Brisbane City Markets (St Stephen's Cathedral Market)
A Tuesday produce market in the grounds of the Catholic cathedral, beside the oldest surviving church building in Brisbane.
About this market
Brisbane City Markets set up in the grounds of the Cathedral of St Stephen every Tuesday from 8am to 2pm, on a site at 249 Elizabeth Street that has held a church since 1850. It is one of several weekday sessions the same operator runs across the inner city, and the Tuesday slot gives the CBD a produce market at the start of the working week.
Growers and makers in the cathedral grounds
The stall list runs to premium local makers, growers, artisans, bakers, cooks and creators drawn from across south east Queensland, so the balance sits between a produce shop and a lunch stop rather than falling entirely on either side. Trading in a cathedral precinct rather than a plaza or a mall gives the market hard edges and shade in roughly equal measure, and puts it within a couple of minutes of the Queen Street Mall and the office blocks along Elizabeth and Charlotte Streets. The 8am start is aimed at people walking to work, and the 2pm close means the market has come and gone before the afternoon.
Market at a glance
Brisbane has two cathedrals within a short walk of each other and the same market brand trades at both, which catches people out regularly. This is the Elizabeth Street one, on Tuesdays. The Ann Street site is a different session on a different day.
Standing on the same site, just south of the cathedral, is the oldest surviving church building in Brisbane. St Stephen's Chapel was designed by Augustus Pugin, the architect behind the interiors of the Palace of Westminster, and built between 1848 and 1850. It opened on 12 May 1850. The cathedral beside it came much later: its foundation stone was laid in 1863 and the doors did not open until 1874. The chapel was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992 and rededicated under its present name in 1999.
Getting there on a Tuesday
Tuesday only, 8am to 2pm. Elizabeth Street is a short walk from Central station and well served by buses, which is by far the easiest approach, since CBD parking on a weekday is both scarce and expensive. Bring a card, as city stalls almost universally take them. Come at the front of the window if you want produce and towards the middle if you want lunch. There is a good amount of shade in the grounds, but a Brisbane summer at midday is still a Brisbane summer at midday. This is Turrbal and Jagera country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is the St Stephen's Cathedral market on?
- Every Tuesday from 8am to 2pm, in the grounds of the Cathedral of St Stephen at 249 Elizabeth Street in the Brisbane CBD.
- Is this the same as the Cathedral Square market?
- No, and the two are easy to confuse. This one is at St Stephen's, the Catholic cathedral on Elizabeth Street, and trades on Tuesdays. Cathedral Square is a separate site at 410 Ann Street near St John's Anglican Cathedral, and trades on Thursdays.
- What sort of stalls are there?
- Premium local makers, growers, artisans, bakers, cooks and creators from south east Queensland, with fresh produce, artisan goods and prepared food.