Cowes Sunday Market
A summer season market on the Jetty Triangle at Cowes, beside a pier that has been the island's front door since 1870.
About this market
The Cowes Sunday Market sets up on the Jetty Triangle from 9am to 2pm most Sundays between November and May. It is a season market rather than a year-round one, which matches how Phillip Island works: the population of Cowes multiplies over summer and contracts again by June, and the market follows the visitors.
Handmade and home grown on the foreshore
The stalls run to handmade jewellery, artwork and clothing alongside locally produced goods and fresh produce from farms on and around the island, with live music and food stalls filling out the middle. The Jetty Triangle puts the market directly on the waterfront at the top of Thompson Avenue, which is the busiest corner in Cowes on a summer Sunday and means the market catches passing foot traffic rather than needing to draw a crowd of its own. Phillip Island Traders run several markets across the island, so a weekend in Cowes usually has more than one option, and the Sunday market is the foreshore one.
Market at a glance
November to May is the window, and "most Sundays" is the operator's own wording rather than every Sunday without exception, so the date is worth confirming if the market is the reason for the trip rather than a bonus on top of one.
The market trades beside the structure that made Cowes a town. The Cowes Jetty was built in 1870, and the Jetty Shed went up the same year and is now classified by the National Trust. The first Isle of Wight Hotel opened in 1870 as well, and the town itself was named by Cox, the government surveyor, after the port of Cowes on the Isle of Wight in England. Regular ferry services began in 1878, when the small paddle steamer Eclipse started running between Hastings and San Remo with stops at Cowes, Rhyll and Newhaven.
Practical notes
Sundays, 9am to 2pm, November to May, and confirm the specific date before travelling. Cowes fills up over summer, so parking is the real constraint: arrive before ten or park back from the foreshore and walk in. Bring a hat and sunscreen, since the Jetty Triangle is open ground with limited shade, and bring both cash and card. The beach, the jetty and the Thompson Avenue shops are all right there, which makes this an easy market to fold into a day rather than a destination on its own. This is Bunurong country.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When does the Cowes Sunday Market run?
- Most Sundays from November through to May, 9am to 2pm, on the Jetty Triangle at Cowes. It is a summer season market and does not run through winter.
- What is sold there?
- Handmade jewellery, artwork and clothing, locally produced goods and fresh produce from nearby farms, with live music and food stalls.
- Are there other markets in Cowes?
- Yes, several. The same operator runs the Island Foreshore Market along the foreshore towards Erehwon Point, and Market on Church at St Phillip's Parish Hall on the fourth Saturday. There is also an Island Craft Market at the same parish hall on the second Saturday.