Inviting is the word that best sums up this popular attraction. Approaching the area of Bulls Head car park set aside for the weekly market, the eye is first struck by the colourful canopies dotted among the organised rows of stall holders. Closer inspection reveals a palette of many colours: the red, green, orange, yellow, brown and white of immaculate fresh vegetables and fruit, some bunched and bagged, and all attractively displayed.

Cut and potted flowers extend that palette into corals, pinks, lavender, cream and blue, as do the grey-green hues of air plants and herbs. Dramatic pools of orange and black signify the presence of sunflowers, while bird of paradise add a touch of exotica.

In terms of handicrafts, every colour of the rainbow is captured in the beads, fabrics and wools used to make cushions, quilts, scarves, slippers, dishcloths, jewellery and more.

The amber glow of Bermuda honey stands in gentle contrast, as do the many bottles of scents used in the creation of toiletries and cleaning products.

Combined, the colours and the merchandise provide an enticing and irresistable feast for shoppers of all ages and from all walks of life.

Without exception, the stallholders are friendly, approachable, and justifiably proud of what they offer. 'Hard sell' is not in their lexicon, and browsers are as welcome as buyers. Many of them operate generational family businesses – children and grandchildren helping their elders, while others are husband-and-wife teams, widows or single parents. Bathed in sunshine, with soothing recorded music drifting gently across the scene, the City Market is a sensory and social delight, and a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning. So wonderful, in fact, that many are regular customers who habitually travel into Hamilton specifically to shop.

Diana Chudleigh is typical.

"I come for the fresh, organic vegetables, Bermuda honey and flowers," she says. "You really have to get here early because things like the local bananas and strawberries sell out. I usually bring my own bag to recycle, and I also return my egg cartons."

Kevin brings his two little daughters along, ostensibly to enjoy the ambiance, but in reality as "an excuse" to enjoy some of chef Scott Rego's homemade fish chowder or soup of the day.

"It's the best soup in Bermuda, and I come every week for it," he says.

Helped by his wife Elizabeth at the stall, Mr. Rego makes his chowder and soups from scratch. A qualified chef with experience in restaurants and catering, the young man views the market as "a good opportunity to offer something that is traditional and local". As the weather gets warmer and the demand for soup falls off, he plans to offer fish cakes and possibly a cold soup.

Next door, Mexican-born Teresa Humphrey offers home-made chicken fajita tacos, quesadella with beans and egg burritos. She begins preparing the food on Fridays, spends many hours in her kitchen and, helped by her Bermudian husband, does a brisk trade on Saturdays. Asked what she likes best about the market she says, "the people''.

Talk to any stallholder and it emerges that, apart from the selling aspect, they particularly enjoy the ambiance and social interaction. "I absolutely love the market, it's the best place to be on a Saturday," Kathryn Garcia enthuses. "The atmosphere is wonderful. You see lots of friends, the children have a great time, and people bring their pets. It is really good."

A sewer and quilter, she imports fabrics from all over the world and creates everything from wall hangings to pillows, dolls, tote bags and baby blankets.

Next door, Kay Hayward turns the knitting skills she first learned as a child into a variety of goods, large and small, including golf club covers, scarves, ponchos, hats and baby items. With every sale of her popular dish cloths, she donates $1 to Age Concern, who honoured her generosity with a commemorative certificate. A Government plant pathologist by day, Terri-Lynn Thompson is a prolific jewellery maker in her spare time. She offers an incredible assortment of one-of-a-kind necklaces, earrings and bracelets in an endless combination of colours and materials, each as eye-catching as the next.

Young Aaron Furbert happily gives up Saturday mornings (starting at 6.40 a.m.) to help his well-known grandfather sell Bermuda honey and bananas. He speaks knowledgeably about the attractively packaged product, and says his likes it best on his cereal or pancakes.

Enterprising Shaheed Umrani is a certified chef who took over a business and used his mixing skills to create a thriving new enterprise, Ihsan's, which offers a wide variety hand-made products from natural ingredients, including fragrance oils, body lotion and wash, creams, car sprays, incense sticks, and cleaners, the latter of which his "cleanaholic" mother says "are the best thing she's ever used". He labels, packages, wholesales and retails his own products.

Husband and wife team Gabre and Deborah Swan, who trade as Roots Gardening, are self-described "market originals". They offer organic-grown fresh seasonal vegetables and fruit, as well as homemade bars and liquid soaps.

"Our products are pesticide-free, and selling Bermuda produce is always successful," they say.

Home-baked breads – pumpkin, banana, and ginger – and cookies are the stock-in-trade of Vonika Washington, who begins her preparations on Wednesdays, and generally sells out by closing time on Saturdays.

Close by, Nelson Pimental offers the perfect complement: Green Mountain coffee and cold drinks. A three-year veteran, he is known for getting his fellow stallholders going as soon as he arrives. He also sells herbs, says lavender is his best seller, and most enjoys the atmosphere and meeting people.

One-woman stallholders include Caroldey Douglas, who offers lucky bamboo and air plants, herbs, bulbs, seedlings, cedar saplings, and fresh vegetables. A participant for more than three years, she likes the social aspect as well as the retail opportunity. Jamaican-born Ann-Marie DeGraff acquired her love of growing things from her grandmother, who had a large farm. Now widowed, she no longer sells from her Parsons Road site, but is at the City Market every Saturday selling a large variety flower and vegetable seedlings.

"I enjoy it tremendously. It is stress relief from doing accounting all day, and I also have a lot of private clients," she smiles.

Joel Cassidy's brightly coloured pots of chrysanthemums and many-hued miniature rose trees offer long-term enjoyment for homes and gardens.

The "big three" farm stalls are: DeSilva's Farming, where father and son Manuel, Sr. and Jr., Mary and grandchildren Catrina and Joshua, all help; Wadson's Organic Farm whose helpers include owner Tom, sister Judith (known for her organic, artisinal breads made with spelt flour, organic chicken stock and spreads); and Windy Bank Farm, a third-generation business now run by Malcolm Smith. Collectively, their produce includes a wide variety of seasonal fresh vegetables and fruit, picked at the peak of perfection and all grown without chemicals, as well as eggs, herbs, fresh flowers and more. Under her Bouquet Garni label, Mr. Smith's wife, Julie Grayston Smith, offers home made and beautifully packaged seasonal jams, sauces, salad dressings, chutneys, tapenades, tomato sauces, frozen soups, fresh breads, biscotti, tea cookies and more.

In the market that appears to have thought of everything, Irene Richardson offers a charming oasis of creativity for children. Here, for just a few dollars, the youngsters can sit and decorate with paint markers various environmentally friendly items, such as stones, shells, wooden toys and wall plaques, while their parents shop.

From time to time, various charities also operate stalls at the busy venue, but the overall policy is: organic foods, Bermuda-made crafts and products. Professional co-ordinator Thalia Lightbourne, who is in her first year as manager of City Market, is very pleased with the operation thus far, and pays tribute to the 53 or so vendors whose day begins before most of us are out of bed.

They begin setting up at 6 a.m., and before the official 8 a.m. start early bird shoppers are already making their first purchases. The market, which runs from November to June, closes at 12 noon, and on rainy days moves inside Bulls Head car park.