Night Markets

I liked it here as I am a fan of night markets. Open until 2300 which is perfect and the food court wasn't too bad. Lots and lots of souvenirs with a variety of products such as magnets, snacks, shirts, hats, jewelry and more. Very crowded on a Friday evening, but on the days before it was a bit more calm. Absolutely worth the trip when visiting Cairns!

The vibe around Cairns Night Market didn’t feel great — lots of dodgy people nearby, some possibly on drugs. Several gift shops had rude or pushy staff, which made shopping unpleasant. Prices were a bit cheaper, but not worth the poor experience. The food stalls were the only highlight.

Go to the yellow night market massage place. I was skeptical at first, but a local recommended this spot—and I’m so glad they did. Despite being right in the middle of the night markets, it was surprisingly quiet and tucked into a semi-private area. We got a 30-minute neck, shoulder, and back massage for $30, and it was absolutely incredible. Super relaxing, with really skilled staff. Easily one of the best massages I’ve ever had. Left feeling so refreshed and happy!

Only few shops are good like the jewellery shop next to the night market massage. The night market massage was really great for very affordable prices. Tried some food in the food court, which was really average.

Was amazing and reasonably good price plenty of food and small items perfect for little gifting for family if your here as a tourist and for yourself. But really nice and friendly just need a two way walk way just too small to move around everyone stopping everytime in small walkways. Definitely in need for more manoverable paths. But generally Allround good experience.

Lovely this place at night time. Lots of small booth style stalls opened after a long time now. I like the food here, tasty and good value. Of course, you can select all the dishes if you can. I recommend trying a tropical beverage and banana bread. Also, there are wonderful selection of souvenirs and gift. ※economical massage shop there (affordable price).

Cairns Night Markets are a fun place to check out in the evening — heaps of stalls with everything from souvenirs to local crafts, street food and even massages

As good as suggested. Beautiful setting Casual, easy paced stroll. Level by the water. Take in the esplanade to settle that great meal down.

There are lots of options for both shopping and eating. Some of the food we ordered was alright but it was good to try. There's a big food court to eat plus lots of restaurants around. There's many options and nice to walk around as there's the water nearby and a walkway.

My kids enjoyed the night market. They had the Japanese fried chicken, ice cream, and shopped for junk. That is your typical night market anywhere.

Mini Hawker stalls(food court) in Cairns - excellent! I'm set. There is a food court on each end with different varieties . I also suggest you try the beers at the Blue lagoon to pair with your dish. The shops were kitschy touristy but what did you expect. My daughter and I indulged in the $25 1/2 hour massage. Depending on the skill of the masseuse it's really good. I suggest you ask for the more experience one - there really was a difference.

You must visit the fish spa near the front and the opal jeweler in the back corner. Also lots to explore for souvenirs and local products.

Come on now the Night Market deserves more credibility than the mediocre reviews on here ! It's so centralized, convenient, and affordable. Although Australia is a western nation, it is physically located in the Pacific rim. So it gets its influence from the far east and Pacific nation as well where night markets are quite prevalent. It has many stalls that sells souvenirs to tourists as well as a food court which I will mainly review. Food here is similar to other Anglo nations but tastes better with fewer calories. I recommend eating at the Chinese place on the left it has amazing Sweet and Sour Chicken. Compared to the American version it is less sweeter, deep fried. And no msg.

A must to visit Rachel's massage what a bargain a must to try $25 massage plus $5 extra for oil highly recommended Fish spa $20 it was an experience Chinese food in the eatery was terrible Churros devine Crepes were heaven highly recommend Watermelon stall would of loved to try but watching the staff with no gloves on and wiping his nose with the back of his hand was a turn off

Came here for the market and I ended up finding hello kitty in kangaroo and koala suits!!!! It was so cute:) lots of random stuff there too if you wanted souvenirs from Australia this is pretty much the place. I also got one if those churros and ice cream and they were great!!! :) we picked two flavours for the churros (Nutella and cinnamon sugar) and it was a nice little treat after eating a full dinner lol. Churros were soft and delicious!

Fun area to walk around and do some souvenir shopping. Many items are made in china. There are plenty of massage booths if you're interested. One side has food while the other side has desserts Opens at 5pm.

