Booking choice: The Downtown Charleston Food Tour, from $110 per person. Check dates Tour details
Four blocks of sheds, one Greek Revival hall and more than 50 sweetgrass basket weavers: the City Market is the stop almost every downtown food walk passes. The hours are short, though, and the evening market keeps its own calendar.
Here is when it is open for the rest of 2026, how to fit it around a food tour, and where to leave the car.
The quick answer
The Day Market opens daily at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. by the banner on the market's homepage. It is open every day except December 25. The Night Market runs Friday and Saturday from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., March through December, and entry is free.
What are the Charleston City Market hours in 2026?
Daily from 9:30 a.m., closing at 5 p.m., every day of the year except Christmas Day.
The banner on the official City Market homepage reads "Open daily 9:30-5:00 pm", and the same page says the market is open "every day except December 25". The footer of that page still shows 5:30. Treat 5 p.m. as closing and you will not be caught out.
Going on a morning food tour? Browse first, at 9:30, then walk to your meeting point. Most downtown walks start within a few blocks of the sheds.
| Part of the market | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Day Market (sheds and Market Hall) | Every day except December 25 | 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Night Market (Market Street, East Bay to Church) | Friday and Saturday, March to December | 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. |
| Christmas Day | December 25 | Closed |
When does the Night Market run?
Friday and Saturday evenings, 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., and the 2026 season ends in December.
The Night Market page lists 100 local artists and craftspeople this year, 25 of them new, on three blocks of Market Street between East Bay Street and Church Street. It is free to walk in. The page says the 2026 run concludes in December and that the market operates from March through December, so January and February have no evening market at all.
It is a craft market first. Do not plan dinner around it; eat before or after.
Which Charleston food tours pass the City Market?
At least five: the Downtown Charleston Food Tour, Bulldog Tours, the sweet treats walk, Streets and Eats and the private food and history tour.
The Downtown Charleston Food Tour explores "the French Quarter and the Market", per its listing. Bulldog Tours names the City Market on its itinerary and ends on Market Street. A daytime tour that ends near the sheds before 5 p.m. leaves time to browse. A late-afternoon start does not, unless it is a Friday or Saturday and you stay for the Night Market.
| Tour | Meets at | Length | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Charleston Food Tour | 184 East Bay St | 2.5 h | $110 |
| Bulldog Tours, Savor the Flavors | 18 Anson St | 2.5 h | $111 |
| Sweet treats walk | Toast! All Day, 127 Meeting St | 2 h | $80 |
| Streets and Eats | The Loutrel, 61 State St | 2.5 h | $95 |
| Private food and history tour | 164 Church St | 3 h | $94 |
The flagship walk starts on East Bay Street, near the market, and cancels free up to 24 hours before.
Check dates for the Downtown Charleston Food TourWhere do you park for the City Market?
In a city garage: Concord/Cumberland, East Bay/Prioleau or 93 Queen Street, at $1 per 20 minutes with a $24 daily maximum.
The City of Charleston parking page lists evening flat rates too: $5 after 5 p.m. at East Bay/Prioleau, and $7 after 3 p.m. or $5 after 5 p.m. at 93 Queen Street. Those make a Night Market visit cheap.
Staying downtown? The free DASH 213 Purple route stops at the City Market, per CARTA.
What is on at the City Market this month?
A vendor celebration with the mayor on Thursday, October 15, and the Night Market every Friday and Saturday through December.
The homepage announces that Mayor William Cogswell will recognize long-standing local vendors on Thursday, October 15. Look for the Certified Authentic Handmade in Charleston seal, which the market says means a product is 100% locally made. It matters most with sweetgrass baskets, the market's best-known craft and a Gullah tradition that goes back to rice winnowing on plantations.
The longer story of the sheds is in our City Market guide.
Is the City Market where enslaved people were sold?
No. The City Market was a food market; the city's slave auctions took place around the Old Exchange and later at Ryan's Mart on Chalmers Street.
That site is now the Old Slave Mart Museum on Chalmers Street. It opens Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed on Sunday. General admission is $8, and children aged 7 to 12 pay $7. Fit it in on a weekday morning before a food tour.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the Charleston City Market open?
The Day Market opens at 9:30 a.m. every day except December 25 and closes at 5 p.m., per the banner on the market's homepage.
Is the Charleston City Market open on Sunday?
Yes. The Day Market is open seven days a week. Only the Night Market is limited to Friday and Saturday evenings.
Is the Night Market open in January?
No. The Night Market runs from March through December, and the 2026 season ends in December.
Is the City Market free?
Yes. Entry to the Day Market and the Night Market is free.
Is the City Market open on Christmas Day?
No. December 25 is the one day of the year the market is closed.
Ready to book
Choose your tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Downtown Charleston Food Tour
- Tastings at 4 local restaurants, enough for a meal for most guests
- A local professional guide, about 2.5 hours on foot, up to 12 travelers
- Meets at 184 East Bay Street; ends within 3 to 4 blocks of the start
Bulldog Tours: Savor the Flavors
- Tastings such as stone-ground grits, pralines, collard greens, benne wafers and barbecue
- Bottled water and a local professional guide
- Meets at 18 Anson Street; ends on Market Street
Downtown Sweet Treats Walking Tour
Bakeries and dessert stops, ending at the Pineapple Fountain
