Violet Town Community Market
A monthly market since 1978 in a town named after native violets a explorer noticed passing through in 1836.
About this market
Violet Town Community Market has run since 1978, on the 2nd Saturday of every month at the town's Recreation Reserve on Tulip Street. The town itself carries a much older story: Major Thomas Mitchell passed through in 1836 and named one nearby location Violet Ponds, after the native violets he found growing there, more than 140 years before the market that now shares the name ever held its first stall.
A market that triples the town's population for a morning
The scale relative to the town itself is genuinely striking. Reviewers describe the market easily tripling Violet Town's permanent population for a single Saturday morning, drawing up to 200 stalls in a regular month and swelling to as many as 290 for special events like the Christmas market, with around 4,000 visitors passing through on a typical month. That's an extraordinary turnout for what remains, outside market days, a small boutique country town surrounded by canola fields.
Market at a glance
Reviewers consistently describe the drive itself as part of the appeal, a relaxing Saturday morning through canola fields to reach a boutique town whose market population briefly dwarfs its own, with a wide mix of handmade goods and plenty of food and coffee stalls to fill a full morning out.
Violet Town's market can draw around 4,000 visitors and up to 290 stalls in a single Saturday morning, a crowd that easily triples the town's own everyday population for the day.
Good to know before you go
Being a monthly market rather than a weekly one, checking the calendar for the 2nd Saturday before setting out is essential to avoid a wasted trip. The Christmas market is worth planning around specifically, given its notably larger stall count compared with a regular month.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is Violet Town Community Market held?
- The 2nd Saturday of every month, from 8.30am to 1pm, at the Recreation Reserve on Tulip Street, Violet Town. It's monthly rather than weekly, so checking the calendar before visiting is worth doing.
- How long has it been running?
- Since 1978, and it's built a reputation as one of the best markets in East Victoria, drawing up to 200 stalls and around 4,000 visitors in a town with a much smaller permanent population.
- Where does the name Violet Town come from?
- Major Thomas Mitchell passed through the area in 1836 and named one location Violet Ponds, after native violets growing there, more than 140 years before the market that now shares the town's name began.