Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market and the Melbourne Book Market will make their long-awaited return this weekend.
Queen Victoria Market has today announced that its famous retail sheds and laneways will return after being closed for 78 days (lockdown six) and 262 days (since March 2020).
The much-loved Melbourne Book Market will also make its long-awaited return this weekend with more than 5,000 new and second hand titles. The market will also soon be home to a brand new library.
What you need to know
- Queen Victoria Market will reopen this weekend
- Friday 22 October for diners and Saturday 23 October for outdoor retail
- It’s the end of 262 days of forced closures for the Melbourne institution
Stay up to date with what’s happening in Melbourne here.
Queen Victoria Market is the first of Melbourne’s major markets and shopping destinations to see the return of specialty retail due to its open-air trading environment.
Queen Victoria Market’s cafes and restaurants will also welcome back Melburnians for indoor and outdoor seated dining while traders in the beauty, hairdressing and personal services industries will be able to have up to five fully vaccinated customers indoors.
Queen Victoria Market CEO Stan Liacos says this weekend’s reopening will see the Market return to an outdoor retail destination in the heart of the city.
“Our iconic open-air sheds will spring back to life this weekend with plenty of space for Melburnians to browse and shop for items that they haven’t been able to get their hands on for months,” he says.
“The return of our outdoor specialty retail and dine-in hospitality traders will bring together many small, family-run businesses who have been closed for more than 250 days throughout the pandemic. Queen Victoria Market’s unique open-air environment means we are able to have a significant concentration of outdoor retail and hospitality venues reopen this weekend.
“Our traders are excited to welcome all Melburnians back to Queen Victoria Market, and we look forward to also seeing the return of Victorians and visitors from interstate in the coming weeks as restrictions ease further and the Market’s full offering returns.”
