Sidney Street Market
Sidney Street Market
4.5
About
During the pandemic, the Sidney Street Market was transformed into the "Sidney Outdoor Markets". Its new location off Beacon Avenue, next to the Mary Winspear Centre, hosts two markets per week throughout the summer. The new location offers plenty of nearby parking, larger, less crowded laneways to walk, convenient public washrooms and a wonderful variety of local and regional growers, producers, artists, musicians and creators that consist of many of our old favourites along with loads of new, exciting vendors. All of this is still just steps away from beautiful downtown Sidney and the many shops, restaurants and waterfront walkway. The Sidney Famer's Market takes place everything Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm beginning on Mother's Day, May 8 and ending on September 25. The Famers Market features growers, producers and creators who "make, bake and grow" their products. The Sidney Thursday Night Market takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 pm beginning June 2 and ending September 1. It is a b
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2-3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.5
83 reviews
Excellent
54
Very good
17
Average
4
Poor
5
Terrible
3
patoot69
Sidney, Canada16 contributions
Jun 2018
The energy is amazing. Fantastic Street performers everywhere and food galore. This is the best place where you can support local. Whether looking for some fresh veggies, sample some local spirits or gift buying. Everything is here.
Written July 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ScottieMcFrugal
Victoria, Canada74 contributions
Jun 2017 • Friends
It's been a few years since I visited this lovely seaside town and the Thursday evening street market gave us the perfect opportunity to return to Sidney-by-the-Sea.
It was a beautiful sunny evening when we drove along the Saanich Peninsula from Victoria. After a thirty-minute drive we easily found parking within a couple of blocks from the event on Beacon Avenue, and we soon found ourselves surrounded by summer clad residents and tourists strolling leisurely through a street lined with dozens of interesting booths set up under a sea of white canopies. (Many visitors brought their dogs along. I don’t recommend this as it was quite hot and some appeared to be in mild distress amidst the crowd and heat)
With over 150 vendors offering everything from locally grown produce, handmade jewellery by local artisans, one of a kind clothing, toys, flowers, handmade soaps, home-made breads, jams, fudge, homemade ice cream and so much more; there is truly something for everyone. Unfortunately by the time we reached the bread kiosk, they were sold out.
We visited the Bistro Suisse restaurant booth and were delighted with the schnitzel and Frikadeller (Danish meat balls), both were delicious served on a bun with creamy mushroom sauce. We wandered on to have dessert of a delicious homemade ice cream square topped with chocolate and nuts.
I particularly enjoyed the fact that only quieter music is allowed on the main street among the vendors’ stalls and — on this occasion — louder, fun, foot-stomping banjo playing band on a nearby side street.
Sidney is a picturesque seaside "Book Town" and retirement community with every modern amenity including a privately owned Cinema and restaurants galore. I'm delighted to say it has lost none of its "old world charm," over the years. (Although I miss the British sweet shop.) Convenient marina moorage facilities for visitors arriving by boat are available at the foot of Beacon Avenue.
Celebrating Canada’s 150th. Birthday the market will run an extra hour from 5:30 to 9:30 on Thursday 29th of June the instead of the usual 8:30 closing.
With warm sunshine, sea breezes, friendly folks, a bustling market and live music, what better way to spend a summer's evening of free entertainment with friends and family?
Note: Good idea to take a sweater on cooler evenings and yes the street was a bit crowded in places but I think that's part of the fun.
It was a beautiful sunny evening when we drove along the Saanich Peninsula from Victoria. After a thirty-minute drive we easily found parking within a couple of blocks from the event on Beacon Avenue, and we soon found ourselves surrounded by summer clad residents and tourists strolling leisurely through a street lined with dozens of interesting booths set up under a sea of white canopies. (Many visitors brought their dogs along. I don’t recommend this as it was quite hot and some appeared to be in mild distress amidst the crowd and heat)
With over 150 vendors offering everything from locally grown produce, handmade jewellery by local artisans, one of a kind clothing, toys, flowers, handmade soaps, home-made breads, jams, fudge, homemade ice cream and so much more; there is truly something for everyone. Unfortunately by the time we reached the bread kiosk, they were sold out.
We visited the Bistro Suisse restaurant booth and were delighted with the schnitzel and Frikadeller (Danish meat balls), both were delicious served on a bun with creamy mushroom sauce. We wandered on to have dessert of a delicious homemade ice cream square topped with chocolate and nuts.
I particularly enjoyed the fact that only quieter music is allowed on the main street among the vendors’ stalls and — on this occasion — louder, fun, foot-stomping banjo playing band on a nearby side street.
Sidney is a picturesque seaside "Book Town" and retirement community with every modern amenity including a privately owned Cinema and restaurants galore. I'm delighted to say it has lost none of its "old world charm," over the years. (Although I miss the British sweet shop.) Convenient marina moorage facilities for visitors arriving by boat are available at the foot of Beacon Avenue.
Celebrating Canada’s 150th. Birthday the market will run an extra hour from 5:30 to 9:30 on Thursday 29th of June the instead of the usual 8:30 closing.
