Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market returns May 2 in Traverse City

The Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market will reopen downtown with fresh produce, baked goods, flowers and artisan goods, giving Grand Traverse County shoppers a Saturday stop that also accepts EBT and SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, Senior Project Fresh, Project Fresh and Hoophouses for Health.

The 2026 season begins Saturday, May 2, and the market will run every Saturday through the season. According to the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority, Saturday hours will be 7:30 a.m. to noon from May through October, with Wednesday markets added from June through October from 8 a.m. to noon. The market sits in Parking Lot B off East Grandview Parkway and Cass Street, a central location that keeps it within easy reach of downtown foot traffic.

The DDA says the market is operated by the authority and managed by SEEDS on a contract basis. Its mission is broader than a simple sales venue: it is meant to create a place for local farmers to sell quality farm-grown goods, provide a community gathering place and support downtown economic development. Local listings also say shoppers can pay with credit cards, adding another layer of convenience for families and visitors who do not always carry cash.

The market’s return continues a local tradition that stretches back to the early 1980s, with some sources dating it to 1984. Over time, it grew from fewer than 10 vendors into a market with more than 115 farmers each season and, in some accounts, more than 120 vendors serving seven surrounding counties. Taste the Local Difference describes it as a market with more than 100 vendors operating every Wednesday and Saturday from May through October, underscoring how far it has grown from its original footprint.

This year’s reopening also comes as Traverse City moves ahead with a longer-term redesign of the Lot B site. City officials have approved final plans for a new year-round farmers market pavilion, a permanent multi-use structure intended to host the market and other community events. The Lot B reconstruction is expected to reduce parking from 136 spaces to 100 while adding stormwater infrastructure, a change that will reshape one of downtown’s most visible public spaces.

Support for the pavilion has already come from inside the market itself. A letter backing the project was signed by 36 Sara Hardy Farmers Market vendors representing 30 businesses, signaling that the market’s future is being shaped not just by planners and officials, but by the growers and makers who fill the stalls each week. During the National Cherry Festival, the market will move to the Old Town Parking Garage, keeping the seasonal rhythm intact even as downtown continues to evolve.