Coburg Night Market
A council-run summer night market that takes over Bridges Reserve for three nights each December with street food, makers, DJs and pop-up bars.
About this market
The Coburg Night Market is not a weekly fixture. It is an annual event, three nights of it, run by Merri-bek City Council through Arts Merri-bek, and it takes over Bridges Reserve on Bell Street in the week before Christmas. In 2026 that is Thursday 17 to Saturday 19 December.
Three nights, then it is gone for a year
The compressed format changes the character. A monthly market builds slowly and settles into a routine; a three-night December event has to deliver everything at once, so the programming leans hard into street food, local makers, live music, DJs and pop-up bars rather than the produce and bric-a-brac of a standing market. The Saturday runs longest: in recent years it has opened at noon while Thursday and Friday have been evening sessions from 5pm. Entry is free across all three nights.
Market at a glance
Because the council runs it, the stallholder intake is a formal process rather than an informal one. Expressions of interest open months ahead across three categories, food and beverage vendors, artisans and craft stalls, and commercial and merchandise stalls, and the council specifically invites emerging and established First Peoples-led businesses to apply.
Coburg supports four separate markets at four separate venues. The night market at Bridges Reserve joins the daily produce hall on Sydney Road, the farmers' market further along Bell Street and the trash and treasure market on Newlands Road. None of them are the same operation.
Good to know before you go
Confirm the dates and times before you plan around them, because this is an annual event, the December weekend moves year to year, and the council publishes the running times closer to the event rather than months ahead. Saturday has been the long session in recent years, opening at noon, with the other two nights starting at 5pm. Entry is free, so there is nothing to book. Bridges Reserve is on Bell Street rather than the Sydney Road strip, so navigate to the reserve rather than to central Coburg, and expect street parking around it to be gone by mid-evening. Coburg station and the Upfield line are a reasonable walk, and the 19 tram runs down Sydney Road nearby, which is the easier approach on a busy night. Bring a card, since food vendors at council events rarely take cash only. This is Wurundjeri country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is the Coburg Night Market on?
- Three nights each December. In 2026 the council has it running Thursday 17 to Saturday 19 December. In recent years the Thursday and Friday sessions have opened at 5pm and the Saturday at noon, but the council publishes exact times closer to the event, so check before you go.
- How much is entry?
- Free. It is a City of Merri-bek event rather than a commercial market.
- Where is it held?
- Bridges Reserve on Bell Street, Coburg, which is a different site from the other Coburg markets on Sydney Road, Newlands Road and the farmers' market further along Bell Street.