- Every Saturday
- From 8am
- Conway Square
- Friday makers' market
- Portaferry stall £25
Newtownards market sets up in Conway Square every Saturday from 8am, run by the Ards Market Co-operative. On Fridays, local makers and bakers sell inside Ards Shopping Centre.
Selling in Newtownards
- Saturday marketArds Market Co-operative, through its Ards Weekly Market Facebook page
- Christmas chaletsCouncil tourism events form; it closed in mid-March in 2026
- Chalet cost£110 wooden chalet, £160 food truck, plus VAT (2026)
- Insurance£10 million public and £10 million employers' liability for council events
- Street licenceTemporary £20, three-year stationary £375 (Ards and North Down Council)
Coming up
In Newtownards
- Sat7NovPortaferry Market on the SquarePortaferry Market House, The SquareConfirmedMakers & craft
- Sat14NovBallywalter Primary School PTA Christmas FairBallywalter Village HallConfirmedChristmas
- Thu19NovHandmade & Artisan Craft FairNewtownardsConfirmedMakers & craft
- Sun22NovArtisan Craft Market, GreyabbeyGreyabbey Village Hall, 62 Newtownards RdConfirmedMakers & craft
- Thu26NovChristmas Market at Mount StewartMount Stewart (National Trust) — the function roomLikelyChristmas
- Sat28NovArds Christmas Lights Switch On market (Christmas in Conway Square)Conway SquareConfirmedChristmas
And 8 more in the app.
Every week and every month
- Newtownards Weekly Marketevery Saturday, 8am to 3pm · next Sat 7 Nov
- Ards Artisans Friday MarketEvery Friday 10:00-16:00 · next Fri 6 Nov
- Comber Farmers' Marketon the 1st Thursday of every month, 9am to 1.30pm · next Thu 5 Nov
- Bangor Weekly Marketevery Wednesday, 8am to 1pm · next Wed 11 Nov
Within about 15 miles
- Thu5NovComber Farmers' MarketSt Mary's Parish Church car park, Comber Square · about 4 milesConfirmedFood & farmers
- Fri6NovSt George's Market — Friday Variety MarketSt George's Market · about 9 milesConfirmedEvery week
- Sat7NovInns Cross MarketRear car park of Inns Cross shops, 75 Saintfield Road, Newtownbreda · about 9 milesConfirmedFood & farmers
- Sat7NovCraft Fair at Brookhall Historical FarmBrookhall Historical Farm, 2 Horse Park, Ballinderry Road · about 15 milesConfirmedMakers & craft
Saturday stalls in Conway Square
Every Saturday from 8am, stalls fill Conway Square in front of the old Market House, now Ards Arts Centre. The council lists the market until 3pm; some tourism listings say 4pm, so come early.
Expect local fruit and vegetables, fish and meat, plants and shrubs, and tools, clothes and toys. Each September the market usually holds a traditional Harvest Fair.
Fridays at Ards Shopping Centre
Ards Artisans brings over 20 local makers and bakers to Ards Shopping Centre on Circular Road every Friday, 10am to 4pm. Look for sourdough, honey, preserves, plants, jewellery and upcycled crafts, all made by the people selling them.
Newtownards Christmas market and the Ards Arts Centre fayre
In August, the Creative Peninsula Twilight Market brings makers and food to Conway Square and the Arts Centre on a Friday evening.
- Christmas in Conway Square: a late-November Friday and Saturday, chalets, a bar and the lights.
- Creative Peninsula Christmas Fayre: first Friday (4pm-8pm) and Saturday (10am-4pm) of December, Arts Centre.
- Granshaw Presbyterian Church has listed its Christmas fair for a late-November Saturday.
- The Dog Barn NI on the Bangor Road has hosted charity Christmas markets.
- Mount Stewart holds a Christmas market on its late-night Christmas openings.
Portaferry's first-Saturday market on The Square
Down the peninsula, The Market on the Square in Portaferry opens on the first Saturday of the month from April to December, 10am to 1.30pm, with food, art and crafts. Late in the year it has moved indoors, so check before you go.
Greyabbey Village Hall has held Sunday artisan markets in spring and before Christmas, and Orange Tree House on the Portaferry Road has held a Christmas market in early December.
Portaferry market visitors have been asked to park at the Ropewalk car park beside Exploris.
