Bilston Market free July opening event in Wolverhampton

Bilston Market will mark the official opening of its newly redeveloped outdoor market with a free public celebration on Saturday 11 July, following more than £8 million of investment in the site.

The Bilston Market Official Opening Celebration will take place at Bilston Outdoor Market in Bilston, Wolverhampton. A start time has not yet been announced, but the event is open to the public and is aimed at the local community, shoppers and market regulars who want to see the upgraded site in use.

A new market site after an £8 million redevelopment

The celebration will be the first use of the market’s new flexible events space, according to City of Wolverhampton Council. It comes after a multi-million pound redevelopment designed to bring traders back into a new-look outdoor market after a period of temporary trading on the High Street.

Contractor Speller Metcalfe is due to formally hand the market back to the council on Thursday 25 June. The final day of trading at the temporary outdoor market on the High Street is scheduled for Monday 29 June, with traders expected to open in their redeveloped home on Thursday 2 July, the next market trading day.

The council says the scheme includes a new canopy to give traders better protection from bad weather, upgraded toilets, enhanced stalls, new signage, easier access, a taxi drop-off point and improved public areas. The investment has been funded through a combination of Government and council money.

What visitors can expect on 11 July

The 11 July event is being held to officially mark the opening of the new Bilston Outdoor Market. The source confirms an opening celebration and the first use of the new events space, but does not give a programme, performance schedule or start time.

For visitors, the main draw is likely to be seeing the redeveloped market operating in its original outdoor site, with familiar traders returning from the temporary High Street location. Fruit and veg trader Julie Emery of JD Produce said she was excited to move into the new market and had heard positive comments from members of the public keen to visit when traders return.

The market’s regular offer includes fruit and veg stalls and general market traders. Its standard trading days are Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, between 8.30am and 4pm.

Traders return before the celebration

The opening event will not be the first day of trading in the new-look market. Traders are set to begin serving customers there on Thursday 2 July, giving shoppers more than a week to visit before the official celebration.

Council leader Councillor Stephen Simkins described the opening as a milestone for both the historic market and the town of Bilston, saying the council had delivered a more modern and accessible market for traders and customers.

Councillor Qaiser Azeem, the council’s Cabinet Member for Resident Services, said the new market would offer customers a community shopping experience and provide traders with improved facilities. He also pointed to wider planned investment around Bilston, including Black Country Route public realm improvements, the High Street Link scheme, a £20 million Pride in Place programme and a new Health and Wellbeing facility next to the leisure centre.

Planning a visit to Bilston Outdoor Market

Anyone planning to attend the Bilston Market Official Opening Celebration should note that the confirmed date is Saturday 11 July, the venue is Bilston Outdoor Market, and the event is free and open to the public. The start and end times have not been published in the source information.

The council has confirmed improved access, upgraded public areas and a new taxi drop-off point as part of the redevelopment. Regular market trading hours are 8.30am to 4pm on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Source: Wolverhampton Scraper