Love Your Local Market 2026 has been hailed a huge success after markets, traders, councils, communities and campaign supporters came together for a fabulous celebration of markets across the UK.
Running from Friday 15 May to Saturday 30 May 2026, this year’s campaign brought the messages PROUDLY LOCAL. and MAKE IT A MARKET DAY. to life in towns, cities, villages and neighbourhoods across the country.
From trader spotlights and young trader events to food festivals, family activities, civic visits, market heritage, campaign bunting, selfie frames, live music, community events and brilliant social media moments, Love Your Local Market 2026 has shown once again just how much markets mean to the places they serve.
The campaign has included markets of every shape and size, from historic market halls and traditional outdoor markets to food halls, farmers markets, wholesale markets, community markets, youth markets and specialist events.
Across the UK, markets have used the campaign to celebrate their traders, welcome shoppers, promote local pride and remind people why it is always worth making it a market day.
Love Your Local Market 2026 has been full of colour, energy and community spirit.
Greenwich Market created one of the standout visual moments of the campaign with its giant “I Love GM” floral market bag, Love Your Local Market bunting and campaign branding.
Bury Market brought the official selfie frame to life with traders across the market, while Bolton Markets used a large heart frame, fresh produce and proud trader photos to celebrate everything local.
Widnes Market added family fun and campaign character with its LYLM heart mascot, Ormskirk Market combined heritage, family activities and busy market scenes, and Ludlow Market shared strong trader graphics around its “Proudly Ludlow” message.
There were many more moments across the country, from decorated stalls and market-day photos to community posts, trader stories, civic support and visitors showing why their local market matters.
This has been a campaign full of pride, personality and genuine affection for local markets.
One of the strongest themes of Love Your Local Market 2026 has been the spotlight on traders and the people behind the stalls.
Chesterfield Market highlighted Russell Keeble and more than 30 years of homemade cakes and pastries.
Wetherby Markets shared stories of long-standing traders, including family businesses, specialist stalls, florists and food traders.
Barrow Market celebrated traders including Lynne’s Menswear and Tuk’s Thai Foods, while Bradford Markets ran a strong trader spotlight series across Shipley, Darley Street, Keighley and St James Wholesale Market.
Portsmouth shared the remarkable story of G W Warren & Sons, a fourth-generation greengrocer family business trading since 1919.
These stories are what make markets so special.
They are not just places to shop. They are places where people build businesses, customers become regulars and local enterprise is given room to grow.
Markets across the UK used Love Your Local Market 2026 to create memorable events and reasons for people to visit.
Celebrated its 175th anniversary with a “Through the Decades” Weekender, featuring live music, performers, family activities, market history and community celebration.
These events showed markets as social spaces, cultural spaces and community spaces as much as trading spaces.
Love Your Local Market has always been about celebrating what markets already do, but it is also about supporting the traders of the future.
This year, young traders and new businesses played a key role in the campaign.
Bradford Markets showcased a Young Traders Market at Darley Street Market Courtyard, while Hackney’s Ridley Road highlighted the Next Gen Youth Market and young entrepreneurs including Faith, founder of Fatcha London.
A standout success came at Stratford-upon-Avon, where the Cupcake Valley team sold almost all of their 230 cupcakes and raised more than £450 for the British Heart Foundation.
Markets continue to provide a low-cost, high-energy launchpad for young entrepreneurs and start-up businesses.
Food has been everywhere during #LYLM2026, reminding people that market days are full of flavour.
Highlights included:
Across the country, markets showcased:
Market days continue to be a celebration of local food, independent businesses and community life.
A major national moment came from Julia Buckley MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Markets Group, who showed her support for Love Your Local Market outside Parliament with the campaign’s PROUDLY LOCAL. message.
Support also came from:
The campaign demonstrated the growing recognition of markets as important local assets and powerful drivers of community pride, inclusion and enterprise.
“Love Your Local Market 2026 has been a fantastic celebration of everything markets do for their communities.
Across the UK we have seen markets using the campaign with real energy, creativity and pride.
Thank you to every market, trader, council, market operator, partner and supporter who has taken part.
Love Your Local Market is a national campaign, but it is made real by local markets.”
Love Your Local Market 2026 was proudly supported by:
Official Campaign Sponsor
Supporting markets, food halls, hospitality, leisure and retail spaces across the UK.
Providing free public liability insurance for eligible new traders taking part in the campaign.
Both organisations have played an important role in supporting existing traders and helping the next generation of market businesses grow.
Although the official campaign dates have now ended, there is still much more to share.
Coming soon:
Love Your Local Market will return from Friday 14 May to Saturday 29 May 2027.
Following the success of this year’s:
themes, planning is already underway for an even bigger celebration next year.
Love Your Local Market 2026 has shown markets at their very best:
Proud. Creative. Local. Practical. Historic. Modern. Social. Full of life.
Thank you to every market, trader, customer, council, partner, BID, MP, MS and supporter who helped make the campaign such a success.
Most of all, thank you to the markets themselves.
Love Your Local Market is a campaign, but markets make it real.
