Second Monday Trade Days

Bowie's monthly open-air market runs the Friday–Sunday before the second Monday of every month at the Pelham Park / Trade City grounds on US Business 81 (Wise Street). Begun in 1893 as a horse-and-mule trading day for stockmen from Montague, Clay, and Wise Counties, it is now one of the largest flea markets on the North Texas circuit — hundreds of vendor spaces, roughly 5,000 visitors a month (up to 10,000+ in good weather), and no admission charge. Livestock is still a vendor category. The grounds are jointly operated: the City of Bowie's Parks & Recreation Department manages the public lots and Community Center booths, while Mark Shillingburg has run the private Trade City complex (100+ enclosed booths, 100 covered spaces, 200 outside spaces at 414 Pelham Street) since 1997, when he bought it from founder Dallas Hutson. 2026 weekends: Jun 5–7, Jul 10–12, Aug 7–9, Sep 11–13, Oct 9–11, Nov 6–8, Dec 11–13.