Today we want to talk to you about Estepona’s summer flea market, an event that has been part of the Paseo Marítimo’s landscape for many years now and that is facing difficult times. In this article we will try to capture the sentiment of the sellers and state the facts as objectively as possible. Will you join us?

When did the Estepona summer flea market start?

The summer flea market on the seafront has been running for decades. It began when a small group of people set up shop on the beach to exchange postage stamps, books, magazines, etc. Over the years it became a commercial activity, other types of vendors were added and nowadays it has the format of a craft fair. Some of its participants have been carrying out this activity uninterruptedly since 1990.

The summer flea market is an emblematic event that has become a deeply rooted tradition in the city. It is also an important source of income for the vendors who participate in it, as many of them depend on this activity to make a living throughout the year.

What is sold at the summer flea market in Estepona?

Today, the summer flea market is a collection of 30 stalls offering handicrafts and all kinds of products. We sell costume jewelry, fashion accessories, engraving, fabric dolls, decorative items in wood and ceramics, artistic portraits… There is also a stall selling sweets and drinks and two other stalls for children’s games.

Who manages it?

The management of the flea market is historically carried out by the Department of Commerce of the City Council, which directly calls for the presentation of a set of documentation to enter a scale that assigns a score and selects the participants.

Since 2014, communication between vendors and authorities has been fluid. In fact, as a result of this good relationship, we have worked together on the criteria for strengthening the flea market: location, aesthetics of the pergolas, lighting, variety and quality of the offer, start and end dates… In short, we have worked as a team with the aim of improving the operation and organization of the flea market.

Who enjoys it?

Its popularity is well known and attractive to both local residents and tourists, due to the fact that it is the longest leisure event of all those held in Estepona during the summer. For those looking for a unique and diverse experience, the market offers a wide variety of products and services that appeal to people of all ages and cultural backgrounds.

The perfect complement to any event.

Due to its privileged location, the summer flea market has shared space with other events on numerous occasions: fashion shows, dance school demonstrations, the ham fair, recitals of all kinds, the book fair, the chess competition, the medieval fair… These synergies always offer added value and are very well received by visitors, who enjoy more activities in the same place.

Opening and closing dates and assembly days in 2023.

Attention, because this year it is intended to change the usual operation. If the Department of Commerce does not change its initial position we will see how the summer market in Estepona is drastically reduced its activity.

For 2023, the Department of Commerce of Estepona has communicated that there will be changes in both the days of operation and the duration of the market.

In short, this is what they have passed on to the vendors:

–Modification of the starting dates: as of 2023, the start of the summer flea market will be delayed to July 1.

– Modification of the termination date: in 2023 it will end on September 17.

– Reduction of the days of assembly: from being a flea market open from Monday to Sunday to being open only from Thursday to Sunday. From seven days to four days a week.

Faced with this change of course, the vendors have expressed their total disagreement and are calling for a rectification and a return to the model that worked until last summer. This month of February they have presented a writing before the councilmanship of Trade and before the Mayor with Nº 2023-E-RC-3230 of Registry of Entrance in the Excmo. Ayuntamiento and date 10/02/2023.

As of today, the request is under consideration by the Mayor.

Vendor arguments.

The following are the arguments of the sellers:

Taking into account:

• That the permanence in time of this event is synonymous of its good work and the reception of the citizenship;
• It is a claim and a tradition for Estepona;
• That all salespeople are committed to this work, and above all, we make a living from this activity;
• Due to the seasonal characteristics of our area, summer is the major source of income that allows us to meet the economic needs of the whole year;
• That we have dealt with the difficulties of the year 2020, the Covid19 and opened our stalls making a shorter season as well as respectful of the expectations of the public;
• That we are still in the process of recovery since then;
• That in the year 2022 we will overcome with many inconveniences the problems of access and working conditions derived from the works on Avenida España;
• That the beginning of the activity on June 15 satisfies the demand of the local public (the night of San Juan, for example) and of the tourist of that month;
• That the reduction from 7 to 4 working days of activity represents a reduction in income of 50 percent or more;
• That the summer season would be reduced, losing its attractiveness by not having a presence for a large part of the season (reduced to 40 days instead of 90);
• That it remains in our spirit and interest to continue the process of improvement, communication and collaboration with the Department of Commerce and any other department that organizes activities on the promenade;
• That we have a proven ability to adapt to change, without giving up our previous working conditions.

From esteponeros.com we invite you to speak out.

This article would not have been possible without the invaluable help of the representatives of the Estepona summer market vendors. From esteponeros.com we sympathize with their situation and make available this blog to make known their request to all Esteponeros. If you want to support their cause (and also if you have a different opinion) we invite you to leave your comment in this article. Thank you very much.