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The Carbon Market is the oldest and largest farmer's market in Cebu City, located in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines, and is a major tourist attraction. It is wheelchair accessible. It is located in downtown Cebu City, on MC Briones Street, Ermita barangay, and it can be reached by most buses or jeepneys in that area. Wares sold include clothing and kalamansi, baskets from Bohol, fish, chickens, and tripe, as well as souvenirs and handicrafts.
Although there is significant crime in the downtown area around the Carbon Market, the crimes are controlled by police, the vendors, and nearby residents.
History
The Carbon Market is named for the depot where coal was unloaded from the Cebu Railroad. Another story is that it was named for the "heaps of waste" cinders dumped here in the 19th Century. As of 2009, it was over one hundred years old.
In 2000, some vendors created a cooperative to sell their wares, and later two other cooperatives were formed by different units of the market. The Carbon Market Vendors Development Cooperative (or Cemvedco) was formed by consolidating the three cooperatives created in 2002.
In 2007, the rebuilding of the market caused a political controversy, leading one vendor to run for city council from the barangay of Ermita, winning on that single-issue platform.
As of September 2009, the Cebu City government is moving some larger commodity sellers to a newer market, the Bagsakan market.