A bicycle parked beside a farmers market stall in Evanston. Photo: I'm nonpartisan / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
On Saturday mornings from spring into fall, a block behind the Hilton Garden Inn fills with produce stands, flower buckets and live music. The Downtown Evanston Farmers’ Market sets up at University Place and Oak Avenue, and in 2026 it ran its 51st season.
Season and hours
The City of Evanston’s season announcement said the market would run every Saturday from May 2 through Nov. 21, 2026. A Visit Chicago North Shore listing gave a different closing date, Nov. 7, so the city’s own page is the better guide to the final weeks. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with early shopping from 7 to 7:30 a.m. for seniors and shoppers with disabilities.
Visit Chicago North Shore said as many as 58 Midwest vendors sell fruits, vegetables, meat, flowers, cheese, eggs and baked goods. The city added that 14 new vendors joined for 2026 and that hot and prepared-food vendors offer gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. It also noted that Better Chicago named the market the best farmers market in the suburbs.
Getting there and paying
Parking is free in the 1800 Maple garage with validation at the city’s tent. Accessible parking moved to University Place off Maple Avenue. LINK card transactions are handled at the city tent from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Admission is free. Pets are not allowed, apart from trained service animals.
The city’s page for the market describes it as an outdoor weekly event with fresh produce, artisanal goods, baked goods, specialty foods and handmade crafts, often with live music and family activities. Validated parking in the Maple garage costs nothing, which helps anyone carrying a heavy load home.
The market also has history behind it. The 2026 season was the 51st, and the 2025 season was billed as the 50th, which means the Saturday tradition dates to the mid-1970s.
Programs alongside the stalls
The 2026 season included daily live music and vendor spotlights through October. Spud Club is a free program for children of any age, with weekly activities and prizes. Home Grown Artists, a showcase of Evanston artists’ work, ran all season, and artists could apply online.
The Evanston Made connection
Evanston Made is a local organization tied to the city’s makers and creative businesses. A City of Evanston bulletin from April 2025 listed collaborations with Evanston Made among the new features of the market’s 50th season, along with other partners such as Likhaya and the Evanston Art Center’s Spud Club Takeover Days. The bulletin gave no dates or details about what the collaboration involved, and the 2026 announcement did not mention Evanston Made, so shoppers curious about makers’ tables should ask at the city tent or check the market page.
There is also an indoor market, according to the city’s farmers’ market page. It runs on select Saturday mornings in the cooler months at the Evanston Ecology Center, with about 15 farmers, food producers and artisans selling produce, meat, fish, cheese, honey and baked goods.
Questions go to the city at 847-448-4311, or 311 within Evanston, and the market’s page is cityofevanston.org/market. The city’s phone line accepts texts as well as calls. The market’s season, vendor list and event details can shift from year to year, so the city’s page is the place to confirm anything before a Saturday trip.
Rachel Lindqvist covers community life, the lakefront, dining and the arts for The Evanston Edge.