One of the Cairns highlights that pops up on TripAdvisor and other websites is the night market. Starting at 4:30pm every day right by Reef Fleet Terminal, little food stalls and souvenir stores open up so that locals and out of town guests can have something to do. People start to trickle in around 4:45pm but really the market doesn't get busy until 5 or 6. Like others have mentioned previously, you should come here for your souvenirs. Although you have to wade through a lot of places that just sell junk, they do have some stalls that sells special Aussie gifts. One store features Aboriginal crafts and you can even get a picture commissioned if you so choose. I was looking to get an Akubra hat and there was one place that sold every hat you could imagine including the famed Akubra hat! If you're looking for jewelry specifically opals, several places sell that. Let's say you're waiting for your loved one to make a decision on something, you can walk on over to get your head, neck and shoulders massaged as you wait. Don't forget the food court in the front and back of the market. There are places to get fish and chips, ice cream/gelato, Chinese food, Japanese food, and all sorts of dessert treats including churros. It's a fun little place but you probably only need to go once. Gives you something to do in the evening when the outdoor activities have wound down for the day!

There are plenty of souvenir shops here and some fast food places but the locals don't advise you to eat here. We have tried the food here over the years and survived. However, there are better food places within a short walking distance. The souvenirs are pretty much the same Australia wide with the exception that things are labelled Cairns or Barrier Reef. It is worth a walk through even if it is just to tick the box and you might find something interesting.

The main goal for coming to Cairns is to go to the Great Barrier Reef. But at night, what else can you do? This night market opens at 5pm and most stalls close at 10:30pm. There's a food court at the entrance before you get to the shopping area. They have Thai, Chinese, kebabs, Australian (kangaroo, crocodile), etc. Honestly, don't waste your time at the food court. There are better options in the area. I bought a few souvenirs for friends and family. Wasabi macadamia nuts, shirts, chocolates, boomerangs, phone accessories, jewelry, magnets, etc. Most stalls are ran by Asian ladies who tried to speak to me in Korean, Chinese and Japanese. I asked for a discount at every stall I went to. Some gave me a discount. I went to a souvenir store outside the night market the following evening only to find out, the souvenir store was selling the same stuff for less! It's not as fantastic, big and fun as night markets in Beijing, Singapore or Hong Kong. They only have 4 aisles of stalls. Some stalls only take cash.

Cairns is a small town, best known for its day trips to the Great Barrier Reef. I led a group of students and parents to Cairns for 2.5 days to go to the reef. I was so glad that the Night Markets were there for us to wander through at night. The markets are varied from clothes, souvenirs, massages, candy, and even a food court. Everyone spent some time in the markets and had a good time. There is plenty to see and there are very centrally located. Definitely worth a wander through, especially because Cairns doesn't have a ton to do in the evening without getting drunk of gambling. Clean bathrooms for patrons in the back.

It's an OK night market. There is a food court on one side, but mostly serve yourself Chinese food. Outside on one side (I forgot which), there is a crepe shop, churro dessert shop, smoothie shop and pho place... which shined more than the interior food stalls. They also had a lot of vendors selling their wares. However, they seems OK. It wasn't amazing and not a must see, but interesting to walk around and buy a few cheap trinkets for yourself or friends back home.

Seeing as I came from Cambodia before Australia, this night market was a disappointment to me. They are kinda hidden if you don't have a map you could walk past without ever noticing. There is a food court area towards the back, it seemed mainly like Asian food, but I did find a pizza booth. As someone else said, there's not to much to do at night aside from drinking, so worth a stop by, but I wouldn't plan my night around it. If you don't make it here, don't get upset about it...

This review is only for the food court. Don't waste your time with the food court here. It was the worst food experience my wife and I had during our 3-week trip to Australia. We stayed at a place right next door, and when we arrived (around 8 PM on a Thursday night), we were tired from having traveled all day, plus I was getting over the cold/flu. We were definitely looking for something quick that we could just take back to our room. The food court was bustling, and seemed promising. The food was just bad (we ordered from one of the Chinese food stalls). I wasn't expecting gourmet, just hopefully something that tasted OK and was filling. I couldn't even finish mine, and I was hungry, and am not even remotely close to what you'd call a picky eater. While we had a nice time in Cairns, and eventually found some great places to eat not far from the Esplanade, the Night Markets food court was not one of them.

