World Street Eats
A monthly street food market in Launceston's Civic Square built around migrant cooks, with a deliberate focus on people who can cook but have no formal qualifications.
About this market
World Street Eats exists because Amr Elsayed wanted Launceston's food to look like Launceston. Around 170 nationalities live in Tasmania, and the market he organises in Civic Square on the last Sunday of the month is built to get their cooking in front of the public, in collaboration with the Multicultural Council of Tasmania and the City of Launceston.
A market with an entry ramp
The thing that makes this market different from a food truck rally is who it is designed for. Its stated focus is emerging small businesses run by migrant and minority entrepreneurs, particularly people who are serious cooks but have no formal hospitality qualifications and no obvious way into the industry. A market stall for four hours a month is a far lower bar than a lease and a fit-out, and several of the traders are running their first business from one. Past markets have brought Afghan home cooking, Chilean empanadas from a Hobart operator, Indian dosas and Thai food into the same square.
Market at a glance
Food is only one of three things running at once. Live performance is given to emerging local talent rather than booked acts, and the kids' side has run circus performers, face painters, balloon artists and henna artists. Stalls are kept affordable on purpose, which matters for a market whose point is to be walked through by everyone rather than by people who budgeted for it.
World Street Eats does not only run its own market. It has appeared as the food component of Thoroughfare, the City of Launceston's street art festival, and has been brought in by the Multicultural Council of Tasmania for its own events.
Planning your Sunday around it
Civic Square is in the middle of Launceston, a short walk from the Brisbane Street mall and the main city car parks, so this is a market you walk to rather than drive to. The window is 11am to 3pm and it is genuinely a lunch market, so turning up hungry at noon is the right plan. Entry is free, the site is flat and accessible, and it is the last Sunday of the month rather than the first, which is the detail most likely to catch out anyone used to Launceston's other markets. December has occasionally moved to a different Sunday, so it is worth checking the current date list before a summer visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When and where is World Street Eats held?
- The last Sunday of the month, 11am to 3pm, in Civic Square in central Launceston. Entry is free.
- What kind of food is there?
- International street food cooked by Launceston's migrant communities and local Tasmanian food businesses, with past markets serving Afghan, Chilean, Indian and Thai dishes among others.
- Is there anything for kids?
- Yes. Past markets have run circus acts, face painting, balloon animals and henna artists alongside live music and performances from emerging local talent.