Getting a pitch in Ards, Christmas chalets and Portaferry
For the Saturday market, contact the Ards Market Co-operative through its Ards Weekly Market Facebook page. Christmas in Conway Square uses the council's tourism events form. Newtownards traders come first, then the rest of the borough, then others. Pay only once your pitch is confirmed.
Portaferry is the easiest start for a new trader: £25 for a 3-metre space, no street licence because the square is council property. Bring public liability insurance; food traders need a Level 2 hygiene certificate. Only two or three similar stalls are taken.
Portaferry traders set up from 8.30am and are ready by 9.45am. To sell outside these markets, ask the council's Licensing team on 0300 013 3333, extension 40733.
Parking near Conway Square, and the Strangford ferry
Pay-and-display car parks near Conway Square include Kennel Lane, Ann Street and Mill Street. Ulsterbus routes from Belfast reach Newtownards in about 30 to 40 minutes.
From Strangford, the car ferry to Portaferry leaves on the hour and half hour, and from Portaferry at quarter past and quarter to. It runs every day except Christmas Day.
The Market House went up on the square in the 1760s and the Saturday market has traded there since. In 2026 the council asked market operators for views on future markets in Newtownards and Bangor.
Who to ask for a pitch
- Ards Market Co-operativePitches at the Saturday market and the September Harvest Fair in Conway Square.website
- Ards and North Down Borough Council – Licensing and Regulatory ServicesStreet trading licences: stationary, mobile and temporary.website · email · 0300 013 3333
- Visit Ards and North Down – tourism events tradingChalets and food trucks at Christmas in Conway Square (the Ards Christmas Lights Switch On) through the ANDBC Trading Application form; usually closes in mid-March.website
- Portaferry Regeneration – The Market on the Square£25 stalls at the Portaferry market; read the trader information, then fill in the online application form.website · email · 028 4272 9598
Where markets happen in Newtownards
- Conway SquareThe Saturday market, the May continental market, the Creative Peninsula Twilight Market, the Harvest Fair and Christmas in Conway Square.High Street, Newtownards, BT23 4NP
- Ards Arts Centre (Town Hall)The old Market House, now an arts centre; hosts the Creative Peninsula Christmas Fayre and part of the Twilight Market.Conway Square, Newtownards, BT23 4NP
- Ards Shopping CentreArds Artisans makers' and bakers' market every Friday, and Crafty Crafters in the Mall.Circular Road, Newtownards, BT23 4EU
- Mount StewartThe National Trust's Christmas market on its late-night Christmas openings.Portaferry Road, Newtownards, BT22 2AD
- Greyabbey Village HallArtisan Markets NI Sunday markets in spring and before Christmas.62 Newtownards Road, Greyabbey, BT22 2QH
- Orange Tree HouseA Christmas market of local makers and food producers on a Sunday in early December.Greyabbey, BT22 2RU
- Portaferry Market House and The SquareThe Market on the Square, first Saturday of the month from April to December.The Square, Portaferry, BT22 1LR
- The Dog Barn NICharity Christmas markets and dog days for rescue groups.274 Bangor Road, Newtownards, BT23 7PH
Questions about markets in Newtownards
What day is Newtownards market?
Saturday. The market sets up in Conway Square every Saturday from 8am and the council lists it until 3pm, though some listings say 4pm. It is run by the Ards Market Co-operative.
Newtownards Christmas market
Christmas in Conway Square runs over a late-November Friday and Saturday, with chalets, a bar and the lights switch-on. The Creative Peninsula Christmas Fayre follows on the first Friday and Saturday of December in Ards Arts Centre, and Mount Stewart has its own Christmas market.
Is there a market in Newtownards on Fridays?
Yes. Ards Artisans brings over 20 local makers and bakers to Ards Shopping Centre on Circular Road every Friday, 10am to 4pm.
How do I get a stall at Newtownards market?
For the Saturday market, message the Ards Market Co-operative on its Ards Weekly Market Facebook page. For a chalet at Christmas in Conway Square, fill in the council's tourism events form, which closed in mid-March in 2026. A chalet was £110 plus VAT.
When is Portaferry market?
The Market on the Square opens on the first Saturday of each month from April to December, 10am to 1.30pm. A stall costs £25 for a 3-metre space; apply on portaferrymarket.com.
How do I get to Portaferry market without a car?
Take an Ulsterbus from Belfast to Newtownards and change there for the peninsula buses. From the Lecale side, the Strangford ferry crosses every half hour, every day except Christmas Day.