I have a certain affinity for cheap tacky souvenirs that the night market adequately filled (in a good way.) Hello Great Barrier Reef shot glasses and discount kangaroo jerky. There are also massages on offer for a 'special' 40 minutes for $15. A deal, but be warned: these are not trained professionals and I left feeling like I needed a real massage after being pummelled by the first massage! Also, 15 of the 40 minutes is a "foot spa" - aka a plastic tub filled with warm water. As others have noted - it's worth a wander through but not something to plan your night around.

Ok Fodor's. What gives? Your description of the Cairns Night Markets kind of made it sound like it was going to be a food-centric market. I thought there was going to be some amazing food stands there. You can imagine my disappointment when I got there and all I saw was a mall-type food court. Womp womp. Oh well, life goes on. Nothing a little retail therapy can't fix right? Good thing the shops portion of the night markets are open from 5 pm to 11 pm. There are a lot of inexpensive (and some expensive) stalls selling jewelry, clothing, coffee & tea, and honey so it's a great place to shop if you're looking for a unique souvenir for someone. But if you're looking for magnets, t shirts, mugs, and junk like that, you won't find much here. Definitely check it out if you're planning to visit Cairns. There's not much to do around here anyway.

A small and cramped night market with lots of repetition. Most of the stores are either for massages or souvenir shops with the same items (boxes of Patons chocolates, placenta creams, or "Australia" t-shirts. There is a small foodcourt near the back end of the market, with lots of Chinese food and free wifi available. There's also about 6 shops in front selling snacks and food like drinks, crepes, and ice-cream. The market really only takes about 30 minutes to an hour to go through.

I did a quick walk through of the market during a wintery weeknight, and it wasn't too busy. There is decent selection and pricing of souvenirs including aboriginal art, jewelry, soaps, etc. I personally didn't buy anything because the only souvenirs that people enjoy receiving from me are snacks LOL. But I'd still say to come down and check out this place for night action on what would otherwise be a dead night.

I thought this place was bigger, but it was a good place to find cheap souvenirs and fast food. This place was cash only; however, there were ATMs located in the food court area. The food places were mostly Chinese combo-places and offer pretty much the same variety of food.

Very inexpensive marketplace to eat and buy some goodies to bring back home. There is places you can fill up any size of plate for a certain price per size of plate. Not bad for its price. The biggest plate is about $16 AU, so me and my friend filled it up as much as we could and shared it. We both was stuffed. They sell goodies such as kangaroo, crocodile jerky. All sorts of keychains, magnets, boomerangs. It was way cheaper than other places that I've visited in Australia.

A bunch of hype. The only good thing is cheap massages. Otherwise, it's the usual tourist souvenirs and things that are much cheaper even in America. The store owners are not too friendly and stare at you while you browse the merchandise. I'd not come back. It's good for a one time stroll to see what the hype is about...which is not much.

Centrally located by the Cairns Esplanade, this place is worth checking for souvenir shopping. It didn't necessarily fit my shopping needs as I look for mostly unique and handmade items. They had mostly cheaper, factory made things and lots of standard items. On the side facing the esplanade, there is a big food court where you can get lots of different dishes, mostly various Asian cuisines. After 9 pm, all the food items are sold for a very low price, as the vendors try to get rid of the items before 10 pm closing time. Overall, this place is definitely worth a visit if you want to kill sometime or need to find some standard souvenir items.

I miss the hot Nov-December weather of Cairns and think about returning but it is a long ways across the Pacific. The simple food court was a wonderful spot for getting hot quick familiar food at fair prices. Buy a plastic box with lid - several sizes - then fill up with a good selection of Chinese food. When I was in Cairns in Nov/Dec 2014, there were no ATMs and getting AUS money was a challenge since we did not have a car to go places quickly. This night market, Woolworth, the Shopping mall and the money exchange spot were on the route of the free shuttle from our apartments for that month period. There was very little car traffic at any time of the day, quieter streets and most people walked - so reminiscent of CA communities in the early 50s. It's probably busier now and might be less friendly. Still walking there was is still a good memory.

Cool on the outside. Food was terrible, although good deals. Like literally couldn't eat several parts. I got sushi and a buffet. Both had items I could stomach, and I'm a goat. Not unique items, just poor quality or preparation. DO NOT WASTE MONEY ON FOOD. They had some cool shops in the back is the only reason I gave it two stars.

