Meet you at the market: The Great Artist Market is popping up in Sydney and Brisbane this October!

Created to bring artists, makers and their communities together, The Great Artist Market (TGAM) has found a happy home at Felons Barrel Hall in Brisbane, where loads of local creatives regularly gather to delight shoppers with their unique and colourful wares, presented alongside workshops, food and entertainment. Cofounded by artist Claire Ritchie and her partner, Felons Brand Director Dean Romeo, along with brand designer and entrepreneur Tamara Scheiwe, TGAM is always a celebration of mindful making and community. Now, Claire and Dean are taking the idea south.

Following its Sydney debut earlier this year, The Great Artist Market returns to Felons Barrel Room at Manly Wharf on Saturday, October 10, swapping Brisbane’s riverside for an oceanfront setting and bringing another colourful collection of more than 60 local artists along for the ride. Entry is free, and the family-friendly event features delicious market eats, free kids PasteUp! Workshops and entertainment throughout the day.

And then it’s Brisbane’s turn on Saturday, 17 October, at Felons Barrel Hall at Howard Smith Wharves where TGAM will be showcasing more than 70 local artists. Discover a market full of bespoke and mindfully made items, with the usual fun, food and frivolity throughout the day. Come on down to celebrate and empower our local creative community!

But for Claire and Dean, TGAM is about more than filling stalls. It’s a chance to champion creative work, spark real-world connections and create the kind of community they want to be part of. We caught up with the creative duo to talk markets, making and moving cities.

Dean: I was always told I was in charge of the arts and crafts department so this must have been my calling – haha. If I think about how we came up with TGAM – I recall identifying the throughline between the Felons brewers producing different barrel aged beers and the makers in our local areas doing their thing. It seemed very natural to build on this and to develop The Great Artist Market and for that to be able to add value to people’s lives. We wanted to create a welcoming environment for both makers and guests. If everyone is comfortable on market day it should mean the day is positioned for success. Each market comes together over around a 14 week period which is fairly collaborative and we listen to all opinions and ideas.

Claire: I’ve had experience from the other side of the table, so I know all of the feels that stallholders are going through in the lead-up to a market, during the market, and afterwards. I think the way I’ve helped shape The Great Artist Market is by really honing in on some of the finer details that can help stallholders feel comfortable, welcome and looked after on the day. We provide a complimentary coffee and pastry for each stallholder on the day and this is just one small thing they don’t have to think about, that can make their day so much smoother. It’s those little details that make a difference and help create the feeling that they’ve done everything they can to be prepared, and that we’ve done everything we can to be prepared for them too.

When it comes to differences of opinion, we’re lucky to have an incredible team. If there are varying opinions, we talk them through and work them out together. We try to find the best approach or solution as a team, rather than having decisions fall on one person. It makes it a more well-rounded event.

Dean: It is very exciting to bring The Great Artist Market to Sydney’s Northern Beaches. I find Sydney to be brimming with creative talent and that has given us a great depth to curate the market from. After a successful first market in May 2026, we’ve secured the Manly Wharf Events space upstairs for our next market which is unreal. Each TGAM feels different from the last and I think that is due to the curation process.

Claire: The creative community really shapes the market through the way people support and encourage each other, particularly when someone is doing their very first market. I think there’s a real sense of joy and celebration within the TGAM community. When TGAM came along in Brisbane, there was so much excitement around having a space and platform that was really dedicated to artistry, handmade and locally made. I feel like we’re getting a very similar response in the Northern Beaches.

What I’ve really loved about bringing TGAM to Sydney is seeing it bring together artists and makers from the Northern Beaches and the wider Sydney community. There’s always so much happening in the city, so it’s really nice to see people coming across to the Northern Beaches for a bigger event like this and bringing that energy with them.

Dean: There’s no denying that after every TGAM there is a buzz in the air. It’s electric. There’s no feeling like looking around the room and seeing so many people talking and engaging over art, process and positivity. It fills our cups so much. I just think it is beautiful. To sum it up in one word, I would say it is just so positive. Something we all need more of in our lives.

Claire: For me, as an artist selling my work at a market, I always come away feeling really inspired by the people around me. I’m definitely ready for a rest afterwards, but I also get this real reinvigoration for what I do and why I love it. You have other artists who are passionate about what they do, and customers who connect with your work, and I think it gives you an opportunity to reflect on what you do, why you do it and how far you’ve come.

There’s also just something about that face-to-face connection that you can’t get through a screen. Whether it’s with another artist or with a customer, there’s nothing quite like being able to connect with people in real life. And hugs! I love getting a good hug from my friends and customers!

Dean: To work with the love of my life is my greatest privilege – sure it has its ups and downs but that’s life. Additionally, I’m sure it comes as no surprise but it takes an enormous amount of work from a team of very passionate people to bring TGAM to the people. We’ve had so many collaborators work on TGAM over the years and their input has shaped what it is today. Our goal with TGAM is very simple; to create a platform for local makers, creators and artists to connect with their local community. It’s been so uplifting to see it grow every year at both Brisbane and Sydney and reach more and more people. It just feels good to support a local producer. There’s a magic about that which we want people to experience.

Claire: Building something like TGAM together has felt really natural to us. We know how to work together, and we’ve always worked to our strengths, whether that’s in our partnership or in our parenting. That naturally carries into our working relationship too. What’s been really special is seeing our initial ideas grow into something much bigger through the incredible team around us. I think Dean and I bring that initial burst of energy, joy and positivity, and then everyone else builds on it and makes it stronger. It’s been really fun to create something together that we both genuinely love.

For the Sydney market, we really want people to feel that same joy and enthusiasm. The whole team works so hard to create an environment that just feels good, from the music and the atmosphere to the artists and makers themselves. We want people to come along, have fun, discover something they love and leave feeling like they’ve had a really great day.

Dean: The first ever TGAM we did! We were so nervous no one was going to show up. We put so much work into every element of that first market. We were up super early and shuffled in for set up. I recall looking at the clock and it was 7:45am (15 mins before open) and people started streaming in. The biggest relief. The day was an incredible success and we just felt so happy to be able to pull a great crowd for all the makers. That’s what this is about and that’s what will stick with me forever.

Claire: I have to agree with Dean! That very first TGAM was unforgettable and absolutely terrifying because we just didn’t know how it was going to go. You can always do everything you can to make things run as smoothly as possible, but you need the people, the customers and visitors to come through and support the artists! And we were lucky enough that that is exactly what happened. It was an overwhelming response.

And in combination with the support from customers was the support from the very first group of artists we had come on board. They all believed in us and were just as excited about the new market as we were! They helped shape TGAM, and I think every artist who comes through to any future market will help shape it too. Let’s make more epic memories!

PEPPERMINT IS PROUD TO BE THE MEDIA PARTNER FOR THE GREAT ARTIST MARKET. THE NEXT MARKETS WILL BE HELD ON SATURDAY, 10 OCTOBER AT FELON’S MANLY IN MANLY, SYDNEY, AND SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER AT FELON’S BREWING CO IN BRISBANE.