Downtown Farmers Market

The Downtown Farmers Market is a small to medium-sized market that takes place on Wednesday afternoons in the plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Years ago the market happened in Yaletown on Thursday afternoons. It then moved to the plaza outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for a couple of years. The market didn’t happen at all in 2020, but it returned in 2021 and takes place again in 2022.

Downtown Farmers Market at the Vancouver Art Gallery

Formerly known as the Yaletown Farmers Market, the Downtown Farmers Market used to run in the late afternoon from June until the beginning of October in the plaza outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

In 2019 the Downtown Farmers Market ran on Thursdays from June 6th to October 3rd. The 2021 market happened at a new location and on a new day of the week.

In 2021, the Downtown Farmers Market operated on Wednesday afternoons (so not on Thursdays as it did in the past). The market took place in the North Plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery between 2:00 and 6:00 pm.

In 2022, the Downtown Farmers Market happens on Wednesdays at the same location as last year from 2:00 to 6:00 pm. The season began on June 1st and ends on October 5th.

Music at Downtown Farmers Market

What to Expect

At the Downtown Farmers Market you can expect the usual assortment of fruits and vegetable stalls, but also vendors selling art, toys, clothing, unique gifts and other interesting handcrafted items. There is also usually live music.

The Downtown Farmers Market isn’t one of the Lower Mainland’s biggest summer markets by vendor numbers, at least not since it moved from its former Yaletown location. It’s also far from the busiest.

The market offers a good selection of products for sale, and its location, in the heart of downtown Vancouver, is convenient (although parking in the area is expensive). The market only has a couple of dozen vendors though, which is slightly fewer than average compared to most other places.

At its peak in the summer there have been up to about three dozen or so vendors at the market in past recent years, and by the end of the season, in early October, there can still be about 20 or so stalls.

Did you know that a group of artists set up in downtown Vancouver on different days of the week at various locations in the summer? Click Art Downtown Vancouver for details.

About the Downtown Market

The Yaletown Farmers Market used to be one of the Lower Mainland’s busiest summer farmers markets, taking place in the 1200 block of Mainland Street in Yaletown. At that location it attracted thousands of shoppers on sunny days. In June of 2016, however, the popular market changed its name and location.

The new market was called the Downtown Farmers Market. Although it happened in the plaza outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, it was only about 5 blocks north of its original location. It also included many of the same vendors.

The market didn’t happen in 2020, in part due to COVID-19 and in part due to their search for a new venue.

Downtown Market Parking

Being an urban market, the Downtown Farmers Market is conveniently located close to shops and restaurants. Parking isn’t as convenient – or as inexpensive – as it is at other markets however. Public transit is great though, and there are both street parking spots and parkade lots in the area.

Downtown Farmers Market