Bay Harbour Market review

I’m pleased with the proliferation of markets. I recently reviewed the new City Bowl market at Hope Street and last weekend I spent most of Saturday at the new Bay Harbour market in Hout Bay. There are two reasons why I’m pleased with the proliferation of markets. The one is that it’s great that small producers have an outlet for their products because they don’t ‘fit’ into the big supermarket system, and I’m pleased that people have the opportunity to connect with the people who have produced the food they will eat. We are too separated from the source of our food and it’s not a good thing. The other reason is that a market should be local. You shouldn’t be driving across the city to get to a market, it should service the local area and I’d suggest that the local producers also get priority (although, that’s not really feasible right now).

Hout Bay actually already has a market, called The Bay Food & Wine Market, located underneath La Cucina. It’s been running for over a year and is apparently well supported. I haven’t been to it, but I hear it’s quite good. I don’t know if there is space for two markets in Hout Bay, but I guess we are going to find out.

I was invited to the opening day of the Bay Harbour market and I happened to be free so I grabbed a friend and went along. I was pretty impressed with the experience. The market is in an old warehouse, right at the end of the harbour road (drive past Mariner’s Wharf, all the way to Snoekie’s). Being indoors means it’s perfect for winter, I’ll be interested to see how it is in summer as it has the potential to get uncomfortably hot. There is plenty of parking too.

The Bay Harbour market is not just about food, there is a craft & clothing section too. There were a large number of stands and many people I spoke to that day mentioned they were planning on having a stand at the market too. That was probably because we were all impressed  with how many people were there on the first day. The market is also open on Sundays, which really makes it unique and I heard that the Sunday of the opening weekend was even busier. The vibe is great, partly due to the live music which continued all day.

We had some tasty food from some of the many food stalls. We drank some cold craft beer and drank some wine too. We chatted and listened to the music, and even danced a little. It was a most enjoyable day. I think the Bay Harbour market will go from strength to strength.

I was also pleased to learn that there is a socially responsible element to the market, where they are assisting local disadvantaged communities to start up a business and have a stand at the market. You can read more about this on their website if you are interested.

For another review of the market with lots of pics, visit Drizzle & Dip.

Bay Harbour Market
31 Harbour Road, Hout Bay
Tel: 082 570 5997
Email: paul@bayharbour.co.za
http://bayharbour.co.za