Where did the farmers' market go? If you walked toward Showers Common last Saturday with a tote bag, you found it empty. On Nov. 7 the Bloomington Community Farmers' Market moved indoors to the Pavilion at Switchyard Park, 1601 S. Rogers St., for three November Saturdays. According to the City of Bloomington's announcement, it comes back downtown only once more this year, on Saturday, Nov. 28, for the Holiday Market that closes the 2026 season.
That return falls the morning after the Canopy of Lights goes on around the Monroe County Courthouse. On Friday night the holiday crowd is on the Square and Kirkwood Avenue. By Saturday morning it moves to City Hall and Showers Common. Those are the two parts of downtown that usually keep their own calendars, and for this one weekend they line up.
Where the Market Is Until Then
On the two Saturdays left before the holiday, Nov. 14 and Nov. 21, the market runs from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Switchyard. The City lists apples, potatoes, onions, pumpkins and squash among the expected produce, along with eggs, cheeses, meats, honey, cut flowers and prepared foods.
Those are also joint dates. For the fourth year in a row, the Bloomington Winter Farmers' Market is co-hosting November with the City market at Switchyard. The winter market's schedule lists itself as closed on Nov. 28, so that day the only farmers' market in town is the one at Showers.
Friday, Nov. 27, on the Square
Visit Bloomington's Canopy of Lights page lists street festivities starting at 6 p.m. Santa flips the switch at 7 p.m., lighting thousands of lights on and around the courthouse. The evening spreads across the Square and Kirkwood Avenue, and its timetable starts before dark and goes past 9 p.m.
Visit Bloomington's schedule runs in this order:
- 5 to 9 p.m. The Monroe County History Center holds a free holiday open house with its exhibit spaces open, holiday games and crafts.
- 5 p.m. The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra plays the first of two "Celebrate the Season" concerts at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. These are ticketed.
- 6 p.m. Activities start on the Square, with costumed characters, live broadcasts from B97 and Hoosier Country 105, hot chocolate, cookies and kettle corn. At the same time, the Bloomington Brass Band plays the Kirkwood Avenue stage.
- 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. The lighting ceremony on the Kirkwood Avenue stage, with a community sing-along and Santa leading the countdown.
- 7:30 to 9 p.m. Photos with Santa at Fountain Square.
- 8 p.m. The symphony's second "Celebrate the Season" performance at the Buskirk-Chumley.
The two concert times bracket the ceremony. If your household has someone who wants the countdown and someone who wants the orchestra, the 8 p.m. show lets you do both. The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra's event page lists both performances for Nov. 27, 2026.
Visit Bloomington also lists a place to drop off letters to Santa in the Fountain Square atrium. Saturday has a second chance for those letters, at Showers Common.
Saturday, Nov. 28, at Showers Common
The Holiday Market is the 23rd annual. It's free, runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and fills City Hall and Showers Common at 401 N. Morton St. It goes on rain, shine or snow, inside and outside.
The City says more than 60 artists and fine craft vendors will be there, plus farmers and food vendors selling produce, evergreen wreaths, dried flowers and food for the holiday table. Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit, and there's hot cocoa, games and crafts. Outside on Showers Common, a North Pole station takes letters to Santa.
The stage schedule mixes groups from across Bloomington:
| Time | Performer |
|---|---|
| 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Bloomington Chamber Singers |
| 11:30 a.m. to noon | Constellation Stage & Screen, preview of Annie |
| Noon to 1 p.m. | To be announced |
| 1 to 1:30 p.m. | IU Ballet, preview of The Nutcracker |
| 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. | Dickie James Trio |
The Annie preview comes about two weeks before the full show opens. Constellation's 2026–27 season listing has Annie at Waldron Auditorium from Dec. 10, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027.
Nov. 28 is also Small Business Saturday, and the City presents the Holiday Market as a way to support farmers, artists and small businesses in Bloomington and Monroe County. That makes it the downtown day built around shopping. Friday night stays centered on the lights.
Eating Between the Two
Planted has a new spot on the near west side. The plant-based food truck and caterer set Oct. 23 as the opening date for its first restaurant, at 400 W. 6th St., according to an announcement carried by the Indiana Daily Student, and its own site now says, "We are now a Restaurant!" Planted's website lists lunch Wednesday through Friday and brunch Saturday and Sunday, all from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., so Saturday brunch there runs during most of the Holiday Market. Planted also says dinner service is planned for December or January.
Friday's events are on Kirkwood, and that stretch has new food too. The Indiana Daily Student's summer roundup reported that Ciao Bella opened at 405 E. Kirkwood Ave. on Aug. 13 and Roll n' Dip opened at the same address in August. The two share the former Cafe Pizzaria space and connect inside. The same report lists Layali Feast at 228 S. Grant St., which its owner had earlier run as a late-night ghost kitchen out of Turkuaz Cafe.
The Weekends on Either Side
Thanksgiving weekend falls between two other dates on the downtown-area calendar.
The weekend before, the Bloomington Handmade Market holds its free Winter Fair on Nov. 21 and 22 at the Monroe Convention Center. WFIU reported that the fair, now in its 17th year, has had more than 120 vendors in recent years. If you're building a list of handmade gifts, it comes one week before the Holiday Market's 60-plus artists.
The weekend after, the market moves again. On Dec. 5 the Bloomington Winter Farmers' Market starts its own Saturday season at Switchyard Park, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and it runs every Saturday through March 27. A week later, on Saturday, Dec. 12, Bloomington Parks and Recreation holds Skate with Santa at Frank Southern Ice Arena from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Admission is $7 per person plus $3 for skate rental.
Through the winter, then, the Saturday market stays at Switchyard, and Showers Common won't hold another market until the season starts again. Nov. 28 is the last market morning downtown for 2026.
If family is visiting for Thanksgiving and you're planning the weekend around the lighting on the Square and the market at Showers, Dawn and Michael are glad to share what they know about downtown Bloomington beyond the event listings. Reach out to The Evans Realty Group, and let's start a conversation.
