In March, the Press Democrat reported that the Healdsburg Farmers' Market's 2026 season would run from April 11 "through the end of November." At that point the market manager said there were no plans for a winter market.
Things have changed since then. The market's own homepage now lists the Saturday season as April 11 to Dec. 19, 8:30 a.m. to noon. The City of Healdsburg's 2026 master calendar of events shows the same dates for the Saturday market at the Foley Family Community Pavilion. That adds three Saturdays in December to a market year that used to end around Thanksgiving.
So this fall, the place to be on a Saturday morning between now and the holidays is the block of North Street next to City Hall. Here's how the next two months line up.
Why a roof changes the calendar
For decades the market had no permanent home. According to the Press Democrat, it moved from an abandoned prune drying plant on Haydon and East streets to a small alley space, then to the empty lot where Hotel Healdsburg now stands. Since the late 1990s it had been held in the parking lot behind the hotel. Healdsburg's market dates to 1978 and was the third certified farmers' market in California, after Davis and Gardena.
The new home is the circa-1922 Cerri building on North Street. It was an agricultural supply warehouse that had been slated for years to come down and become another parking lot. Former market manager Mary Kelley pushed to save it. In early 2020, the Foley Family Charitable Foundation pledged money for the rehabilitation, and the gift eventually reached $7.5 million. The city added $2.5 million. Crews stripped the building to its studs, poured a new foundation, and added a metal façade and a canopy that shows off the original trusses. The pavilion opened officially in December 2025.
What matters most in October and November is the shelter. Market Manager Janet Ciel told the Press Democrat that "on bad weather days we can squeeze a few more vendors onto the platform, so we can have as many vendors as possible attend," and that "even on stormy or blazing days we will have good-sized markets worth attending." The market calls itself rain or shine. Its visitor page says it closed twice in the last 10 years because of extreme rain and wind, and with part of the market now under cover, it expects to stay open in that kind of weather from here on.
The Tuesday market at the same site ran May 12 through Sept. 29, so Saturday is the only market day left for the rest of the year.
Oct. 24 and 25: one weekend, two blocks apart
The weekend after this post publishes puts three events within a short walk of each other.
Saturday morning, Oct. 24. The regular market runs 8:30 a.m. to noon, with the Maile Swing Band as the scheduled live music.
Saturday afternoon, Oct. 24. The Howl-O-Ween Pet Parade comes back to the same pavilion from 4 to 6 p.m. It's free, and the city calendar invites "your dog, cat, mouse or potbelly pig." Organizers are collecting food for the Humane Society of Sonoma County's Pet Food Pantry, so bring some kibble.
Sunday, Oct. 25. Corazón Healdsburg hosts the 10th annual Día de Muertos on the Plaza from noon to 6 p.m. There will be a community altar where anyone can add a photo of a loved one, plus free kids' activities, live music, a car show, and food for sale.
The pavilion at 3 North Street is described as a short walk from the Plaza, so you can easily make the pet parade on Saturday and Día de Muertos on Sunday without moving the car.
Oct. 31: the Pumpkin Festival runs on a clock
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so the market's Pumpkin Festival takes over the pavilion from 8:30 to 11 a.m. The festival is really three contests, and each one has its own time slot. If you have kids with you, plan around this schedule:
| Time | What's happening |
|---|---|
| 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. | Contestant registration |
| 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. | Pumpkins available for carving, open to all |
| 9:30 to 10 a.m. | Shoppers vote on pumpkin race cars |
| 10 a.m. | Decorated pumpkin winners announced, races begin |
| 10:30 a.m. | Final vote on carved pumpkins, winners announced |
| 10:45 a.m. | Costume contestants line up for voting |
| 11 a.m. | Costume winner announced |
Here are the rules that tend to catch people. Race car pumpkins need wheels inserted into or attached to the pumpkin itself, so a pumpkin sitting on a skate won't qualify. Each car has to be less than 11 inches wide. If you don't want to carve at home, the market provides pumpkins and tools on site. Costumes have to be original. Pieces from kits are allowed, but a full store-bought kit is not. The three age groups are 7 and under, 8 to 15, and 16 to adult. Shoppers vote for the winners, and every entrant gets $2 in Market Bucks.
What a fall Saturday looks like at the pavilion
Most of the practical details have changed since the market left the lot behind the hotel, so here's the short version from the market's visitor page.
- Parking: Free public parking is directly across the street. You can get into that lot from Matheson Street or North Street, but North Street is closed right in front of the market. There's also parking on Grove Street and in the City Hall lot.
- Street closure: On market days the city closes North Street between City Hall and Little Saint to give shoppers more room.
- Restrooms: The pavilion has four unisex restrooms.
- Dogs: A Sonoma County Health Department rule keeps dogs away from food and farm booths. They're welcome on the platform, in the open area below it, and on the outside patio. Come and go through the last aisle, which is the craft aisle where Fruity Moto and the coffee vendors set up.
- Paying: Most vendors take cards or Venmo, and some produce stands are cash only. The Information Booth sells Market Bucks that work at every booth.
- CalFresh/EBT: The market takes part in Market Match. Through that program, the Information Booth matches up to $20 of EBT spending with vouchers for fruits and vegetables.
On the vendor side, the market's directory lists several Saturday growers whose offerings suit late fall. KM Mushrooms grows specialty mushrooms in Santa Rosa. Front Porch Farm in Healdsburg brings specialty cut flowers, fruit, and vegetables. S&W Flowers grows on West Dry Creek Road. The market's Fall/Holiday Craft Market is also listed for October through December, which matters if you're thinking about holiday shopping.
November into December: the run-up to the new finish line
The market has posted a performer for nearly every Saturday through early December. The first four weeks of the list fall inside the season described in March. Everything from Dec. 5 on is new this year:
- Nov. 7: Sheridan Malone
- Nov. 14: John Youngblood & Co
- Nov. 21: Shivan Luca
- Nov. 26, Thanksgiving: The Healdsburg Turkey Trot on downtown streets, organized by the Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise
- Nov. 28: The StriderFactor at the market, two days after the Trot
- Dec. 4, Friday: Merry Healdsburg on the Plaza and surrounding streets, from Community Services and the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce
- Dec. 5: Bob Culbertson at the market
- Dec. 19: The last posted Saturday market of 2026
Put Dec. 4 and Dec. 5 together and you get a full holiday weekend downtown: Merry Healdsburg on the Plaza Friday night and a covered market a block or two away Saturday morning. Before that roof went up, the market wasn't scheduled to be open that weekend at all.
What could change around North Street next
The blocks around the pavilion could see one more change, though it's years away and not decided yet. The Press Democrat reported in September that SMART is considering a Healdsburg station on Vine Street between North and West Matheson streets, a block west of the Plaza. The alternative is the long-preferred site at the historic depot at 300 Hudson Street, about half a mile from the Plaza. When the idea came to the City Council in September, most of the residents who spoke opposed the Vine Street option, and council members had backed the Hudson Street site two years earlier. SMART's board has asked for more public outreach, and a final decision is expected in December. Service to Healdsburg is expected to start at the end of 2028. Until then, getting to the market still means a short walk from the Plaza or a parking spot across North Street.
If you'd like to talk about how changes like the new pavilion, a December market, or a possible downtown station play out on your street, Michael Pellegrini is happy to walk through it with you, no pressure. Let's connect over coffee, maybe at the market on a Saturday before Dec. 19.
