A Barrie Automotive Flea Market car service from BarrieLimo.net is a chauffeured ride to Burl's Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte. Planning fare, business sedan from downtown Barrie: $180–205 one way, about 25 km, 20–30 minutes, all-in plus HST. For a long day of browsing, an hourly private chauffeur from $135–160 an hour waits while you walk the aisles and takes you home.
Barrie Automotive Flea Market car service: how it works
The Barrie Automotive Flea Market (often shortened to the BAFM or simply "the Barrie flea market") is a large outdoor market for car parts, collectibles, classic and project cars, vendors and car shows, held on the Burl's Creek grounds in Oro-Medonte. BarrieLimo.net has no role in running it and does not sell admission; we drive guests there. Book direct on our reservation engine as a one-way drop-off, as a return with the car waiting, or as an hourly private chauffeur for the day. The engine shows a fixed all-in fare before you confirm: chauffeur, vehicle, fuel, any tolls on the planned route and gratuity, with HST shown separately. There is no surge and no meter, and you never need an app to find a ride from a field.
When is the Barrie Automotive Flea Market?
The Barrie market runs twice a year, in early June and in September, over a Thursday-to-Sunday weekend. In 2026 the dates were June 4–7 and September 10–13, both now past. The organisers had not published 2027 dates on the pages we checked on 2 October 2026, so we will not guess them: look on the official Barrie Automotive Flea Market website for the next weekend, then book your car as soon as it is confirmed. The same organisers list a separate market at Bonfield, far to the north, which is outside our Barrie service area; this page is about the Barrie weekends at Burl's Creek.
Where is the market? Burl's Creek in Oro-Medonte
The market is held at Burl's Creek Event Grounds on Line 8 South in Oro-Medonte, just off Highway 11 north-east of Barrie, and the organisers' admission page tells guests to enter at Gate 8B off the 8th Line South. The venue describes itself as a 600-acre property with parking for 33,000 vehicles, so expect a lot of walking whatever gate you use; the venue's own Burl's Creek venue information page has the details. We drive to the entrance the organisers designate, and the chauffeur confirms the exact drop-off point by text before arrival. Our Oro-Medonte service area page lists the other places we serve in that part of Simcoe County.
Planning fares: Barrie to the flea market
These are planning figures for one way, business sedan, all-in plus HST. Burl's Creek sits in our Oro-Medonte band; the reservation engine quotes the exact address, date and vehicle before you confirm, and the fare does not move because the market is busy.
| Trip | Distance | Drive time | Business sedan, one way |
|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Barrie to Burl's Creek (Oro-Medonte band) | about 25 km | 20–30 min | $180–205 |
| Downtown Barrie to Lake Simcoe Regional Airport (nearby) | 18 km | 20–25 min | $160–185 |
| Within Barrie | up to 10 km | 5–20 min | $110–125 |
| Barrie to Orillia (a lunch stop on the way home) | 38 km | 30–35 min | $215–245 |
Larger vehicles such as the business SUV or an executive SUV are quoted by the engine for this trip, and every class is shown on the BarrieLimo.net rates page.
Hourly chauffeur for a day at the flea market
A flea market is a day of wandering, not a timetable. You will find a stall, talk for twenty minutes, walk to the next field and want a rest in a cool car before another loop. That is what an hourly private chauffeur is for: one car, one chauffeur, a 3-hour minimum, extra time in 30-minute blocks. Planning rates all-in plus HST: business sedan $135–160 an hour, business SUV $175–205, executive SUV $225–265, executive Sprinter $475–550. A 4-hour sedan booking is $540–640. The chauffeur drops you at the gate, waits in a position away from traffic and comes to a meeting point you text. Our guide to hourly versus point-to-point bookings shows when a full day beats two one-way rides.
What the market offers
Local listings bill the Barrie market as "Canada's Finest Automotive Flea Market", with thousands of vendors selling hard-to-find parts and collectibles, a car sales area, car shows, and camping on site. The organisers' site has sections for general admission, vendors, camping, car sales and car shows. We do not list prices, vendor numbers or hours, because they change by weekend and the organisers' site is the authority. If you are going to sell rather than buy, the vendors page covers set-up, and a chauffeur is not the right tool for hauling stock: this is a trip for people, not freight.
What fits in a black car and what does not
Be realistic about what you will buy. A business sedan takes three passengers and three bags; a business SUV takes five passengers and five bags; an executive SUV six and six. That is plenty for badges, books, tools, brochures, lamps, wheels in boxes and a stack of small parts. It is not a pickup truck. A bumper, an engine block or a set of fenders is a job for your own truck or a courier. Tell us what you hope to carry when you book, and ask the dispatcher before you buy anything oily, sharp or heavy; we would rather plan the vehicle than meet you at the gate with the wrong car.
