Riviera Beach Marina Village

PHOTO COURTESY OF RIVIERA BEACH CRA

Staff Report

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. – To celebrate the city’s cultural and historical connection to the Caribbean Islands, a unique outdoor market opened March 4 along the waterfront plaza at the Riviera Beach Marina Village.

The TikiMarket will be open year-round from 4 to 7 p.m. each Sunday at the Marina, located at 190 E. 13th Street. It is free and open to the public.

It replaces the more standard green market that had occurred off and on over the years at the Marina, which is operated by the Riviera Beach CRA and is undergoing the second phase of its multi-million-dollar redevelopment. This new feel works, says Scott Evans, the RBCRA’s executive director.

“We wanted to connect our ‘green market’ to what surrounds us along the waters and in the city–the Caribbean, and especially the Bahamas,” Mr. Evans said. “The city’s earliest settlers were from the Bahamas, who came here to work in our huge fishing industry at the time. Many of their descendants still live here. So, the TikiMarket’s island vibe makes sense. It’s authentic.”

The RBCRA has already booked vendors selling the food and merchandise of the islands and a DJ who will play the Soca, Calypso, Kompa and Rake ‘n’ Scrape–the latter being Bahamian music–that originated in the islands of the Caribbean.

There will be free parking. The market will also be accessible by boat, water taxi and the Peanut Island Ferry. For more information on the TikiMarket, please contact Alisa Hall at tikimarketrb@gmail.com. Vendors can still register by calling 561-844-3408. Event sponsorships are also available.