Bilston’s newly redeveloped outdoor market will be officially marked with a free public celebration on Saturday 11 July, following an £8 million redevelopment of the site.
The Bilston Market Official Opening Celebration will take place at Bilston Outdoor Market in Wolverhampton. City of Wolverhampton Council has said the event is open to the public, with the new flexible events space being used for the first time to mark the opening.
A start time and end time have not yet been specified in the council’s announcement. The market’s regular trading hours are listed as 8.30am to 4pm on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Bilston Market Official Opening Celebration |
| Date | Saturday 11 July 2026 |
| Venue | Bilston Outdoor Market, Bilston, Wolverhampton |
| Cost | Free |
| Entry | Open to the public |
| Time | Not specified in the source announcement |
| Best for | Local residents, market customers and the Bilston community |
New market space gets its first public celebration
The celebration event will officially mark the opening of the new-look Bilston Outdoor Market after a major programme of redevelopment works.
According to City of Wolverhampton Council, contractor Speller Metcalfe is due to formally hand the market back to the council on Thursday 25 June. The temporary outdoor market on the High Street is expected to have its final trading day on Monday 29 June, before traders move into the redeveloped market on Thursday 2 July, the next scheduled market trading day.
That makes the 11 July celebration the first public event use of the new flexible events space, rather than simply the first day of trading. For visitors, it is the first chance to see the market not just as a shopping site, but as a wider community space after the redevelopment.
What has changed at Bilston Outdoor Market
The council says more than £8 million has been invested in the scheme through a combination of Government and council funding.
The redeveloped market includes a new canopy designed to give traders better protection from bad weather, along with enhanced stalls, upgraded toilets, new signage, improved public areas and easier access. A new taxi drop-off point has also been included in the works.
The council has described the project as the first phase of wider multi-million-pound investment in Bilston. Other named schemes include Black Country Route public realm improvements, the High Street Link scheme, a £20 million Pride in Place programme being developed with local residents, and a new Health and Wellbeing facility planned next to the leisure centre.
For regular market shoppers, the most immediate change will be the return from the temporary High Street site to the original outdoor market site. Fruit and veg trader Julie Emery of JD Produce said she had enjoyed trading on the High Street but was “very excited” to move to the new market, adding that the public had been making positive comments and were keen to visit when traders returned.
Traders return before the official opening event
Bilston Outdoor Market is scheduled to reopen for trading in its redeveloped home on Thursday 2 July. The official opening celebration follows nine days later, on Saturday 11 July.
Councillor Stephen Simkins, Leader of City of Wolverhampton Council, said the opening would be a memorable milestone for the historic market and for Bilston. He said the council had delivered an improved and modern market for traders and customers, with more accessible and vibrant spaces for the local community.
Councillor Qaiser Azeem, the council’s Cabinet Member for Resident Services, said the new market would offer customers a community shopping experience and provide traders with improved facilities. He also thanked outdoor and indoor traders for their support and patience during the redevelopment works.
Rob Lashford, regional director at Speller Metcalfe, said the works were nearing completion and that the team had worked with the council to create a space intended to support the local community.
Planning a visit on 11 July
The celebration event is free and open to the public at Bilston Outdoor Market. The council has not published a programme, ceremony time or detailed running order in the announcement.
Visitors planning around normal market activity should note that Bilston Market opens on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, between 8.30am and 4pm each day.
Source: Wolverhampton Scraper
Source check Source check
This event preview is based on the published City of Wolverhampton Council announcement and the verified event details supplied from that source.
- Confirmed the event date as Saturday 11 July 2026.
- Confirmed the venue as Bilston Outdoor Market in Bilston, Wolverhampton.
- Confirmed the event is free and open to the public.
- Noted that no start or end time was provided in the source announcement.
- Source
- City of Wolverhampton Council
- Scope
- Bilston, Wolverhampton
- Updated
- 2026-06-04 21:37
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