Three markets that get confused
In Cannes the word market covers three things that are often confused. First, the Forville market: a covered food hall at the foot of Le Suquet, open in the morning. Then the brocantes, the antiques and flea markets: professional dealers, on Mondays at Forville and at weekends on the Allées de la Liberté. Finally the vide-greniers, the car-boot-style sales where private individuals sell: these are rare within the town, one-off, and you often have to leave Cannes to find one.
The trap comes down to one day: Monday. Outside summer, the Forville hall sells no vegetables on Mondays, it hosts antique dealers. And since 16 April 2024, part of the food market has changed address because of building works. Turning up without knowing means looking for tomatoes in front of stacks of old plates.
Our view: Forville is for a weekday morning, before 10am, to buy rather than to photograph. And the most enjoyable flea market in town is not Monday's, it is Saturday's on the Allées, because it links up with the market, the port and Le Suquet. The days and hours below come from the Cannes town hall and the tourist office, as recorded in October 2026.
The markets of Cannes, day by day
N° 01
Forville market
The hall is on rue du Marché Forville, two minutes from the Old Port and the town hall. Hours published by the town: from 1 September to 30 June, Tuesday to Sunday, 7am to 1pm; from 1 July to 31 August, every day, Monday included, at the same times. Entry is free and the market is covered. You will find market gardeners from the Cannes area, fishermen from the bay, flowers, and food shops: caterers, butchers, cheesemongers. Stalls empty after midday: past half past twelve there is not much left to choose from.
N° 02
Building works
The producers are on the Allées de la Liberté
The town is renovating the whole Forville market and its surroundings, with a garden planned on the roof. The practical consequence: since Tuesday 16 April 2024, local producers and fishermen have set up in the large hall on the Allées de la Liberté, opposite the bandstand, five minutes away on foot. Resellers and the shops with display counters remain on the eastern side of the Forville square. A call for tenders published in 2026 announces a second phase of sixteen months of works, with an indicative start in mid-October 2026. No end date has been published: check the location before you come.
N° 03
Monday
On Mondays the hall goes over to the antique dealers. The tourist office lists a brocante every Monday from 8am to 5pm; a specialist listings site describes it as a professional flea market of about 80 stallholders, from 7am to 6pm. Keep to the cautious bracket: 8am to 5pm. Expect porcelain, crystal, silverware, lamps, books and curiosities. Two points remain to be confirmed with the town hall (04 97 06 40 00): what happens to the flea market on Mondays in July and August, when the food market is open too, and its exact location during the works.
N° 04
Saturday and Sunday
The flea market on the Allées de la Liberté
Facing the Old Port, around the bandstand, the Allées de la Liberté host antique and bric-a-brac dealers at the weekend. The tourist office gives Saturday and Sunday, 8am to 6pm; an older listing mentions only Saturdays and the first Sunday of the month, and a flea market calendar announces around thirty professional stallholders until 5pm. Saturday is therefore the safe bet. A market of crafts and painters is held on the same spot at weekends. In late November and December the Christmas village takes over the Allées: whether the flea market continues during that period needs checking.
N° 05
Other markets
Two neighbourhood markets complete the map, both open in the morning except Mondays. The Gambetta market, on Place Gambetta, beside rue Hoche and a few minutes from the station: fruit, vegetables, fish, flowers, and clothing stalls. The La Bocca market, on Place du Marché, in the west of town: Tuesday to Sunday, 7.30am to 1pm according to the tourist office, with a clothing market on Saturdays. Less photogenic than Forville, and it is where you see what people in Cannes actually buy.
N° 06
Vide-greniers
Rare in Cannes, more frequent nearby
We found no regular vide-grenier within the town of Cannes. Those that exist are one-off, run by associations and announced a few weeks ahead: a specialist calendar listed, for example, a Suquet vide-grenier on 6 September 2026. Neighbouring towns hold more of them. In Mandelieu-la-Napoule, 7 km away, two vide-greniers are announced for Sunday 18 October 2026, one of them from 7am to 5pm on a retail park car park. The method: consult a vide-grenier calendar for the Alpes-Maritimes that same week, and check the date, because these events can be postponed or cancelled, particularly if it rains.
N° 07
Summer evenings
The night markets of July and August
In summer, evening craft markets move around the town from 7pm to midnight, according to the tourist office: Mondays on the Esplanade Pantiero, Wednesdays at the La Bocca market, Thursdays on the Promenade Jean Hibert, beside Plage du Midi. They sell local products, decorative objects and costume jewellery. They are neither flea markets nor vide-greniers: you come for the evening stroll, not to hunt for finds.
What we avoid
What we avoid: arriving at Forville on a Monday in October with a basket. Outside July and August, the food market is closed that day. So are the Gambetta and La Bocca markets. Monday is the dealers' day, not shopping day.
What we also avoid: confusing a brocante with a vide-grenier. The stallholders at Forville and on the Allées are professionals, and the prices are those of dealers who know their stock. You can haggle, politely, especially late in the day or for several pieces. You will not find the one-euro box of a village vide-grenier, and the seller is not to blame for that.
Finally, we do not go to Forville at midday just to look. By then the producers are packing up, and since the renovated hall has not been delivered, the market is split across two sites. If you buy nothing, you will have seen empty crates. Come early, buy something for lunch, and keep the late morning for the antique dealers of rue de la Miséricorde, who open later.
When to go
During the week: Tuesday to Friday to shop in peace at Forville, Saturday to combine the market and the flea market on the Allées, Sunday if you like a crowd, Monday to hunt under the hall. During the day: before 10am for food, between 9am and midday for the flea market, when every stall is unpacked.
During the year: in July and August Forville opens seven days a week and the night markets are added. From September to June, Monday goes back to being closing day for food. Market hours shift with the works and public holidays: if in doubt, the town hall answers on 04 97 06 40 00.
Forville market and flea markets, common questions
What are the Forville market opening days and hours?
According to the Cannes town hall: from 1 September to 30 June, Tuesday to Sunday, 7am to 1pm; from 1 July to 31 August, every day from 7am to 1pm. Entry is free. Since 16 April 2024, because of the works, producers and fishermen have been set up in the large hall on the Allées de la Liberté, opposite the bandstand.
Is the Forville market open on Mondays?
For food, only in July and August. The rest of the year Monday is flea market day: the tourist office lists it from 8am to 5pm. How summer Mondays are organised, when the two coexist, is to be confirmed with the town hall.
Where and when is there a flea market in Cannes?
Two regular fixtures, run by professionals: Mondays in the Forville hall, and weekends on the Allées de la Liberté, facing the Old Port, from 8am to 5pm or 6pm depending on the source. Saturday is the safest day for the Allées. For shops open during the week, see rue de la Miséricorde.
Are there vide-greniers in Cannes?
No regular fixture that we know of. Vide-greniers within the town are one-off and run by associations. They are more common in neighbouring towns such as Mandelieu-la-Napoule. Check a vide-grenier calendar for the Alpes-Maritimes the week you are coming.
Can you haggle at the flea market?
Yes, within reason. The stallholders are dealers: a discount is easier to discuss late in the day, for several pieces, or in cash. Always ask the price before handling a fragile object at length.
IT Digital entrepreneur · Cannes local
2026-10-10 · 8 min read
Prices, opening hours and addresses change. Spotted an error or something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
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