Get to the Brisbane Powerhouse before 7am on a Saturday and you’ll already be fighting for a park. That’s Jan Powers Farmers Market for you, the one most Brisbane locals think of first when someone says “farmers market,” and it’s still packing out the riverfront lawn at New Farm every single week, rain or shine. If you’re planning your weekend around fresh produce, good coffee and an excuse to get out of the house early, here’s the full rundown of what’s on and when.
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Jan Powers Farmers Market, Brisbane Powerhouse
This is the big one. Every Saturday from 6am to 12pm, stallholders set up along the riverfront at 119 Lamington Street, New Farm, and locals turn up in numbers that would surprise anyone who’s never been. You’ll find fruit and veg straight from the growers, small goods, cheese, bread, olives, dips, and a solid stretch of hot food if you’d rather eat your way through the market than cook. Dumplings, crepes, Japanese skewers, the usual market suspects, plus a decent coffee cart if you need one before you’ve even started browsing. It’s dog-friendly too, so don’t feel like you need to leave the mutt at home.
One long-time stallholder who sells sourdough there most weekends put it simply: “People aren’t just buying bread off us, they’re checking in. Same faces every Saturday, some of them have been coming since before I started here.”
Parking gets tight fast, so if you’re not there by 6:30am, expect to walk a bit or catch the ferry to New Farm Park instead.
Jan Powers Farmers Market, Manly
The bayside version of the same market runs on a smaller scale but with arguably the better view. It’s on at Royal Esplanade, Manly, right on the harbour, but only on the first and third Saturday of the month, 6am to 12pm. Worth checking the calendar before you drive out, since it’s easy to assume it’s weekly like the Powerhouse one and turn up to nothing. The sea breeze makes it a pleasant one to linger at, and there’s usually a food truck or two if you want to grab lunch by the water afterwards.
Jan Powers Farmers Market, Mitchelton
Smaller again, and even less frequent. This one runs on Blackwood Street, Mitchelton, on the first Sunday of the month, also 6am to 12pm. It’s a good option if you’re on the north side and don’t want to fight Powerhouse crowds, though the stall count is noticeably smaller.
Saturday Fresh Market, Rocklea
If you want volume over atmosphere, Rocklea is where you go. It’s the biggest fresh food market in Brisbane, with well over 150 stalls spread across the site on Sherwood Road, running Saturdays from 6am to 12pm. Fruit, veg, meat, seafood, flowers, the lot, and prices tend to run a bit cheaper here than at the more polished inner-city markets. It’s not fancy. You’ll be dodging trolleys and there’s no riverside ambience, but if you’re stocking the fridge for the week rather than looking for a nice morning out, this is the one that makes sense.
Riverside Markets, City Botanic Gardens
For a Sunday option, the Riverside Markets have been running in the Botanic Gardens for decades now, from 8am to 3pm. It leans more towards crafts, art and gifts than pure produce, but there’s usually a produce stall or two mixed in, and the setting under the fig trees is hard to beat if the weather’s decent. Good one for a slow Sunday wander rather than a grocery run.
Northey Street City Farm Organic Market, Windsor
This is the one to know about if you care specifically about certified organic. It runs every Sunday, 6am to 11am, on the Northey Street City Farm site in Windsor, and it’s one of the only fully organic markets in Brisbane. Expect produce, eggs, bread and a breakfast stall or two, plus a much smaller, more local crowd than the bigger Saturday markets. It goes ahead in most weather too, so don’t let a cloudy forecast put you off.
A few practical notes before you head out
Cash still helps at most of these, even though EFTPOS has crept into more stalls over the last few years. Bring a few smaller notes if you can, since queues at the card machine on a busy stall can eat ten minutes you didn’t plan for.
Get there early if you actually want first pick. By 9am at Powerhouse or Rocklea, the good tomatoes are gone and the parking situation has usually gone from bad to worse. If you’re not fussed about first pick, going later can actually work in your favour, since some stallholders start discounting produce they don’t want to pack up again.
And check the calendar for the fortnightly and monthly markets before you drive out expecting a weekly one. Manly and Mitchelton catch people out more than you’d think, and there’s nothing worse than getting up at 5:30am for an empty car park.
If you’re weighing up which one to hit this weekend: go to Powerhouse if you want the full Brisbane market experience with coffee and atmosphere included, Rocklea if you’re doing a proper grocery shop, and Botanic Gardens or Northey Street if you’d rather have a quieter Sunday than a competitive Saturday.
Market days and hours can shift with public holidays, weather, or organiser changes, so treat the times above as a guide rather than gospel. If you're planning a special trip out, it's worth a quick check of the market's own social page or website the night before, just to make sure nothing's moved.