The Cairns Night Market is the most iconic night market that has been a part of Cairns tourism for more than 20 years. It’s the perfect place to spend your evening in Cairns.
You may be planning to visit Cairns and have found yourself wondering “Are there night markets in Cairns?”. Well, I guess you have your answer to that question by now.
The Cairns Night Markets consist of around 130 stalls offering just about anything. It’s a place where you can find all of the culture, arts, crafts, local produce, and Australian wine together. So it’s a favorite for both locals and travelers.
But the Cairns night markets are much bigger than all this. There are too many other interesting and incredible things that the market has to offer.
If you would love to hear all about them, this article compiles all of the information regarding the Cairns Night Markets. So, I urge you
What Are the Cairns Night Markets?
On your visit to Cairns, you can expect lots of fun adventures. The city is beaming with fun activities for you to try out and hidden gems for you to get stuck into.
The city has its own unique and vibrant city atmosphere with lots of busy markets. Among all these markets, Cairns Night Markets have a name for being the most unique one.
If you want to plan a visit to the famous market, you may end up questioning “Where are the Cairns Night Markets?”.
The market is located at the base of the Royal Harbour Hotel. Walking along the Cairns Esplanade, you’ll find yourself at the entrance to the famous and bustling Cairns Night Markets.
The Cairns Night Markets were built in the hands of Elise Warring and Hayden Redfern. They had acknowledged the rising demand for local goods by tourists.
This led them to set up this open-air market in the heart of Esplanade, Cairns. The inspirations were drawn mainly from the open-air markets in South East Asia and Hawaii.
Soon the market grew tremendously popular among both locals and tourists.
The market has stalls that sell just about everything from souvenirs, delicious foods, clothes, massage tables, paintings, and more. There are 130 stalls in total and they have something for everyone.
The market has a unique and innovative design that lets you experience the outdoor markets as well as the convenience of indoor air-conditioned comfort.
At the center of the Royal Harbor Hotel, the stalls are based indoors and come with air-conditioning.
This makes it the top-recommended go-to place during rainy nights or the usually hot and humid Cairn evenings.
You can also experience an exciting and electrifying environment from the hustle and bustle of the market in an open-air setting.
It’s overall a great place for you to wander around and pick up anything that catches your eye. You can also grab a bite from the food stalls and hunt for a bargain.
How and When Should You Go to Cairns Night Markets?
The Cairns Night Markets and Food Courts are located at 71-75 The Esplanade. Since it is located at the central location of Esplanade, it is the most convenient choice to walk there.
You can locate the entrance to the famous Cairns Night Markets easily if you walk along the Cairns Esplanade.
Since the parking lot is widely available, you can use a car to travel. There are buses available on Abbot Street before the Shields intersection that reaches the Night Markets. So commuting by bus is another available option.
The Cairns Night Market is open every day and comes alive at 5 pm. The market will stay open till 11 pm so you can enjoy a great evening just venturing around the different stalls.
However, the food court is open during the day as well from 10.30 am to 11.30 pm. So the food is available pretty much the whole day.
The stalls offering massage and beauty are available from 12 pm – 11 pm. Since different stalls are open at different times, you should visit after checking the appropriate time for the reason for your visit.
What Can You Find at Cairns Night Markets?
The Cairns Night Markets have so much to offer that it’s not unusual for first-timers to get lost in everything around them. With a total of 130 shops, the market has a stall for anything you look for.
If you are someone who loves to get lost in walking from one shop to another and seeing what they have to offer, this might be the right place for you.
Food
The Cairns Night Market comes equipped with a large food court with 13 different food outlets and a 200-seat capacity.
The food court has a lot to offer that includes quick take-away food to unique tastes from different cultures.
You might not find 5-star restaurants here. But there is a diverse range of food options that includes Chinese, Korean, Italian, Thai, and various others.
You can walk around and find Noodle bars, Crepe stands, Asian Buffets, Fresh Seafood, fresh fruits, honey, wine, or even Ice cream stands that you can have a quick taste of.
All these foods come with a perfect balance between quality and reasonable price.
Jewelry and Handicrafts
The Cairns Night Markets is a famous art and craft institution. More than 70 stalls at the market sell stunning jewelry and handicrafts.
They offer everything from crocodile skins, opals, brown glass, homewares, Akubra hats, and much more.
These handicrafts and jewelry are produced by local artisans. So these crafts are inspired by the local tropical climate and friendly and unique local culture of this part of Australia.
If you are interested in such unique local handicrafts and jewelry, you would love to check these out and buy anything that catches your eye.
Souvenirs
If you are looking for a place to buy Australian souvenirs, the best place would be Cairns Night market. Be it for you or your friends or your family, you can find a wide range of stalls that offer something for everyone.
With 130 stalls selling a huge number of items from plush toys to fridge magnets, to unusual crocodile jerky and kangaroo skin wallets, you won’t run out of things to buy.
Needless to say, it’s the best place to get handmade local gifts and souvenirs.
Most shops will offer similar products so you can look around and bargain a product easily for a cheaper price.
There are a lot of products so make sure to take a good look around for the products you may want.
Massages
The market has an entire aisle devoted to massage parlors. The wide range of massage vendors at a reasonable price is a major attraction of the whole Cairns Night Markets.
Many of these vendors operate separate stalls throughout the market with one parent business.
These vendors will offer you messages for as low as $15 for 40 minutes and it’s probably the cheapest rate in all of Australia.
After a whole day of venturing through the hustle and bustle of the market, cheap massage parlors can seem like a huge blessing.
Conclusion
Located at the heart of Esplanade, the Cairns Night Markets is a must-visit place for you.
With many stalls offering all sorts of souvenirs, T-shirts, classic Australian leather apparel, and local products at a reasonable and cheap price, you’ll be missing out on a lot if you don’t visit the place.
Hopefully, this article has given you all the information you may have regarding “Are there night markets in Cairns?”.
I hope I managed to pique your interest in keeping this place on your must-visit list. Thank you for reading this article.
