I love wandering around a street market checking out the merchandise. Whether it’s in some exotic far flung location or doing my weekly shop on a Monday morning at Christchurch Market Selecting the plumpest, juiciest strawberries while a cheery stallholder tells me they were grown in Lymington, just 10 miles up the road. In fact, there are general weekly markets in three locations across the Bournemouth area, plus a number of craft markets. The weekly street markets are:

Markets in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Market	Day
Christchurch	Monday
Boscombe	Thursday
Poole	Thursday
Poole	Friday
Boscombe	Saturday
Poole	Saturday

Christchurch Market

Venue	Christchurch High Street
Day	Monday
Time	9 am – 4 pm

On Mondays, Christchurch High Street is closed to vehicles and Christchurch Market takes over. It runs from 9 am until 4 pm. The market has been in the heart of this Saxon Market Town for more than 100 years.

Getting to Christchurch Market

Christchurch is 5 miles east of Bournemouth along the A35. Note that as the High Street is closed to traffic, buses which normally stop here are diverted on Mondays and the nearest stop is Fountain Way on the opposite side of the Bypass.

Parking

There are several car park options. I usually choose Bank Close Car Park, at the top of the High Street. Parking costs £1.20 for two hours. Further details here. I find that two hours is sufficient time to combine a walk through Druitt Gardens and along the Quay with a meander back up the High Street to peruse the market.

Stalls

Around 50 stalls offer a wide range of goods, including fruit and vegetables, bread, books and household wares, gifts, jewellery, clothes, plants and street food. Here are some of my favourites:

Authentique

A wide variety of bread and other baked goods, such as cakes, pies and pasties are on sale at this stall. All freshly baked and smelling amazing. It’s difficult to walk past without stopping to purchase something. They do great samosas too.

Fruit & Veg

In my opinion, the produce on sale here is so much nicer than supermarket fruit & veg. Much of it is locally sourced. And there’s way less packaging involved, so it’s better for the environment too. So shopping here is a win-win-win situation.

Boscombe Market

Venue	Boscombe Pedestrian Precinct
Day	Thursday and Saturday
Time	9 am – 5 pm

Established in 1992, Boscombe Open Air Market is somewhat smaller than its neighbour in Christchurch. The market takes place on Thursdays and Sundays in the Pedestrian Precinct in front of the Sovereign Shopping Centre. Theoretically, it runs from 9 am to 5 pm, but to be honest, stallholders seem to pack up somewhat earlier than this.

Getting to Boscombe Market

The Pedestrian Precinct is in the heart of Boscombe on the A35, two miles east of Bournemouth. The Precinct is adjacent to Boscombe Bus Station, so the market is very easy to reach by public transport. Buses 1, 1a, 1b, 2, and m2 stop at the Bus Station. There’s also the 99 bus which follows a circular route between Pokesdown Station, Boscombe and Boscombe Pier.

Parking

The nearest parking is in the Sovereign Centre, which costs £1 for one hour. Further details here.

Stalls

Stalls include meat, plants, clothes and street food. The smell of goat curry often pervades the precinct and smells divine. Organisers claim that the market offers ‘an ever-changing range of stalls and there’s something for everyone’. To be honest, an ever changing range of stalls means that you can’t rely on attending the market to purchase specific items – it’s more a place to browse and see what takes your fancy. On my last visit, there was meat, clothes, plants and baked potatoes. But no fruit & veg or baked goods, so I ended up shopping in a nearby supermarket.

Poole Market

Venue	Poole High Street
Day	Thursday, Friday and Saturday
Time	9 am – 4 pm

Poole Market takes place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in the pedestrianised part of Poole High Street Poole from 9 am to 4 pm.

Getting to Poole Market

Poole High Street is right in the centre of Poole, 6 miles west of Bournemouth along the A338/A35. Poole Station is a 5 minute walk away. Most buses to Poole stop at the Bus Station, which is also a 5 minute walk. This includes local buses, national buses (National Express and Megabus) plus the summer open top Breezer buses.

Parking

The nearest parking is in the Dolphin Shopping Centre. Parking costs £1.20 for one hour. Further details here.

Stalls

There is a wide range of stalls offering local produce, fruit & veg, books, clothing, plants and takeaway food stalls.

