Irene Market

The Irene Village Market is an art market on the shady grounds of the Smuts House Museum about 40 kilometres north of Johannesburg. Held on the second and last Saturday of every month, the market offers ample guarded parking, safe kids’ entertainment, a fully-licensed tea garden, numerous food stalls and over 300 exhibits with wares ranging from art and craft to clothing, delicacies, antiques, flowers and curio. The market, which has received many accolades from the likes of Getaway magazine, provides an environment bringing together artists and patrons alike while offering excellent family entertainment and contributing to the rich historic and natural heritage of Irene village. Only original art and craft are traded at the Irene Village Market. Exhibitors and their wares undergo a strict selection process twice a year to ensure that only the highest quality, hand-made wares are on offer. The market is famous for its rustic, "old-world" setting on the slopes of Smuts Hill, just a stone’s throw from the village of Irene on the banks of the Hennops River. Indeed, it is surrounded by vast indigenous grasslands through which meanders Smuts’ Nature Trail and where grow the likes of Aselepiadaccae and Crassulaecae, ancient perennials sprouting from underground tubers and bulbs. A visit to the Irene market has every making of an excellent family outing. With ample guarded parking, a fully-licensed tea garden, numerous food stalls, kids’ entertainment and the renowned Smuts House Museum right there on the premises, even the most discerning taste is sure to be pleased. Nature-lovers enjoy the three-kilometre Smuts’ Trail meandering through the surrounding grassland, home to over 300 bird species and a wide array of indigenous flora. Back at the Market in its characteristic setting of old-world charm, tea and scones would be just the thing to recharge the serious shopper with over 300 stalls to visit. Indeed, many visitors choose to bring their picnic baskets, stock them with treats from the delicatessen stalls and tuck in to an impromptu picnic in the shade of pine, poplar and oak.