With warm sunshine, sea breezes, friendly folks, a bustling market and live music, what better way to spend a summer's evening of free entertainment with friends and family?
Note: Good idea to take a sweater on cooler evenings and yes the street was a bit crowded in places but I think that's part of the fun.
Written June 23, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tiki L
Delta Junction, AK285 contributions
Jul 2019
There were three groups playing various styles of live music at different spots along the market. We found glorious fresh fruits and vegetables, tasty and varied food options and fun arts and crafts. The vibe was just terrific. Samples were available of many items The scones we got were worth the long wait. So wonderful! The only problem was finding a place to park.
Written August 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bruce W
3 contributions
Jun 2022 • Couples
Sad to see the end of the Thursday evening street market. It was quite a draw from the GVRD. The new market at Mary Winspear is a shadow of the original. RIP Sidney Street Market!!
Written June 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pankajsahi
Calgary, Canada41 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
Sidney is a small town and this market gives you the complete culture of this town.It should not be missed and plan your journey as this market is available only on Thursdays. All the communities and all the seniors come here and we can witness what exactly Sidney is all about. Food, Dance, Culture, the souvenirs and etc.
Written August 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PartagasCat
Alberta154 contributions
Jul 2018 • Friends
Was overnight in Sidney before a trip to the gulf islands. Thoroughly enjoyed the market and chatting with the varied vendors. Nice and varied, beautiful jewellery, fun reversible skirt made it into my closet....go and enjoy it, stroll through as you head to the shore on your way to a nice dinner.
Written August 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bohdan Jarisz
Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada23 contributions
Jun 2017
If you want to shop local, this is the place to be. The Sidney Street Market offers everything to hand made crafts, local food and great entertainment. A great place to get to know the local flair and be part of the community.
Written January 14, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KipWilson
Victoria, B.C.149 contributions
Aug 2017
This market has got a lot of visitors but the number and quality of booths and merchandise has fallen significantly in the past year.
Written October 2, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Kip and thank you for taking the time to post a review.
Just a few things in regards to your observations; the Sidney Street Market continues to be the biggest market on Vancouver Island with an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people attending each night and this year was no different than in the past. In fact, many of our regular vendors and staff indicated this was a very good, busy year.
As well, this year, we actually had many new vendors and our numbers remained steady with approximately 120 vendors each night. Our Market Coordinator has a formula for how she structures the Market to ensure a wide variety of different options such as music, food, artisans, jewellery, baking, growers, vineyards, distilleries, clothing and many other crafts.
Unfortunately, this past season was impacted by some severe weather conditions, so this may be why it seemed to you that the number and quality of booths were not up to par with past years.
Written October 4, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jim P
Sidney, Canada164 contributions
Aug 2017 • Friends
We're locals and attend once, maybe twice a year with friends. We don't buy much, but when we do it is usually fresh produce and/or locally made condiments. Four blocks are closed to traffic and in addition to vendor stands a number of shops/restaurants stay open along the way. Additionally there are usually two or three live musical performers. This is a crowded venue and a most annoying aspect to us is that so many people insist on bringing their dogs into the crowd. This should be prohibited - we and our friends would attend more often. There are some talented artisan vendors. For food, we prefer to sit outdoors at one of the sidewalk restaurants and watch the ebb and flow of humanity. A culture we would like to see promoted, the day after the market, is the merchants and city public works working together to clean our sidewalks, etc (I.e. get a hose out and flush the sidewalk in front businesses). We've seen this practiced in other towns, usually mandated by local ordinance, and it really makes a difference.
Written September 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kinderale
Sidney, Canada33 contributions
Aug 2016
Too busy. Too many commercial booths. Not enough variety. Several vendors selling same or similar items.
Written May 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sorry you feel that way - we work hard each year to keep the Market vibrant and to provide a wide variety of items including a few "commercial" types; this is what makes our Market different than others in the region. However, the majority of our vendors are independent producers and growers. We would like to point out that this year, we have a number of new vendors joining the Market so come check it out! Hope you enjoy the Market.
Written May 17, 2017
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Claim your listingSidney Street Market - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Sidney Street Market
- Sidney Street Market is open:
- Sun - Sun 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- Thu - Thu 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
- Hotels near Sidney Street Market:
- (0.09 mi) Days Inn By Wyndham Victoria Airport
- (0.12 mi) Best Western Plus Emerald Isle Hotel
- (0.29 mi) Beacon Inn at Sidney
- (0.20 mi) Historic Home. Classic Charm Modern Appeal, Hot Tub, Patios*Monthly Winter Rates
- (0.21 mi) Orchard House Bed & Breakfast
- Restaurants near Sidney Street Market:
- (0.07 mi) Five and Dime
- (0.08 mi) J Kitchen Korean & Japanese Restaurant
- (0.08 mi) Tim Hortons
- (0.10 mi) Smitty's Family Restaurant
- (0.10 mi) Panago Pizza
Sidney Street Market Information
Excellent Reviews | 54 |
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Very Good Reviews | 17 |
Sidney Street Market Photos | 11 |