South Coast Makers Market  

Market	Date	Venue	Time	Entry
June Makers Market	24 Jun	Bobby’s & Co	10 am- 4 pm	Free
Night Market	22 Jul	The Loading Dock	4 pm – 8 pm	£1
July Makers Market	29 Jul	Bobby’s & Co	10 am- 4 pm	Free
Bournemouth Air Show	31 Aug	Boscombe Beach	10 am –	Free
Bournemouth Air Show	1 Sep	Boscombe Beach	10 am –	Free
Bournemouth Air Show	2 Sep	Boscombe Beach	10 am –	Free
Bournemouth Air Show	3 Sep	Boscombe Beach	10 am –	Free
Night Market	30 Sep	The Loading Dock	4 pm – 8 pm	£1

South Coast Makers Market is a monthly(ish) Independent Makers Market. The local schedule for summer 2023 is set out above, with further details on the website. Scheduled events include day markets on the first floor of Bobby’s, night markets at The Loading Dock and a pop-up market on Boscombe Beach during the Air Show. The rest of the time, you can find the Makers Market on the first floor of The Avenue.

Stalls

Markets feature makers/artists selling their products, food & drink, craft workshops and music.

South Coast Makers Market also has a more permanent presence of the first floor of Bobby’s.

Westover Gardens Art & Makers Market

Venue	Dates	Time
Lower Gardens	Weekends and Bank Holidays 6 May – 10 Oct	11 am – 5 pm
	Easter Weekend Pop-Up

Situated in the Lower Gardens, Westover Gardens Art & Makers Market is an open air art market which takes place on weekends and Bank Holidays throughout the summer season (6 May to 10 October 2023) from 11 am until 5 pm. In addition, the market will be open over the Easter weekend. Themed events are planned during the Bournemouth Air Show and Arts by the Sea Festival, running in collaboration with neighbouring Picnic Park Deli, with themed activities and live music.

Getting to Westover Gardens Art & Makers Market

Westover Gardens are in the centre of Bournemouth at the top end of the Lower Gardens. It is a short walk from the town centre or beach. Buses m1/m2 stop in Westover Road right next to the gardens.

Parking

The nearest car park is Bournemouth Pavilion, where parking costs £3.30 for an hour. Details here.

Stalls

A wide range of artists: painters; photographers; sculptors and artisans creating a broad range of art to enjoy and purchase.

Avon Beach Market

Venue	Day	Time
Avon Beach	16 Jun – 18 Jun	9 am – 6 pm
Avon Beach	26 Jun – 2 Jul	9 am – 6 pm
Avon Beach	14 Aug – 20 Aug	9 am – 6 pm

Avon Beach Market is new for 2023 and takes place in front of the beach huts adjacent to the Noisy Lobster restaurant on Avon Beach. The market will run daily for one weekend in June and two full weeks later in the summer.

Getting to Avon Beach Market

Avon Beach is just east of Christchurch, 7 miles east of Bournemouth along the A35. Alternatively, if you’re feeling energetic, you can walk/cycle from Bournemouth along the prom then catch the ferry from Hengistbury Head to Mudeford and continue along the prom to Avon Beach. This route is around 7 miles long, including the short ferry ride.

Parking

There is a car park on Avon Beach. Parking costs £2.30 for an hour in summer. Further details here. There is another car park on the cliff top just behind the beach; Avon Run Road Car Park. This is larger and cheaper, costing £2.10 for an hour in summer. Details here.

Stalls

Hand crafted local art, jewellery and gifts.

SOBO Artisan Fayre

Venue	Day	Time
Fisherman’s Walk Southbourne	Sunday 26 March Sunday 30 July Sunday 24 September Sunday 3 December	10 am – 3 pm

Avon Beach Fayre takes place in Fisherman’s Walk in Southbourne on four Sundays throughout the year.

Getting to SOBO Artisan Fayre

Fisherman’s Walk is a linear park in Southbourne, which is a couple of miles east of Bournemouth along the A35. The Walk runs from the main road (Southbourne Grove) to the cliff top. Buses 1b, 1c and m2 stop at the end of Fisherman’s Walk.

Parking

There is free roadside parking in the roads around Fisherman’s Walk and on the cliff top.

Stalls

Hand crafted local art and produce.

Westbourne Farmers’ & Makers’ Market

Venue	Landseer Road
Day	First Saturday of the Month – 2023 Dates: 4 February 4 March 1 April 6 May 3 June 1 July 5 August 2 September 7 October 4 November 2 December
Time	9 am – 2 pm

Westbourne Farmers’ & Makers’ Market is held on the morning of the first Saturday of the month. It takes place in Landseer Road in Westbourne, a couple of miles west of Bournemouth.

Getting to Westbourne Market

The A338 joins Bournemouth with Westbourne. Buses no 1, 3, 3X, 16, 18, 20, 33, m1, m2 stop in Poole Road (Grosvenor Road Stop), a 5 minute walk away.

Parking

Landseer Road Car Park is adjacent to the market. Parking costs £1.80 for one hour. Details here.

Stalls

Specialising in food and drink.

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.

• Written: June 2023
• Updated: September 2023