AFL PLAYERS have joined in the festivities to mark the 500th edition of Australia's street magazine, The Big Issue.

On Saturday, Carlton's Dennis Armfield and Cameron Wood donned the familiar fluoro vest to sell copies in Melbourne's Bourke Street Mall, while St Kilda's Shane Savage will do the same on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, Docker duo Michael Barlow and Lee Spurr will sell copies from 1.15pm in the Fremantle's High Street Mall.

Other well-known celebrities who will sell the magazine over the next few days include comedians Dave Hughes, Judith Lucy, Meshel Laurie and Denise Scott as well as Peter Garrett, Matt Moran and Annabel Crabb.

The Big Issue's editor Alan Attwood said the 500th edition represented a remarkable survival story over a period when print publications have struggled, here and around the world.

"The Big Issue is unique in the Australian media landscape – a magazine that exists to assist the people who sell it," Attwood said. "This milestone is a tribute not only to our remarkable vendors over 500 editions but also everyone who has supported what we do."