Pop-Up Markets Popping Up Everywhere

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Cary, NC- If you are like me, you missed gathering with people and browsing artisan goods while sipping a craft beer and listening to live acoustic music. You know what I’m talking about — you missed festivals and pop-ups.

In The Town of Cary festivals and pop-up markets were completely off-limits during the first 15 months of the Pandemic. Yes, you could go to a few markets in Raleigh and Durham last summer and fall, but those were limited in size and were more a labor of love than the bigger events that we had become accustomed to.

Spring Daze was held as a Pop-Up Market this year over four Saturdays in May at Fidelity Bank in Downtown Cary.

Spring Daze Tested Market Safety

And then May happened! The Town of Cary tested out market set-up protocols with their own four consecutive Saturdays of the Spring Daze Art Market. That was deemed safe and a success. Mid-month masks and crowd mandates were rolled back.

Here we are with summer looming and many markets popping up all over Cary, Raleigh, Apex, Holly Springs, Durham, Wake Forest, and more. For many artists (Myself included) these past months were times of intense productivity. Now everyone is ready to sell.

Things Opened Up

This past weekend I made the rounds of three different events. But there were MANY more around the Triangle. That at least gives us all options. In this article, I will provide links to some of the others that we know about and when they typically run. If you know of any we miss, pleased drop us an email here: [email protected]

Phillips Farm partners with Triangle Pop-Up once a month.

Phillips Farm- Triangle Pop-Up

Saturday marked the return of the Phillips Farm -Triangle Pop-Up partnership. The farmers market portion runs every Saturday and Sunday, but the farm partnered with Triangle Pop-Up again this month after launching for Mother’s Day. I couldn’t stay long as I was headed out to Raleigh and the clouds were hovering on a humid overcast day threatening thunderstorms. BUT, it didn’t rain and the place was full of young families with their children. Three food trucks and other market vendors offered food. There was a wonderful mix of artisan vendors, and the market itself was also selling plants and produce. I highly recommend this market because you feel like you are “getting away from it all” in this little triangular slice of Historic area farmland. They even had an adorable tractor-powered train painted like a black and white cow! More info about this market 

The Food and Flea happens on the 2nd Sunday of every month (except July and January) at Fidelity Bank in Downtown Cary

Food & Flea

On Sunday the Food & Flea was back to the parking lot and Plaza at Fidelity Bank on the corner of West Chatham and Academy in Downtown Cary. This pop-up happens every second Sunday except July and January. With a backdrop of a colorful mural, this market always has a food truck for lunch, Bond Brothers pouring craft beer, and a wide assortment of curated artisan goods for sale. The smell of kettle corn and the coldness of Carolina Lemonade Slushies hit the spot on an afternoon that hit 89 degrees.

Pride Fest revelers in Downtown Raleigh June 12, 2021

Pride Fest in Moore Square

I was headed into Downtown Raleigh to do a little urban sketching with my artsy friends when we came upon this festival in Moore Square, where we had decided to meet and draw. As we approached Moore Square Park we saw lots of people enjoying music and the open grassy area, surrounded by numerous crafts and business vendors as well as a few food trucks. Raleigh Pride Fest was a colorful event where many attendees dressed in rainbow flags and t-shirts to show support of the LGBTQ community. There was a stage for music, food trucks, Cloud Brewing, people hanging out on the lawn and buying crafts, learning about non-profits who support the LGBTQ community. In general, it was a pretty chill time.

The Art-N-Soul Market happens occasionally in Preston Village and every other Saturday at Mystic farm Distillery in Durham. is held every other Saturday

List of Pop-Up Markets

After so many months with hardly any events to attend, now we are having to choose. If you are looking for where all of these markets can be found, here is a list I put together of the ones that I know about. If you know of any we have missed, please leave that info in the comments.

Triangle Pop -Up is running several markets. They include:

Wander Market– An offshoot of the Downtown Cary Food & Flea has dates set up with Oakland Brewing on Fathers Day June 20, and 3rd Sundays thereafter. They are at Bombshell Brewing on first Sundays.

Art-N-Soul is the other spin-off from the Food & Flea. This market appears every other Saturday at Mystic Farm Distillery in Durham. The setting is a farm with goats and the distillery that can be toured making for a charming afternoon, sipping and sampling whiskeys, or enjoying a craft beer, listening to some music and there’s always a food truck or two. Art & Soul is doing occasional dates at Preston Village.

Pop-Up Raleigh has been holding markets all during COVID at Trophy Brewing every Saturday. The 2021 schedule has them at Trophy every Saturday and Sunday on the 3rd weekend of every month.

Raleigh Night Market has been the only monthly market held in the evenings and formerly was in City Market. They have moved to Moore Square and are held on the third Thursdays of the month from 5-9 pm. This year they have expanded into Downtown Apex with The Apex Night Market that takes place the 2nd Thursday of the month running from March – December 2021 from 6 – 9 PM. A third market, The Hartwell Market will have open for Happy Hour Markets and Morning Markets starting July 1st.

Durham Pop-Up is coming soon to The American Tobacco Campus in Durham.

The Makers Society is putting together markets in several locations. They appear on the 4th Sunday of every month at Durham’s Central Park. They also appear at CCU Midtown Park in North Hills will be held on the 2nd Sunday of each month.

It would seem that pop-up markets are literally popping up everywhere. If we missed one that you know about, please pop it in the comments below and we will update our list.

Happy shopping!

Story and photos by Lindsey Chester.

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