Lautoka Municipal Market

The covered municipal market at the centre of Lautoka is the best place to take the temperature of the town. The ground level sells fresh tropical produce: bundles of dalo (taro), piles of cassava, bananas of several varieties, passionfruit, and coconuts. The upper level and surrounding stalls have textiles, household goods, spices, and prepared food.

The market is busiest on Friday and Saturday mornings, when farmers from the surrounding valleys and cane-growing districts bring in produce. The prepared food area has roti and curry from the Indo-Fijian vendors and lovo (earth-oven) food and kokoda (Fijian ceviche in coconut cream) from Fijian stalls. It is a good, unpretentious market and one of the better ones in Fiji.

things to do sight market
A story
The market reflects Lautoka's dual character as both a Fijian town and a heavily Indo-Fijian one. The fresh produce — mountains of taro, cassava, pawpaw, chillies, and limes — is largely sold by indigenous Fijian women, while the surrounding hardware and textile stalls tend to be Indo-Fijian-owned. Lautoka's population is roughly evenly split, and the market is where both communities visibly converge.