The Surfers Paradise Waterfront Night Market is one of the biggest night markets in Gold Coast. It features heaps of hand-made souvenirs, jeweleries, fashions, sweets and dry foods, essential oils and herbal aromas, homewares, toys and so on. There are more than 50 stalls selling so many different beautiful crafts and artworks. There is also a photograph stall offering photograph taking with animals like birds and retiles.
Where: Surfers Paradise. Just walk to the beach end of Calvil Avenue
When: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. During tourist season and school holidays it is also open on Saturday. It starts from around 5:00 pm and goes until 10:00 pm. No entrance fee.
@AdamGT they are recent. It is Winter here in Australia as the South and North hemispheres are opposite in seasons. In February and March the weather is hot and humid. Good observing. Thank you. Cheers
This night market looks pretty nice, @locbuuloc ! A perfect place for a photo walk.
Is it happening all year round at those days, or during a certain period of time? Are there any games as well?
All the markets I’ve been to were related to some kind of holiday, such as Christmas in Prague, The Czech Republic or the cherry blossoms in Japan, or to some kind of local festival, like the hip Kapana Fest in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. So they were never really any longer than a week or two.
Thanks @DeniGu very much and kindly for your very inspiring comment and sharing your photo of Kapana festival in Bulgaria which I would like to visit one day. The beach front night market in Surfers Paradise is a permanently scheduled for the whole year round. It is open.every week on.those days. As mentioned during holiday and peak tourism season it is open one extra day which is on Saturday. Outdoor market both day and night is a special characteristic of Gold Coast. In fact, there are many different outdoor markets all over Gold Coast from South to North as well as hinterland suburbs. The 3 most popular ones are the ones in Surfers Paradise, Oasis of Broadbeach and Coolangatta near the border with News South Wales. These are more for tourists whereas the other outdoor markets are for locals. Games are occasionally seen as a part of the markets but usually happen.during high tourism.season.
It sounds like Gold Coast is quite busy all year round, @locbuuloc . Thank you for your reply!
I’d definitely love to visit your beautiful city and experience all that bustle around the market stalls.
What would you say are the main differences between the markets for locals and those for tourists? I’m keen on authentic experiences and always try to do things the way locals do them when I visit a new place.
Good morning @DeniGu . Thank you for the message. Well, Gold Coast is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Australia for both domestic and foreign visitors thanks to its nature, beaches and sub tropical weather with almost 300 sunny days out of 365 days a year. Having said that, it is still very rerelaxing and the reasons are firstly Australia is a huge country with a very small population. It is indeed the 6th largest county in the world but only about 26 million people living there. So you can imagine how scattering or sparse it is. And secondly it is not the State’s capital city. For that reason, it does not have the chaos like high density, traffic problems etc like all capital cities have. In general, it is more relaxing. You don’t see many people dress in formal outfits even when they go to work. The reason is people are used to beach culture and style. Casual clothes seem to be the norm. You can search for photos of Gold Coast of Australia and see what I mean. One of the best thing I love most about my city is that we have so many parks and parks here come with many free facilities like BBQ, drinking water dispensers. I love the balance between highrise and green patches here in my city.
If you like to visit Gold Coast you can do it any time if the year but avoid late February and March of you hate hot weather and humidity.
Regarding your question. These are the main differences between markets for locals and the ones for tourists. Firstly, markets for locals are open only once a week and it is usually on weekend. Secondly, there are more food and groceries including organic farming produces and meats selling in the ones for locals while you find more art and crafts as well as souvenirs. I mean things that are not edible. The markets for locals usually have mobile hot food and cafe vendors serving cooked on the spot meals and drinks while the ones for tousists don’t. Thirdly You don’t see many locals going to the ones for tourists =) lol.
I got the link of the Carrara weekend market for you to have a look. It is an outdoor market but only the part in the centre is under roof. The rest is ouside. This video doesnot cover everything in the market.
Thank you for all the details and interesting facts about Gold Coast and local markets, @locbuuloc !
I really enjoyed reading your reply and imagining everyone going to work in casual wear under the sun and cloudless sky. Have you thought about writing a full-flegded post about Gold Coast? I’m sure that many Local Guides would love to learn more about your city and could join in the conversation.
I often re-read and bookmark posts by Local Guides that talk about their cities and areas, and include their favourite spots and useful tips. It’s just a thought!
Thank you for your very inspiring thoughtful idea and yes I have nurtured the idea of writing a post about Gold Coast for a while. The two things need to be sorted out first are what to include in the post because I have hundred things to share with other members and secondly it is time. Working full time actually can keep me away from preparing my posts on Local Guide Connect. I will try my best . I love reading your comments and posts as well. Thank you for giving me a great inspiration.
What an interesting and beautiful experience @locbuuloc hehe!
I liked the photos of the waterfront. A while ago I also did a tour of the waterfront of my city, I leave the link to my publication in case you are interested in reading it: Walking the Costanera Of Ushuaia Thank you!
. I love reading your comments and posts as well. Thank you for giving me a great inspiration.