An indie market takeover is coming to Great Western Arcade this bank holiday Saturday.
On Saturday 23rd May, Great Western Arcade is doing something a little different.
We’re partnering with Indespoke , Birmingham’s curated platform for independent makers, for a full-day indie market takeover. Craft stalls lining the length of the arcade, food, live music all day, and a steel band performing underneath the Victorian glass roof.
It’s free to attend. It runs from 10am to 6pm. And it’s happening on Spring Bank Holiday Saturday, which means you’ve got the whole day.
A steel band. Under a Victorian glass roof. On a bank holiday Saturday in Birmingham.
If that sounds like your kind of Saturday, read on.
Who is Indespoke?
Indespoke exists for people who don’t do generic.
They’re a Birmingham-based platform that curates, supports, and champions independent makers, bringing together over 50 brands across handmade skincare, natural soaps and candles, independent jewellery, art and prints, wellness products, homeware, cards and stationery, and more.
Every brand on their platform is independently owned. Every product is chosen because it’s genuinely different from what you’d find on a high street or in a supermarket aisle. Their mission is straightforward: to help independent makers get seen, stocked, and taken seriously.
On 23rd May, they’re bringing that ethos into Great Western Arcade, and filling the arcade with the makers and products that define what independent retail can look like when it’s done well.
What’s happening on the day
The event runs from 10am to 6pm, a full day, not a morning pop-up. Here’s what to expect:
Independent craft stalls filling the length of the arcade — handmade, curated, and genuinely worth browsing. Expect natural skincare and beauty products, handmade candles, independent jewellery, art and prints, cards and homeware, and much more from Indespoke’s roster of independent brands.
Food – because a good market needs good eating, and Great Western Arcade already has some of Birmingham’s best independent food businesses on site.
Live music throughout the day – setting the atmosphere from the moment you walk in.
A steel band performing live inside the arcade – underneath the Victorian glass roof, all day. This is the bit people are going to talk about afterwards.
The arcade itself is the backdrop to all of this , a Grade II listed Victorian building on Colmore Row, with a full-length glass roof that’s been letting natural light in since 1876. It’s one of the most architecturally distinctive spaces in Birmingham city centre, and on 23rd May it’s going to be full of independent makers, live music, and the kind of atmosphere that’s impossible to manufacture.
Event details
Date: Saturday 23rd May 2026
Time: 10am – 6pm
Location: Great Western Arcade, Colmore Row, Birmingham B2 5JB
Entry: Free – no tickets, no booking required
What’s on: Indie craft stalls, food, live music, steel band
Nearest station: Birmingham New Street (5-minute walk)
Why Great Western Arcade and Indespoke?
Great Western Arcade has been an independent destination in Birmingham since 1876. The businesses here, from Ignite Record Store to Designer Exchange, Loki Wine to Daisy Florist, The Whisky Shop to Samo Bistro, are all independently owned, individually run, and collectively unlike anywhere else in the city.
Indespoke shares that same belief in what independent retail can be. Their platform exists specifically to give independent makers a route to market — to help the people making things in their kitchens, studios, and spare rooms get in front of customers who’ll genuinely appreciate what they’ve made.
Putting these two together on a bank holiday Saturday feels like an obvious match. One historic independent arcade. One platform built around independent makers. A full day of music, food, and things you won’t find anywhere else.
Make a full day of it
The market runs until 6pm, so there’s no need to rush. Great Western Arcade’s permanent independent businesses are all open on the day too – which means you can browse the market stalls and still have time to:
Grab a coffee at Morridge before the stalls get busy
Pick up lunch at Habaneros, Mi Banh Mi, or book a table at Samo Bistro or Land Restaurant — featured in the Michelin Guide 2026
Browse Designer Exchange for pre-loved luxury
Pick up a record at Ignite Record Store — celebrating their first year in the arcade this month
Find fresh flowers at Daisy Florist
Finish the afternoon at Loki Wine or The Good Intent
All of it in one building. All independent. All on Colmore Row, five minutes from Birmingham New Street.
The best free thing to do in Birmingham this bank holiday
Bank holiday Saturdays in Birmingham city centre can go one of two ways: busy in the expected places, or quietly brilliant in the ones people don’t know about yet.
This is the latter. A free event, in a free-to-enter Victorian arcade, packed with independent makers, live music, and a steel band, the kind of thing Birmingham does exceptionally well and doesn’t always shout loudly enough about.
“The best arcade in brum.” That’s a Google reviewer’s words, not ours. On 23rd May, we’d like to think they’ll be proven right.
Join us on Saturday 23rd May
GWA x Indespoke Indie Market. Free. Saturday 23rd May 2026. 10am to 6pm.
📍 Great Western Arcade, Colmore Row, Birmingham B2 5JB
No booking needed. Just come in.
Find out more about Indespoke and their independent makers at indespoke.com
Know someone who’d love this? Share this post and bring them along. →