some of the choices that’ll be tempting your wallet.
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Ah, gluten. Scourge of coeliacs, this humble wheat protein has been making life difficult for as long as we’ve been eating sliced bread. But fortunately for all the folks out there with gluten intolerances, VEND Marketplace in Virginia will be a gluten-free zone for a day.
At the Gluten-Free Pop-Up Market from 10am–3pm on Saturday, October 19, 2024, mobile food vendors will set up their stalls and roll in their trucks to sling tasty treats without a single bit of wheat, rye or barley in sight. There’ll also be a number of stalls selling a variety of gluten-free products to take home, so you can stock your pantry as well. The dog-friendly event will let you take advantage of VEND’s usual 130-plus small businesses, too, for a stint of shopping with your gluten-free eats.
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Brisbane’s busy market scene loves an occasion. So, it should come as zero surprise that Halloween markets are also a local favourite. Redcliffe Markets Festival of Frights is one of them. Only this spooky event will take you trick-or-treating by the Redcliffe jetty.
Fancy an eerie theme and a killer waterside location? That’s on offer from 4–9pm on Saturday, October 26. Also on the bill: fireworks, a scavenger hunts, Halloween-appropriate decorations all over the place, and music and live entertainment to fit the mood — including roving pirate entertainers. And, a heap of food stalls serving up bites to eat, and drinks, also likely with a theme. Entry is free, but you’ll want your wallet for all that browsing and buying — there’ll be more than 200 stalls to peruse. And yes, dressing up is welcome for this wander along Redcliffe Parade till 9pm.
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Do you usually leave your gift purchasing until the last minute? Have you vowed to finally do better this year? Would you like to buy Christmas presents for all of your friends and family members all at once, and in the one spot — even if you currently have zero idea of what you’ll get them? Enter The Made Local Market, which is like Etsy IRL — and is hitting Brisbane this spring to lend a hand with your festive shopping. Get a jump on Christmas more than a month early or treat yo’self; whichever fits, you’ll have plenty to browse and buy.
In the spotlight here: artisans, makers, artists and designers in local communities, with The Made Local Market giving them the opportunity to sell their creations in a physical space. So, whether you’re on the hunt for handmade wares or vintage goods, these guys have got you covered. The market will take place in the Exhibition Building at the Brisbane Showgrounds from 9am–4pm on Saturday, November 9 and 9am–3pm on Sunday, November 10 — and because it focuses on the best local talent, every market is filled with different stallholders and unique creations, but there’ll be more than 120 stalls at this one.
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It’s time to get festive beneath one of Newstead’s most striking features: the Gasometer. The Market Folk is taking over the eye-catching Gasworks space, bring a heap of stalls with it and helping you finish your Christmas shopping (because, let’s face it, no one ever gets 100-percent of their gift buying done too far in advance).
From 5–9pm on Saturday, November 30, the Gasworks Plaza precinct will be home to plenty of market stalls as the sun goes down, all brimming with items that’d make perfect presents (for your loved ones, and for yourself). If you’re wondering just what kinds of things you can expect to pick up, think fashion, art, homewares, ceramics and vintage goods — and plants as well — from 40-plus businesses. To suit the season, there’ll also be a free Christmas movie.
Image: Andrew S via Flickr.
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