The White Hat Guide to Occasional Markets in Melbourne & Victoria

An outdoor market with up to 200 stalls selling craft, jewelry, food & a wide variety of goods. Plenty of family entertainment. White Hat can recommend this market for its wonderful outdoor setting on the riverbank. There are 6 markets held each year and each run by different local community organisations

A Christmas market featuring the works of local artists and artisans held in the relaxing surroundings of the Wattle Park Chale Details at Makers of Melbourne & High Tea Society

15 March 2009 - Hawthorn Town Hall
21 June 2009 - Malvern Town Hall
22 November 2009 - Special Christmas Market

The Mt Martha South Beach Market is a quarterly market held at the Mt Martha House Lawn just off the Esplanade. It is a Free 'Dog Friendly' Event with Free Local Parking in the surrounding area. With over 70 makers market stalls it attracts large crowds and provides great views of Port Philip Bay.

Details at Mt Martha South Beach Market

Featuring 230 stallholders across homewares, textiles, fashion, furniture, lighting, stationery, lifestyle & kids products. You can also attend creative workshops, pick up showbags, or take advantage of the free kids activities. White Hat suggests that you may find a number of items suitable for Christmas gifts that are not your run-of-the-mill department store fare. Adults $2 - children 12 and under free. Entry fees apply. Details at The Big Design Market.

The Design Exchange Market currently takes place twice a year - once in winter and once approaching Chrsitmas. It features reations and works from independent designers along with food music and shopping. The 2022 winter market is paired with a special winter entertainment on the first night called Beyond Dark which features food trucks, mulled wine, fire pits, live music and roving performers. Full details at The Design Exchange.

Entry fees apply.

The Finders Keepers was founded in 2008 and now hosts highly succesful design markets and other events in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Full information at The Finders Keepers website.

This February and March, Werribee Open Range Zoo’s lawns will come to life with Village Market. Browse the market stalls for locally-made beaded sandals, hanging planters, and colourful fabric tops and skirts. Join South Sudanese Yirol dancers as they perform in traditional costumes. Enjoy the rich smells and flavours of an Ethiopian coffee ceremony and taste speciality Sudanese tea. Then watch animals emerge from stone through traditional carving demonstrations. Entrace to the market is included in the ticket price to Werribee Open Range Zoo.

This occasional market near the Ferris Wheel in Docklands brings together live entertainment, artists, and colourful market stalls showcasing art, craft, jewellery, fashion, homewares, gifts, homemade and home grown produce. You can also enjoy the dreamy winter visual displays.

Held in the heart of North East Victoria’s High Country region, this Festival has fun, food, fine arts, live music, and plenty of free things to see and do. There is a large program of activities for families, party-goers, travellers, and all comers.  White Hat can thoroughly recommend the Myrtleford Festival as a great extra-long weekend activity for locals or special excursion for those wanting to get out and about for the long weekend.

The Sunday parade will also be held at the Recreation Reserve, marching down the tree lined avenue and finishing up in a central point which will give everyone the opportunity to have an up close look at the hard work our schools, clubs and organisations put into their float. The Myrtelford Festival Market operates at the Showgrounds on the Monday with both a street market and a food court. The weekend culminates with a spectacular fire works display.

The Ballarat Antique Fair claims to be the largest and longest running fair in Australia and White Hat has no reason to doubt them.

Harcourt Applefest The Harcourt Applefest is a community festival celebrating everything apple related.

SunFest has been celebrating the Sunbury community for over 40 years with a free 2-day festival full of fun and entertainment for all ages. Attractions include:

• Battle of the Primary School Choirs
• Sunbury Can Dance
• Sunbury’s got Talent
• Grand Street Parade
• Sunfest Family Show
• Market Stalls
• Food Stalls
• Amusement Rides and Carnival Games
• Roving Entertainers

The Moonee Valley Festival comes to an end in great style with a full day of food, art and entertainment in a grand cultural celebration. There will be live music, roving performances and pop-up activities for all ages!

Headline performances for the Illuminate the River event include the X Factor’s Isaiah Firebrace, Melbourne-based five-piece Dinner Suit Boogie, soul powerhouse Kattimoni, internationally renowned circus company Gravity & Other Myths, Trucked Up aerialist performers, and Melbourne-based all girl acoustic trio Harlow & Hart.

There's plenty on offer for kids with ‘Beasties’ interactive show, the True Fairies storytelling, hula workshops and roving entertainers all afternoon. 

The celebration will continue into the evening with the talented Djirri Djirri Dance Group who will use dance as an interpretation of their culture to share stories about creation, family and Country.

