The Issaquah Farmers Market's regular season at Pickering Barn ended on September 26. Since early October, there has been a Saturday market a few blocks east, at the Historic Shell Station on Front Street, with produce, flowers and live music from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
So Issaquah still has a Saturday market after the barn's season ends. The Downtown Issaquah Association's market on Front Street runs through early December, and then the City market opens at the barn one more time, on December 12. Planning around that schedule makes the rest of the holiday season easier to sort out, from the Highlands tree lighting to the Thanksgiving morning road closures.
Front Street's market fills the fall
The Farm Fresh Market is a Downtown Issaquah Association event. It runs in two short seasons each year. The spring series goes from late March to late April, and the fall series from early October to early December. Ayala Farms is the featured vendor, along with other local farmers, food producers and artisans. Live music plays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In the association's words:
"Born out of the need for fresh produce, the market brings together local farmers, food producers, and artisans in one lively, walkable place."
The page also says the market is meant to bring steady foot traffic to the shops and restaurants nearby. This isn't a new arrangement. The City's calendar listed a Farm Fresh Market at the Shell Station on a November Saturday in 2025, also with Ayala Farms. The market is set up at the Historic Shell Station, 232 Front St. N.
Four Saturdays left, and what surrounds each one
As of this week, the City of Issaquah's community calendar shows four Farm Fresh Saturdays left: November 14, 21 and 28, then December 5, each from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Some of the season's other events fall on the same days and some fall in between, so each Saturday turns out a little different.
| Week | At the Historic Shell Station | Elsewhere in Issaquah |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 14 | Farm Fresh Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Village Theatre's Come From Away opens the night before |
| Nov. 19 to 22 | Farm Fresh Market Saturday, Nov. 21 | Highlands Holiday Tree Lighting Thursday, Nov. 19; Village Market Holiday Pop-Up at Blakely Hall Sunday, Nov. 22 |
| Nov. 26 to 29 | Farm Fresh Market Saturday, Nov. 28; Historically Hip Artisan Market Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Turkey Trot downtown Thanksgiving morning; Reindeer Festival opens at Cougar Mountain Zoo Nov. 27 |
| Dec. 5 | Final Farm Fresh Market of the fall series | |
| Dec. 12 | Holiday Market at Pickering Barn, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
The busiest stretch downtown is Thanksgiving week. The Highlands has its own events a week earlier. After December 5, there is one week with no Saturday market before the barn opens for its single December day.
Thanksgiving week puts three events within a few blocks
Thanksgiving morning starts with the Issaquah Turkey Trot, a 5K at 9 a.m. hosted by the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank, which the race also benefits. The start and finish are at SE Bush Street and 1st Ave. SE, beside the food bank. The course also includes a kids' "Gobble Wobble." Registration on the race page is $40, or $15 for ages 10 and under.
Downtown traffic is the main thing to plan around that morning. The race's FAQ page says roads along the route will be closed from 8 to 11 a.m. If you're picking up a pie or driving through downtown on the way to family, leave either before 8 a.m. or after 11.
Two days later, Saturday, November 28, has the most going on at the Shell Station all season. The Farm Fresh Market opens at 9 a.m. At 11 a.m., the Downtown Issaquah Association's Historically Hip Artisan Market sets up outside the Historic Shell Station for Shop Local Saturday and runs until 4 p.m. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can shop for produce and handmade gifts in the same place. The association's Historically Hip FAQ calls it a yearlong program for local artists and artisans. The event page describes the vendors as makers, artisans and vintage curators selling jewelry, paper art, candles, textiles, paintings and crafts. The artisan market returns Sunday, November 29, for Artist Sunday, also from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Highlands holds its own week before Thanksgiving
The Issaquah Highlands' events come the week before the downtown rush. Highlands Council's third annual Holiday Tree Lighting is Thursday, November 19, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Village Green Park, 2550 NE Park Drive. Mayor Mark Mullet is scheduled to light the tree at 5:15 p.m. Hot chocolate, apple cider and cookies are free, carolers will sing, and Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there for photos. Issaquah Police Department and Eastside Fire & Rescue are also on the program. Highlands Fiber Network, Puget Sound Energy and Issaquah Ice Cream Trike are the sponsors. The event details are on Highlands Council's event page.
The tree lighting ends at 6:30 p.m., early enough for dinner nearby. Nom House Vietnamese Kitchen is at 1568 Highlands Dr NE, Ste 120, and lists daily hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. It was one of the businesses the City listed as "Now Open" in its August 10 business update.
On Sunday, November 22, the Highlands has its own small market. The Village Market Holiday Pop-Up brings local artisans and vendors to Blakely Hall, and the host lists hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Since the Farm Fresh Market runs the day before, that weekend has a market on Front Street Saturday and another in the Highlands Sunday.
December 12 is the barn's one day back
The Shell Station's fall series ends December 5. On Saturday, December 12, the City-run Issaquah Farmers Market comes back to Pickering Barn, 1730 10th Ave. NW, for a single Holiday Market. The market rules list it as a separate date after the regular season, run by the same market staff who manage the summer market.
The market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit Issaquah's listing describes farms, bakeries and craft vendors selling holiday gifts, wreaths, fresh produce, mushrooms, meat and dairy, with food trucks on site. For anyone buying a wreath from a local vendor, that's the date to put on the calendar.
So from the last Saturday in September through mid-December, Issaquah has a Saturday market every week except one. Front Street covers October through December 5, the week of December 6 has none, and the barn takes December 12.
What fills the evenings and the in-between days
Some of the season's longer runs don't fit on a Saturday morning. These continue through the gaps between markets:
- Village Theatre's Come From Away. The Issaquah run goes from November 10 to December 27, with opening night on Friday, November 13, at 7:30 p.m. Village Theatre's production page lists tickets from $42, or $33 through its Lucky Draw option. Evening shows start at 7:30 p.m., and some matinees start at 2 p.m.
- Cougar Mountain Zoo's Reindeer Festival. It runs November 27 through December 23, then again December 26 to 30. Santa is there daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. through December 23. Festival hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or dusk, and 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. December 26 to 30. Details are on the zoo's festival page.
- Weekday evenings downtown. The City calendar lists an Open Mic Night at the Issaquah Train Depot on Wednesday, December 2, from 6 to 9 p.m.
A December weekend can easily cover more than one of these. The zoo's festival hours end in mid-afternoon, and Village Theatre's evening shows start at 7:30 p.m., so the two fit on the same day.
Our team at Perkins & Associates | Joe Perkins lives and works in these South King County towns all year. If a season of Saturdays on Front Street has you wondering what your Issaquah home is worth, we're happy to put together a free home valuation whenever the timing suits you.
