Newport Beach Artisan Markets

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Posted 2013-09-16 by Vanessa M ⇒ follow

The are held on the second Saturday of every month and showcase the work of artisans from the local area. They can be found at Bert Payne Reserve, which is right next to Newport Beach, between 10.00am and 3.00pm.

I recently visited the September edition of the markets and I have to admit, I expected a lot more. There were only six stalls, selling the likes of jewellery, clothing, wooden wares and surf gear.

The small size of the markets surprised me and I find it hard to believe it represents a typical event. Apart from the fact it would mean few people visit the markets, images on the Newport Beach Artisan Market's Facebook page suggest there have, at times at least, been many more stalls.

On the other hand, I'm not sure why a lovely September weekend wouldn't attract many stallholders. Perhaps the markets only get bigger before events like Christmas and Mother's Day. Whatever the reason, my companions and I had planned on meeting a friend there, if she had time, but ended up telling her not to worry, as we wouldn't be staying long.

I won't tell you the same thing though. While there wasn't much to see, we still didn't come away empty-handed, and actually made a purchase at the jewellery stall, which did have quite an extensive range (we bought a key-chain, in case you were wondering). You never know, you might find something here too, though you'll want to want to make sure there are other things in the area that you're interested in that can fill the rest of your day in Newport.

But hey, summer's coming, and the beach is right there.