Very disappointed. We have immensely enjoyed our time here in Cairns, but these markets were definitely our least favorite of the trip. We organized an entire evening around perusing through, only to feel as though we were in China town rather than tropics of Australia. We're hoping for some authentic Australia finds, but found nothing but knock offs from Asia. Worst of all, the prices are higher (almost double on most things) than the little souvenir shop up the street next to Woolworths. Don't waste your time ...

Reminiscent of International Market in Honolulu - souveniers and flea market finds. Food court wasn't much to write home about. They pretty muched looked all the same - self serve chinese food. Had a walkaround for 20 minutes and ate elsewhere. Entrance on Abbott had tempting asian dessert places if you're into that.

We visited cairns to experience the great barrier reef. Having experience various night markets around the world, this one was probably by far the biggest disappointment. It's very small with just a few vendors and massage booths. There's also limited food stalls filled with greasy chinese food or fish and chips. Only up side was one booth sold a good selection of kangaroo jerky that we were able to purchase as gifts for fam and friends back home. Otherwise not really worth a visit.

Overall this night market is an unexpected cool place in Cairns that's worth checking out for souvenirs and a quick bite to eat. The souvenirs are nothing spectacular but souvenirs rarely are, this is the place to grab the inexpensive mug that say's Cairns instead of paying triple for it at a regular gift shop. It's also open late which is a plus in a town where places close early. So if you're in the area it's worth taking a walk around.

Ok area to look around and explore. But the food is definitely like a food court fast foods. The food is good if you want something to fill the tummy.

Offers a variety of food and desserts. Cheaper than other places in the area, but the Chinese food is very greasy.

There are a lot of market stalls here in this little mall area. We went all the way to the back and found a shop with a lot of shirts and souvenir items on clearance, and bought all of our local souvenirs here. So it was nice to have one spot to find cheap souvenirs that were of ok quality, my shirts have held up pretty well since then. They also have pretty cheap massage specials here at a few different stalls. You would think a bunch of cheap stores in one place would be pretty shady but we felt safe visiting the markets. Also, there is a decent seafood restaurant in front of the night markets next to the street, we went with the daily barramundi special and had a good meal, cheaper than other places on the Esplanade.

My travel mate wanted to check out the night market after reading up about it in Lonely Planet, I believe. It's basically an inclosed market with free-standing stalls selling lots of cheap (either in price or quality, depending on how you look at it, or what you're looking at) souvenirs. There is also food, massages, and such within it, but it's almost overwhelming with how much there is--although, after a while, you'll realize just how repetitive or similar everything that is being sold is. In sum: it's worth checking out and perusing, especially on a night where you don't have much else to do or it's raining, but there's not much here you haven't seen or couldn't get elsewhere.

pros: - one of the only night areas that is bustling with people - tons of eats and souvenir stores - fish foot massage! - cheaper prices here than the street souvenir stores Cons: - small and crowded - not the biggest diversity of shops and souvenirs I would recommend everyone to check it out as its exciting and only takes an hour or so to check everything out

Cool night market, it's open very late, and there's a food court inside also. It's right on the mains strip so you can't really miss it.

This market is nothing too special, it doesn't compare to night markets in Asia, but it's worth a visit if you're after cheap souvenirs. The stalls mostly sell cheap souvenirs, clothing and trinkets, and they are usually cheaper than the other souvenir shops in Cairns for similar products. Even if you have no intention of buying anything it's still fun just to wander the aisles of stalls to see what's for sale. There's also a food court at the back of the markets, it seems to be mostly Asian/Chinese food. Can't comment on this, but looked decent enough. Overall, worth a visit, just not something i'd make a night out of.

A basic flea market with nothing too original. Trinkets, t-shirts, opals, etc. Took us 10 mins to walk thru it and we didn't find any of it interesting. Not recommended.

There are a few locally made products in there. I have opened a shop in there after doing weekend markets for 16 years.Our small family business hand make all our souvenirs that feature my artwork. worth a look. The place is dynamic so always worth a look

Once you've exhausted the tourism opportunities of Cairns, there's little left to do than go shopping. The Night Markets are an obvious choice for a bit of evening amusement but, as the place is so small and the stalls so repetitive, you'll soon find yourself looking for something else to do. I mentioned the stalls are repetitive but you'll find this is a feature of Far North Queensland tourism shopping. You'll make a purchase at the Night Markets of something you kid yourself is a local handicraft only to find the same product in any of a thousand souvenir shops from Port Douglas to Kuranda.