I spy with my little eye… A Finders Keepers Market!

There’s a type of human in this world who always has the best of everything: their style is unmatched, they smell like vanilla slice and they always have the best snacks (like fancy Wagon Wheels). You could be this type of human by getting yourself along to The Finders Keepers Market at the Royal Exhibition Building at Carlton Gardens in Naarm/Melbourne (runs 10-12 July, 2026 – the last few days of the school holidays, should you be seeking an activity that includes coffee and free creative workshops…).

Now 18 years old, The Finders Keepers is the OG of festival-style makers’ markets, appearing in Melbourne twice a year (they’re also held in Sydney, on Gadigal Country). This time around, it’s the Autumn/Winter event, where you’ll find a dedicated area for sustainable fashion and a Mindfulness Mural led by Adelaide artist Claire Ishino (you and the kids can get stuck into this one).

Of course, there will also be stalls from more than 230 independent makers, selling the kind of treasures you’d never get at a shopping mall (see above – Ficifolia’s vanilla slice-inspired scent and Sweet Darl’n’s bougie Wagon Wheels – plus punny stickers, hand-sculpted wooden vases and ready-to-be-reloved upcycled denim).

Having been at it for almost 20 years, the folks at The Finders Keepers know how to put on a party. Expect food trucks, a boozy taqueria and The Finders Bottle-Oh! (a take on the humble liquor store, trading in smoked jalapeno margaritas, Geelong-made limoncello and other craft-distilled delights). And if you like your parties quiet and without crowds, you’ll love Sunday’s low sensory hour (from 9am).

As ever, there are plenty of new stalls to peruse (including that of social enterprise High Tees, which makes Lee Lin Chin-emblazoned garments; and Lyfer, which describes itself as a “lifestyle brand for birding”). Natalie Jade, a Victorian-based Palawa First Nations artist, will be showcasing her contemporary work as part of Finders’ Indigenous Program. And she’ll be joined by Natasha Greskie of Wildwood Pages, who crafts timber notebooks at a little studio in Far North Queensland; she’s attending as part of Finders’ Regional Program.

So get that wish-list written, totes packed and be ready to start fielding questions about where you gathered such covetable treasures (like this soy sauce-inspired coaster set and these dangly stegosaurus earrings…)

♡ Peppermint is proud to be the media partner for our good friends at The Finders Keepers. Melbourne’s Autumn/Winter 2026 Market runs from 10 to 12 July at the Royal Exhibition Building at Carlton Gardens with a low sensory hour on Sunday from 9am. Daily tickets are $7 (free entry for kinds under 13); book your ticket here.