Enjoy the sculptural lanterns of Lantasia by illustrator/designer Tyson Savanah, laser lights, projection art and pyrotechnics as the 2019 Moonee Valley Festival in closes in style.

Discover Scandinavia in Melbourne at the annual Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar in the beautiful gardens of the Swedish Church, Toorak. Festive atmosphere with stalls full of gorgeous items from Sweden, Denmark and Norway, especially imported for the Bazaar. Handicrafts, Scandinavian food, entertainment and lots of fun activities for the kids. Full information at Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar.

This community festival is one of the most popular bayside holiday festivals in Victoria attracting around 30,000 people and is also a White Hat favourite. As you might guess the chief focus is on the locally produced mussels, but other attractions grow year by year including:

• Live entertainment
• Kids activities
• Cooking demonstrations
• Art & Photo exhibitions
• Classic car displays
• Food & Wine producers
• Products to try and buy

.. and needless to say, plenty of mussels.

Congratulations to the volunteers who make this happen each year. Details at Portarlington Mussel Festival >>

Our rating - 4 Hats

The Knox Festival is an annual free event with an emphasis on family-friendly activities. It features local artists and performers, markets stalls, rides, entertainment, cultural activities and plenty of food.

If you can only make it for part of the time, White Hat recommends the Saturday Evening Program from 5 until 9pm  where you can pay your respects to the Country Fire Authority Volunteers in their torchlight parade culminating in a fireworks display.

10am to 9pm Saturday 29th February 2020
10am to 5pm Sunday 1st March

Full details at Knox Festival.

The Yarraville Festival has been operating since 1981 and has steadily grown into one of Melbourne's liveliest community festival and White Hat feels that the location helps add to the genuine village atmosphere. There is music across 7 stages from local professional and community performers, everyone will find something that they enjoy.. Kids of every age, from toddlers to teenagers, will hear music suitable for their age group, and a range of activities and rides are available for them. From jumping castles to carnival rides to bungee jumping, with many of the rides free.

The Yarraville Festival also features its annual market with plenty of stalls. Selling everything from vintage clothing, food and handmade gifts the market is a great opportunity for visitors to pick up a bargain.

Further details at Yarraville Festival

Our rating - 4 Hats

Celebrate the nut harvesting time in the Victoria Alpine valleys in Wandiligong. Nestled among heritage trees & gums near Morses Creek, at the historic Alpine Park becomes a hive of nut-based activities such as chestnut, hazelnut and walnut growers, nut-cracking tables, chestnut roasting and nut-based cooking demonstrations. ​

The Wandiligong Nut Festival is a family friendly event. ​ Walking through gaily coloured market stalls, you will be able to discover local art & craft stalls, local products (olive oil, pasta, preserves), local food, local drink (coffee, beer, cider, gin and wine), and local community groups. ​ During the day, you will find activities for everyone: a petting zoo and face painting for children, cooking demonstrations by local chefs, live music, and more.

Melbourne Latin Summer Festival is a multicultural festival, free event in the heart of Melbourne that focus purely on varying aspects and different contributions of Latin Culture within Melbourne and Victoria. The event has been created to include all categories and genres of entertainment from Latin America including but not limited to;

• Cuisine, Art
• Kids Area
• Night Life {Bar/Fonda Atmosphere(s)}
• Family Entertainment/Activities

as well as differing hand crafts, jewellery, educational and other stalls will be exhibited at the festival.

Held annually by the Mt Dandenong Preschool on the Kalorama Reserve in the Dandenong Ranges. Market stalls, fair ground rides, fairy floss, hot food and, of course, roasted chestnuts. There will be a diverse range of stalls showcasing locally made handcrafts and produce. Children can enjoy the fun rides and adventure play space. Enjoy coffee, tea and chai as well as artisan beer (including chestnut beer!) and mulled wine.

Over 80 bands covering all styles of Jazz. 4 major venues all in close proximity.

Workshops, concerts and stalls. The Port Fairy Folk Festival usually sells out well in advance, so White Hat advises that you should book early.

The festival celebrates Australian heritage, environment and community. To find out more about the significance of Wattle Day in Australia's history go to Another Date for Australia Day. Lots of family activities including steam train rides.

The Lonsdale St Greek Festival has run for over 30 years. Melbourne’s biggest Greek street party brings a weekend of Greek culture, food and entertainment to the city’s historic Greek Precinct. Featuring 3 stages of free entertainment, children’s rides and activities, and over 60 food, drink and craft stalls, Melbourne’s largest celebration of Greek culture will take over Lonsdale Street. Details at Lonsdale Street Greek Festival >>

Our rating - 4 Hats