The weekly Pop Up Market at contemporary arts centre Hin Bus Depot started back in 2015 with a handful of stalls and a mission to provide a platform for entrepreneurs, crafters, artisans and performers to showcase their products, crafts and talent. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, and now, every Sunday, the covered platform in the garden is chock-a-block with tables on which all manner of home-made food, cool T-shirts, funky souvenirs, jewellery and other handicrafts are displayed, with convenient dining tables set around the outside for enjoying food purchases in comfort.
A constant flow of visitors are perusing, chatting with the friendly stall-holders
and buying enough to keep those hardworking vendors smiling. Occasionally musicians busk in the background, and if the food stalls and Coffee Rescue food truck don’t completely satisfy the appetite of all the market-goers, there are always the “In-Hin” cafes toto fill the gaps: Bricklin Cafe, Wholey Wonder, Kitchen Chemistry, Cremeal, and Le. Sometimes workshops are held concurrently by stall-holders or as part of an exhibition in the Hin Gallery. You’ll find details of upcoming workshops on the Pop Up Market’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/hinpopup
What adds to the charm of the experience of course is the whole Hin Bus Depot vibe. There are people taking selfies with the murals or lounging on the grass eating lunch, while kids play on the treehouse-shaped slide that was installed as part of 2017’s Hasim: Arborist and Art exhibition. In addition to the cafes there are other funky shops to explore like The Pharm Hut and Chai Diam Ma. And almost all of the time there is an exhibition of paintings, sculptures or installations within the Gallery itself. The exhibitions change approximately once a month, with details available on their Facebook page, or in the Penang Free Sheet.
The Sunday Pop Up Market takes place every Sunday from 11am until 5pm, at Hin Bus Depot, 
31 Jalan Gurdwara, George Town. www.facebook.com/hinbusdepot