Rush hour: Families flock to fish market ahead of Christmas Day

The Sydney Fish Market 36-Hour Seafood Marathon has drawn huge crowds of local families and tourists, with more than 100,000 people expected to have visited by 5pm on Saturday. 

"The marathon is a busy one because this year it runs over two weekend days," said Sydney Fish Market representative Stephanie Williams. Since yesterday afternoon, foot traffic already surpassed last year's numbers by 5 per cent.

Shoppers make purchases during the pre-Christmas rush. Photo: James Alcock

"Because it's such a hot day, there's people coming straight from the beach," said Miss Williams. "I saw one girl running through the boardwalk with a towel and sandals." 

The busiest hours so far were mornings and meal times, with "big waves of people" dropping by for lunch or dinner. 

"A lot of families come down at this time of year," said Miss Williams. "Particularly in the evening, we often see kids who are in their pyjamas." 

Traders like Kimmy Hung are busy at the counters serving large volumes of customers. Photo: James Alcock /Fairfax Media

Prawns are, by far, the most popular seafood, accounting for 200 tonnes out of the 750 tonnes of seafood available across the site. Oysters follow in second place, with 900,000 available on site.

But Miss Williams said many people enjoy the fish market because it offers over 100 varieties of seafood. "You could get your prawns and oysters, but you could also get some other different fish species, or scallops, or sea urchin, or anything you want," she said.