Vancouver’s Winter Farmers Market takes place on Saturdays from November until April in the parking lot at Nat Bailey Stadium at 4601 Ontario Street.
Note: As of 2018 the Nat Bailey Winter Farmers Market has been renamed and become part of the new year-round Riley Park Farmers Market. See below for details.
Vancouver Winter Market
There are a number of farmers markets during the winter in the Lower Mainland, and the one at Nat Bailey Stadium is one of the largest, with up to about 75 market stalls on a busy day.
It’s a big market and runs on Saturdays from 10 am until 2 pm rain or shine from early November until around the third week of April.
Each week there are food trucks serving hot refreshments, musicians entertaining the crowds, and vendors selling locally-grown fruits and vegetables, meats, baked goods, homemade preserves and handmade artisan crafts.
From Nat Bailey to Riley Park
The Nat Bailey Winter Farmers Market has been running for years. 2018 was its final season, but in name only.
The Riley Park Farmers Market, meanwhile, is Vancouver’s newest market. It started up in 2017 as a summer market at Riley Park on the other side of Ontario Street from Nat Bailey Stadium. Beginning in 2018, the Riley Park Farmers Market now continues all year.
Over winter the Riley Park Market has replaced the Nat Bailey Winter Farmers Market, in name only, as it operates in the same parking lot at Nat Bailey Stadium in winter and looks pretty much the same as the market always has.
When it’s baseball season, the market with the new name simply shrinks to half its winter size – down to less than 3 dozen vendors – and moves to the grassy Riley Park physical location.
In short, as of 2018, there is still a large winter market in the parking lot of Nat Bailey Stadium. It just has a different name and continues running in a smaller format in the summer too.
For more information about the new venture and old market’s new name, click Riley Park Farmers Market.
Tips & Advice
Below is some advice to help you make the most out of your visit to the market near Nat Bailey Stadium.
TIP #1: If it’s a sunny day, expect parking to be a challenge. There is street parking in the area, although it fills up and some streets are for residential parking only. If the weather is exceptional, get there early if you can and be prepared for a little walk.
TIP #2: Combine your trip to the market with a visit to other places of interest in the area. Hillcrest Recreation Centre, for example, is right next door, has parking and is a great place for exercise or a swim on a rainy day. Queen Elizabeth Park is also right close by and offers free pitch and putt golf during certain winter months, beautiful views of the city and great places to walk.
Other Information
For more information on the market at Nat Bailey Stadium, click Riley Park Farmers Market.
For information on other farmers markets taking place in the late fall, winter and early spring, check out Lower Mainland Winter Markets.
For summer farmers markets (that run from late spring to early fall), check out Lower Mainland Farmers Markets.