Market rules

Safe, fair and straightforward.

These are the rules for the regular Saturday market and car boot sale. They help keep the site welcoming and safe for everyone.

Arriving, paying and trading hours

For a normal Saturday market, no advance booking is needed. Sellers arrive between 7 and 8 am, our team allocates the pitch, and payment is made on the day.
The market is open to visitors from 9 am to 2 pm. Sellers should be fully set up by opening time and remain on their pitch until the market closes unless market staff agree an earlier departure for an emergency.
Bathgate Market and the car boot sale run every Saturday, rain or shine. The market team may change, delay or cancel trading when conditions make the site unsafe.
Evening, themed and other special-event pitches must be booked in advance. There is no car boot sale at those events, and event-specific instructions may also apply.

A standard car-boot pitch is for your own second-hand household goods. It costs £15 for a car or £20 for a van or trailer.
Car-boot pitch fees are paid in cash on arrival.
If more than one-third of your stock is new, handmade, bought for resale or connected to a business, the £25 car-boot trader rate applies.
Only trade within the space allocated by market staff. Keep all stock, rails, tables and signs safely inside your pitch and do not block neighbouring pitches, walkways or emergency access.

Everything offered for sale must be legal, genuine, safe, accurately described and owned or authorised for sale by the seller. Counterfeit, stolen, unsafe or recalled goods are not permitted.
Alcohol, tobacco or vapes, medicines, weapons, fireworks, illegal substances and other age-restricted or controlled goods must not be sold without the licences and the market’s written agreement. Standard car boots must not sell alcohol or restricted goods.
Market staff may refuse any item they reasonably believe is illegal, unsafe, offensive, unsuitable for the site or outside the type of trading agreed.

Public liability insurance is required for food and drink, cosmetics, skincare and any product that is eaten, drunk or applied to the skin. It is also required for entertainment providers and attractions such as inflatables.
Food and drink traders must hold any required food-business registration and follow food-safety, hygiene, temperature-control and allergen requirements. Please have the relevant documents available for the market team to check.
Every seller is responsible for the permissions, registrations, licences, insurance and safety checks that apply to their business, products, equipment and staff.

Gazebos and other structures must be sound, securely erected and properly weighted on every leg. Guy lines, weights, stock and cables must not create a trip hazard.
Follow any instruction to add weight, lower or remove a gazebo, or change a set-up because of wind or another safety concern. Unsafe equipment must not be used.
A 3 × 3 m gazebo can be hired for £10 and a table for £5, subject to availability. There is no equipment deposit. Sellers remain responsible for using hired equipment safely and returning it in good order.
There is no mains electricity on site. Tell us before attending if your set-up needs power. Generators, gas and electrical equipment must be suitable, safely positioned and used in line with the relevant safety requirements.

Follow staff directions while entering, parking and setting up. Drive at walking pace and give pedestrians priority at all times.
From 9 am until 2 pm, vehicles must remain parked in the allotted pitch with engines switched off. No vehicle may move through the trading area without permission and supervision from market staff.
If an emergency means you must leave early, contact market staff. We will direct you to an exit and help warn pedestrians. Unauthorised vehicle movement is a serious safety and insurance breach and may mean you cannot return to the market.

Treat visitors, other sellers, staff, volunteers and neighbours with respect. Threatening, abusive, discriminatory or disruptive behaviour will not be accepted.
Do not play loud music or use amplified sound unless the market has agreed it. Keep children in your care supervised and dogs under control on a lead.
Keep the pitch tidy throughout the day. Take away all stock, packaging, food waste and rubbish, and leave the pitch as you found it. Do not damage the ground, barriers, buildings or market equipment.
Follow reasonable instructions from market staff, including directions about safety, pitch position, vehicles, products, noise and site access.

The market team may refuse entry, require an item or set-up to be removed, stop trading, or ask a seller to leave when a rule, safety instruction or legal requirement is not followed.
Serious or repeated breaches may result in the seller not being permitted to return. Pitch fees are not normally refunded when trading is stopped because a seller has broken the rules.
These rules are for the regular Bathgate Saturday market and car boot sale. Special events may have extra booking terms. If you are unsure whether your goods or set-up are suitable, contact us before attending.

Effective: 11 August 2026