If the Christmas shop is starting to loom, here’s a thought: the cherries, mangoes, prawns and the leg of lamb that end up in the supermarket all pass through one place first. Perth Markets at 280 Bannister Road, Canning Vale is Western Australia’s only wholesale fresh produce market, and every Saturday morning its wholesalers open their doors to the public at the Saturday Clearance Market. In December, that’s a Christmas table bought at the source.
The hours, entry prices, parking and house rules are covered in our Canning Vale Markets guide, so this one is about December itself: what to buy and from whom, how the holiday trading usually falls, the evening markets and the Sunday gift list.
Key Takeaways
- December brings WA cherries, mangoes from the state’s north, stone fruit and melons into the Saturday market, sold by the box and tray at wholesale prices.
- The seafood and meat wholesalers who open on Saturdays are named on the Perth Markets website, and the seafood goes early, so plan the Christmas order around a 6am start.
- Holiday trading hours are published on the Perth Markets website in late November each year, and Saturday 19 December is the last full Saturday market before Christmas Day 2026.
- The Sunday Community Market’s regular stallholders cover the gift list: local honey, orchids, candles and baked goods.
What to Buy for the Christmas Table
WA’s summer fruit arrives at the markets through November and December, and the Saturday market is where you’ll see it by the carton rather than the punnet.
- Cherries. The south west’s orchards come into season in time for Christmas. The first boxes are dear; by Christmas week there’s usually more to go around, so if cherries are for the day itself, buy them on the last Saturday before.
- Mangoes. WA’s mangoes come down from the tropical north, Kununurra country, and are at their best through December and January. A tray bought a week out and ripened at home is the sensible way to do it.
- Stone fruit and melons. Nectarines, peaches, watermelons and rockmelons fill the trays once the weather turns, with berries and grapes alongside.
Summer Fruit Sales and Cream of the Crop, both part of the Galati Group, and Mercer Mooney are among the fruit and vegetable wholesalers open on Saturdays. Prices move with supply and the weather, and the wholesalers will tell you what’s just come in.
Seafood and Meat: Who to Buy From
AJ Langford, better known as Kailis, is a family-run seafood wholesaler that has traded out of Perth Markets for generations, with one of WA’s largest selections of fresh seafood on a Saturday morning. West Coast Meat Solutions carries the largest selection of wholesale meats in WA, from beef and lamb to goat and sausages, all of it halal, so the ham is a job for somewhere else.
Seafood goes fast in December, so make it the first stop when the gates open at 6am. And wholesale means wholesale quantities: a whole fish, a box of prawns or a full leg of lamb is the normal unit, and splitting a box between households is how many regulars do it.
Holiday Trading Hours and the Dates to Know
Perth Markets publishes its Holiday Trading Hours notice on the news page in late November each year. Over the last two Christmases the pattern has held: the Saturday Clearance Market opened on the Saturdays either side of Christmas, with the meat market closed on the Saturday after Christmas Day; the Sunday Community Market traded the Sunday before Christmas and closed the Sunday after; and the wholesale floor closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
With Christmas Day falling on a Friday in 2026, Saturday 19 December is the one to plan the big shop around, and the notice will confirm what opens on Saturday 26 December. Check it before you set the alarm.
Christmas Gifts at the Sunday Community Market
The Sunday market’s regular stallholders cover a Christmas list without trying. Sweet As Apiary sells raw, unprocessed West Australian honey, which the stall itself calls the perfect gift for overseas visitors. Les Gannaway Plants has orchids that grow indoors or out. Finishing Fragrance does room sprays, candles and pillow sprays. Sugar Bee bakes slices and sweets fresh from the oven, and The Lolly Bus will sort the stockings.
See You at the Markets This Christmas
Cherries from the south west, mangoes from the north, seafood and lamb from the Saturday wholesalers, then the gifts on Sunday, all bought at the source. Check the Holiday Trading Hours notice before the Christmas weekend, and for weekend market questions call 0432 291 452 or email ticketoffice@perthmarket.com.au.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Saturday Clearance Market open the weekend before Christmas?
In recent years, yes. The Holiday Trading Hours notice, published in late November, confirms the dates each year.
Can I buy Christmas prawns and seafood at the markets?
AJ Langford (Kailis) sells fresh WA seafood at the Saturday Clearance Market from 6am. What’s available depends on the catch and the season, so arrive early and ask.
When should I buy cherries for Christmas Day?
On the last Saturday before Christmas, when supply is usually at its best. Mangoes can be bought a week earlier and ripened at home.
Can the public go to the Cherry Auction?
It’s held on the wholesale floor during weekday trading, where access is for registered buyers, so it isn’t a public event. The weekend market is where the same cherries reach the public.
