When they ran out of money, they decided to start bartering their products. And the products were of such great quality that out of this simple barter system was born one of the most famous flea markets of Goa…the rest is history.
Apart from the beaches and the happening night life, one thing that is so appealing about Goa is it’s flea market. Where you get all kind of stuff at dirt cheap prices. On my second trip to Goa, I visited Arpora Saturday Night Flea Market. And had a great time here. For, not just the shopping, but even the overall vibe was wonderful. With live music and food counters, you can easily spend the whole night here. Although I wanted to explore these markets more, but I couldn’t because of time constraints. Even on my third trip to Goa when I stayed in South Goa for 2 weeks, I couldn’t explore the flea market.
History of Wednesday Flea Market at Anjuna Goa
The Anjuna Beach and the area around have long been known to be popular with hippies and backpackers. When they ran out of money and needed things to buy, they started a barter system. Wherein they would sit by the beach. And offer their goods to others in exchange for what they needed. The quality of their goods were really good and these were unique things. So, soon the word spread. And people from far and near started flocking here to “buy” things from them. Thus, was born a market. Which slowly evolved into the Wednesday Flea Market at Anjuna Goa as we know it today. Over the years, the market has been streamlined. And now it is held every Wednesday wherein the sellers are provided designated spots to setup their shops and sell goods.
Timing of Anjuna Flea Market
The flea market comes up every Wednesday near Anjuna Beach from 9:00am in the morning till almost 7:00pm in the evening, from October till April. However, in the monsoon months, it gets shut down due to rains. Because it is an open air market. And the rains can disrupt the make shift stalls of good. Also, the number of visitors drastically drops in this season. Which is considered the off peak season in Goa.
How to reach Anjuna Flea Market
The Anjuna Flea Market is at walkable distance from the Anjuna Beach Paid Parking. If you are taking a taxi or any other hired cab to the market, you can stop right at the entry of the Anjuna Flea Market. But if you are traveling in your own vehicle like we did, you can park at one of the paid parking places available at Anjuna Beach. And then walk to the Anjuna Flea Market. This way, you can enjoy the market, do your shopping and later walk to the beach. The place where we parked our 4 wheeler is marked as “Anjuna Beach Parking” in google maps. It charged us INR 100/- for parking, without any time limit.
What to buy at Wednesday Flea Market at Anjuna Goa
Anjuna Beach Flea Market has a lot of stuff at different stalls. And many of these you will find elsewhere also at Goan markets. But some of them were very unique. The items that I predominantly saw while browsing through the stalls included:
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- Dresses made out of old sarees
- Sarongs
- Beach wear and swimwear
- Ladies Dresses
- Kids Dresses
- Gents Dresses, particularly T shirts and shorts
- Bead and Macramé Jewellery
- Dream Catcher and other thread work decorative pieces
- Bags, wallets, purses etc.
- Bedspreads and bedsheets with thread work and patch work like the ones I have seen on my trips to Rajasthan including those in the Jaisalmer Fort market and Jaipur (Rajasthali Emporium).
How much time is required to visit Wednesday Flea Market at Anjuna Goa
It really depends on your shopping plans, isn’t it? If you are going to the Wednesday Flea Market at Anjuna Goa with the intention of shopping well, then, save at least 2-3 hours for it. While if you want to just browse through, throw a quick glance and hardly buy anything, then 1 hour or less will suffice. I will suggest visiting in the morning or late evening hours to avoid the day time heat. And shop with comfort. I myself went there with less intention of shopping and more intention of covering the market on my blog. Although I was planning to just glance through (Oh yea, the days of my crazy shopping spree in Rajasthan are history now 🙂 ) still some of the items were so good that I ended up browsing through seriously. And finally buying a dress for INR 500/-.
What else to do at Wednesday Flea Market in Anjuna Goa
Given that Anjuna Flea market is very close to Anjuna Beach, you can club your visit to both these places together. The Anjuna beach was pretty crowded and “happening” when I arrived there after browsing through the Wednesday Flea Market. Although I am not sure if it was because of the Wednesday Flea Market in Anjuna that the crowd was more than the usual days. But overall, there seemed to be a lot to do and enjoy on the Anjuna Beach. Like, all possible water sports including banana boat ride, speed boat ride, parasailing, surfing, scuba diving etc. And then there are numerous beach side shacks where you can just sit, have something to eat or drink and enjoy a beautiful sunset.
Few tips to visit the Wednesday Flea Market at Anjuna
- Visit during the morning or late evening hours because it is pretty hot during the day even in the usual winter months
- Carry a bottle of drinking water with you and stay hydrated
- If you are driving till here, there are a lot of paid parking options near Anjuna Beach, park in one of these safely.
- Apply sunscreen, wear a hat and sunglasses for further protection from the sun.
- Wear comfortable flip flops or beach footwear as the market is right on the beach.
- Carry cash with you, many of the stalls might not have card payment facility.
- Do remember to bargain to the best price as per your understanding of the material you are buying.
Overall, the Wednesday Anjuna Flea Market is definitely one of the best flea markets of Goa. Do visit here if you happen to be in Goa on a Wednesday!
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