Strand Night Markets

Six Townsville Rotary clubs combined to form a company that runs the Strand Night Markets, held the first Friday of the month from February to December at Strand Park on The Strand in North Ward, and every dollar raised goes back into local Rotary community projects.

A market with a fundraising engine behind it

Since 2017 the combined Rotary markets, of which Strand Night Markets is one, have raised more than $1.1 million for the Townsville community, a figure most one-off markets never approach because they don't have a company structure and multiple clubs pooling the proceeds behind them. On the ground it looks like any other night market: food vendors, local arts and crafts stalls, and entertainment for children including a petting zoo, jumping castle and inflatable slide, but the money trail behind it is unusually organised for a monthly stall market.

The venue does some of the work too. Strand Park sits directly on Townsville's Strand foreshore, so a Friday evening market there comes with a beachfront backdrop rather than a car park or showground setting, and the organisers lean into that with a dog and pet friendly policy that a lot of night markets don't offer.

Before you go

First Friday of the month, February to December, 5pm to 9.30pm, at Strand Park, 37-43 The Strand, North Ward. Entry is free. Between July and October the market has been known to shift to Jezzine Barracks, so confirm the venue for that particular month. Leashed dogs are welcome, and there are gluten free and vegan or vegetarian food options among the stalls.