Gate 8B, parking and where the car stops
We do not pretend to run the grounds or to have a private entrance. The organisers set the gate and the traffic plan, and the chauffeur follows their signs and marshals. Before the day we text the car, plate and a proposed drop-off point. Pick a pickup spot that is easy to describe from the vendor aisles, such as a numbered gate or a landmark on the organisers' map, and save a screenshot of it: mobile coverage can be patchy in a field full of people. If someone in your group walks slowly, tell us at booking so the chauffeur can get as close to the gate as the traffic plan allows. The organisers also say accessible parking and facilities are available, so ask them about accessible access.
Taxi, rideshare or private car to the flea market?
A fair comparison. A taxi or ride-hail car can take you out in the morning and costs less than our fixed fare on paper, but a long run to a rural venue is not what many drivers want, and the ride home at the end of a busy day is the hard part: everybody leaves in the afternoon and many guests need a pickup at the same time. A private car booked ahead is waiting for you at an agreed point, the fare is known in advance, and an hourly booking has the waiting built in. If you are a collector who plans to drive a truck home loaded with parts, drive yourself. If you are a group of friends who want a day out without a designated driver, a car or a Sprinter is the easier choice.
Car clubs, friends and the Sprinter
Car-club outings and groups of friends are what this market is built for. Our own executive Sprinter carries up to 14 passengers with one chauffeur and one drop-off point, hired hourly from a 3-hour minimum at $475–550 an hour all-in plus HST. Larger groups can use a partner party bus or coach from vetted operators in the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network, priced in writing by a coordinator; we say plainly that those vehicles come from partners. On every vehicle we offer, alcohol is not allowed on board, including party buses, so plan any drinks for licensed or permitted areas, and let the chauffeur be the designated driver.
No pets at the market
The organisers state that pets are not allowed in the market and must not be left in vehicles, which also rules out a dog waiting in the car park. That is separate from our own rule: pets in a BarrieLimo.net car need prior approval at booking and written confirmation, and service animals are welcome, so mention them when you book. For a day at an outdoor market with no pets allowed, the simplest plan is to leave the dog at home.
Children, families and accessibility
Organisers list admission for children 12 and under as free when accompanied by an adult, so the market is a family outing as well as a collectors' day. Child seats (infant or child, toddler and booster) are available on request from $25 each; add them at booking. A wheelchair-accessible vehicle is available: book it in advance and tell us about the wheelchair or scooter. We do not state a model or ramp specification here; the dispatcher confirms what is assigned. Fields can be rough underfoot, so ask the organisers about paths and the car-park surface before you plan a long walk.
Rain or shine, dust and the September cold snap
The organisers say the market is open rain or shine. Early June can be warm and dusty, and September can be cool and wet with mud in the aisles. We watch Environment Canada's forecast and message you before pickup if conditions change the drop-off plan. Wear boots, bring a rain jacket and a tarp for anything you buy. If the weather turns, an hourly booking means you can sit in the car until the rain passes, which is much better than standing in a queue for a bus.
Timing: Highway 11, Highway 400 and Thursday to Sunday traffic
From Barrie, Burl's Creek is reached by Highway 11 north-east; allow 30–40 minutes on a market morning, and longer on the Friday and Saturday when traffic can back up toward the gate. Early June also overlaps the start of the cottage season, so Friday afternoon northbound and Sunday afternoon southbound traffic on Highways 400 and 11 can be heavy. If you are heading back to Toronto after the market, consider leaving early on Sunday or booking a Monday departure. The chauffeur monitors Ontario 511 and picks the route on the day; the fare does not change if the route does.
Combine the market with lunch in Orillia or a night in Barrie
An hourly booking makes it easy to stack stops: breakfast in Barrie, the market, a late lunch in Orillia and home. Orillia is about 38 km from downtown Barrie, 30–35 minutes, and our Orillia service area page lists the places we serve there. Guests who are visiting from out of town stay in Barrie, and our Barrie hotel transfer page explains where cars stop at city hotels. Concierges can book the market run for guests direct. If you are flying in, the nearby Lake Simcoe Regional Airport serves business aviation, and our Barrie to Pearson route handles the airline side.
Coming from Toronto or Pearson
Collectors often come from the GTA. Our Barrie to Pearson airport route is about 97 km, 60–85 minutes, with a business sedan planning fare of $380–440 one way. Flight tracking is included, with 30 minutes of included waiting on Canadian and US flights and 60 minutes on other international arrivals. Curbside pickup at the commercial pickup area is included; meet-and-greet inside arrivals is an optional add-on chosen at booking.
Booking, changes and cancellation
Book direct at BarrieLimo.net/book. Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup; at 72 hours or less it is 10 %, at 48 hours or less 50 %, and at 24 hours or less or a no-show 100 %, measured from the scheduled pickup. Because the market's dates are fixed in advance, reserve early for the spring and September weekends. Our travel desk can add hotels or flights for visitors, and the events page lists other weekends in the calendar.
More events near Burl's Creek
Burl's Creek is the home of other large events, notably Boots and Hearts in August, and the same car service covers Kempenfest on the Barrie waterfront and the Barrie Fair at the Essa Agriplex. For wider Barrie planning, see Tourism Barrie.
