The wait is nearly over. After the winter break, both of Caloundra’s twilight markets are back this September, and they are bringing sunset dinners, live music and the smell of street food drifting across the water with them.
Currimundi Lake Twilight is first, returning on Friday 18 September from 4pm to 8pm on Westaway Parade. Caloundra Twilight follows a week later on Friday 25 September from 5pm to 9pm along The Esplanade at Bulcock Beach.
Both markets are free to attend.
Currimundi Lake Twilight – Friday 18 September, 4pm to 8pm
There is a particular kind of evening that only happens at Currimundi. Families walking down from the surrounding streets, bikes leaning against the fence, picnic blankets spread across the grass, and the last of the light going pink over the lake.
Up to 20 food stalls set up along the water, serving everything from Greek to fresh tacos. It is a market built around eating outdoors with other people rather than shopping, and the crowd reflects that. Locals arrive on foot and stay until the light goes.
It is also one of the most quietly considered markets on the Coast. There is no additional event lighting, because the existing street lights are enough and the wildlife around the lake, including nesting turtles, does better without the extra glare. Every stallholder uses 100 per cent eco-friendly packaging. Used cans are collected and donated to the Currimundi Catchment Care Group, who recycle them and put the funds straight back into looking after the lake and its surrounds.
The market is licensed, so BYO alcohol is not permitted.
Where: Westaway Parade, Currimundi
When: Third Friday of the month, 4pm to 8pm
Returns: Friday 18 September
Caloundra Twilight – Friday 25 September, 5pm to 9pm
A week later, the Esplanade at Bulcock Beach fills up for the biggest of the twilight markets. More than 70 boutique stalls line the waterfront, with handmade jewellery, clothing, homewares and gifts sitting alongside more than 20 food trucks working through cuisines from all over.
The setting does a lot of the work. The sun drops over the Pumicestone Passage while live music plays and the sea breeze picks up, and the whole stretch takes on the feeling of a proper Friday night out. There are kids’ activities running, so it works as a family evening as easily as it does a night out with friends.
If the queues are long, the surrounding venues are open too. Bunker, Drift Bar and Greedy Gringo all trade through the market, so there is no shortage of dinner options.
Where: The Esplanade, Bulcock Beach, Caloundra
When: Last Friday of the month, 5pm to 9pm
Returns: Friday 25 September
Planning your visit
Both markets run monthly through the warmer months and both are free to attend. Currimundi sits on the third Friday, Caloundra Twilight on the last Friday, which means most months you can do both.
Parking fills quickly at both sites, particularly at Bulcock Beach. Arriving early is worth it, and at Currimundi walking or riding in is genuinely the better option if you live nearby.
Want to know who is trading before you go? You can see the stallholder list for the next Currimundi Lake Twilight market and the next Caloundra Twilight market ahead of each date.
Both markets are presented by the Caloundra Chamber of Commerce, alongside the Caloundra Street Fair every Sunday, Aura Fresh at Nirimba and the Moffat Beach Street Party.
See all Caloundra Markets dates or sign up for news by email so you never miss a date.