Following the dissolution of the Occupy encampment in downtown Vancouver, those who had organized together for months to sustain a space in the commercial core of the city splintered into a variety of groups.
The Free Market collective was formed in response to the lack of non-monetized public space and the ongoing stratification of wealth in the city. For three years running, beginning in 2012, the Free Market celebrated life without money by gathering in an East Vancouver park bi-weekly in early Spring and facilitating a free exchanges of goods and services.
Market atmosphere was often festive and carnivalesque with themes, local performers and Food Not Bombs providing free hot meals and produce to those attending.
