A handmade craft and design market held twice a year at Pioneer Stadium in Somerfield, Christchurch, with free entry. Encraftment Market is at 75 Lyttelton Street. The market began in May 2011, not long after the Christchurch earthquakes, to give local makers a place to sell and people a chance to buy handmade goods. The website says stallholders are chosen for craftsmanship, and that the market receives hundreds of applications each year. Food and drink vendors are there too, with food trucks on the lawn outside and stalls mostly indoors. Entry is free.
Parking is free in the stadium car park or the streets around it. The website says Saturday mornings can be busy because of sport, so it suggests biking, carpooling or the bus, with the Orbiter and routes 60, 1 and 44 serving the area. Most stallholders take EFTPOS or credit cards, and there is a mobile ATM with a $3 withdrawal fee, so cash is recommended. Pets are not allowed inside, and baby carriers are recommended over prams. Reviewers describe an electric, buzzing atmosphere and a good variety of art and craft. One reviewer says it was a fine place for Christmas gifts, and another found parking hard on the day because the place was so busy.