Tampa Bay Halloween Markets Feature Artists, Vendors Selling Spooky Creations, Items

TAMPA BAY, FL — It’s that spooky time of year where local markets across the Tampa Bay area celebrate the season with artists, makers and vendors selling and showcasing items featuring dark and eerie themes.

Find a roundup of regional Halloween markets below.

“I love the Halloween theme for its nostalgia — everyone has a favorite memory,” Coralette Damme, who is producing Saturday’s Hauntizaar market in St. Petersburg, told Patch. “I have loved it since I was a kid. I think spooky themes let you confront your fears, enjoy something otherworldly and fantastical.”

An artist who creates under the name The Crafty Hag, Damme founded St. Pete Craft Heroes as a unique way to support Tampa Bay-area creators and small businesses.

She hosts several markets throughout the year in the region and all of them, including her Valentine’s Day-themed Heartizaar, have dark themes.

• Related: Get Your Halloween Frights Early With These Spooky Events In Tampa Bay

This year’s Hauntizaar is more of the same with varied vendors and “artists of all kinds — painters, ceramics, printmakers, illustrators, jewelry designers, clothing designers, pet products, home goods, even specialty consumables like custom tea blends and home-baked snacks, all with a unique approach and a Halloween vibe,” she said.

Meanwhile, many upcoming markets organized by Andrea Ponce, founder of Tampa Local Markets, feature a Halloween theme.

“It’s October and it’s all about Halloween,” she told Patch. “Who doesn’t like Halloween” That’s what we’re focusing all our markets on.”

The cardiologist nurse got her start as a vendor, selling sunglasses. It wasn’t long before she decided to organize her own markets.

“This is my real passion; this is my baby,” Ponce said.

Each market takes on a different theme and October is no different from her Monster Mash market in Tampa to the Spooky Sunday Market in Wesley Chapel.

Many of these markets feature family-friendly activities, such as face painting, crafts, and costume contests, in addition to local vendors.

Here are some upcoming Halloween-themed markets throughout the Tampa Bay area:

• Vintage Roost, Tampa, Sept. 26-27
• Hauntizaar 9th Annual Halloween Market, St. Petersburg, Sept. 27
• Boos & Brews Market, St. Pete Beach, Oct. 4
• Spookyzarre, St. Petersburg, Oct. 5
• Monster Mash, Tampa, Oct. 10
• Spooky Island Market, St. Petersburg, Oct. 11
• Spooky Sunday Market, Oct. 12, Wesley Chapel
• Wicked Wilds, Plant City, Oct. 18
• Big Gay Halloween Market, St. Petersburg, Oct. 22
• Halloween Arts & Crafts Fest, St. Petersburg, Oct. 25
• Halloween Night Market, Tampa, Oct. 25
• Coffin Collective Halloween Show and Market, Tampa, Oct. 25
• Halloween on Central, St. Petersburg, Oct. 26
• GhostFest, St. Petersburg, Nov. 15