Kawartha Localist is an editorial series from kawarthaNOW sharing trusted local recommendations, hidden gems, and favourite discoveries from people who know and love this region. It’s what we love about where we live.
This week (August 2 to 9) is Farmers’ Market Week in Ontario, and we are blessed to have so many bustling farmers’ markets filled with local vendors selling fresh and delicious goods grown or produced right here in the Kawarthas.
For many people, a trip to their local farmers’ market is a weekly tradition, but markets have become much more than a one-stop shop to find local produce, meat, bread, and preserves. We’ve heard from market managers and vendors who suggest shoppers love bringing their families to connect one-on-one with the people who grow their food while also reconnecting with neighbours, listening to local musicians, and enjoying prepared snacks.
From Bancroft to Cobourg, here are some of the farmers’ markets across the region that are hosting special events, presenting live music, giving back to the community, and celebrating the food grown right here in the Kawarthas.
Slow down at the Haliburton County Farmers’ Market
They call it the IncrEdible Haliburton County Farmers’ Market for a reason. Held in Haliburton on Tuesdays and Minden on Saturdays, this farmers’ market is all about slowing down and encouraging shoppers to not just buy produce, but learn about local food systems.
Since 2009, the Haliburton County Farmers’ Market has been celebrated for vendors who make everything by hand and always have a smile on their faces. At the stalls, you’ll find vegetables, herbs, flowers, meats, prepared foods, baked goods, artisan products, and so much more.
The market has also been growing its reach to families by inviting unique pop-up vendors for special market days like Family Day, Culture Day, and Dog Day.
The Haliburton County Farmers’ Market is held from Mother’s Day until after Thanksgiving at Head Lake Park in Haliburton on Tuesdays and in downtown Minden at Milne and Prince Streets on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find out more at www.hcfma.ca.
Do all your shopping at the Fenelon Falls Farmers’ Market
From organic beef to preserves, fresh vegetables, prepared meats, and even doggy treats, you can do your shopping all in one place at the Fenelon Falls Farmers’ Market.
Enjoy a Friday morning walking through the market where each vendor hoists a Canadian flag, and you can shop for candles and soaps while sipping a morning espresso or snacking on a hot dog and listening to live local music.
The Fenelon Falls Farmers’ Market is all about encouraging the next generation of farmers to connect with their food. The picnic tables have tic-tac-toe boards for children to play while their parents are shopping and, in the spring, the littlest shoppers are given bags of “magic beans” to get them excited about local food systems.
The Fenelon Falls Farmers’ Market is held Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from the May long weekend until Thanksgiving weekend at 45 Bond Street (the Old Arena Lot).
To learn more, visit fenelonfallsfarmersmarket.com.
Find Rusty the Rooster at the 200-year-old Peterborough Farmers’ Market
Did you know the Kawarthas has one of Ontario’s oldest continuously operating farmers’ market? That’s right, in 2025, the original Peterborough Farmers’ Market celebrated its 200th anniversary.
For full transparency to buyers, each of the more than 50 vendors host a sign at their stall outlining the items they specifically grow themselves and the businesses they support for products used in pre-made food. This allows shoppers to know exactly where their food comes from — helping them make informed, intentional choices about what they purchase.
To invite young people to learn about their food, many of the vendors and pop-up special guests provide educational interactive opportunities, like mimicking milking a cow or watching an observational beehive. But not everything has to be educational — every week at the market, kids who find Rusty the Rooster at one of the vendors will get to pick out a prize!
The market is always eager to give back to the community by hosting a commodity day on the last Saturday of the month, where they hand out free samples of a certain item — peaches, corn, apples, and more. Additionally, at the end of each market, Food Not Bombs Peterborough collects unsold items farmers wish to donate for those in need.
The Peterborough Farmers’ Market is held year-round at Morrow Park, with six months indoors and six months outdoors on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit farmersmarketpeterborough.com.
Shop local in downtown Peterborough at the Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market
Peterborough is fortunate to have not one but two year-round farmers’ markets, with the Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market operating in the downtown core.
Held on Saturdays and Wednesdays from spring to December and then on Saturdays only, the Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market has become a habit for many shoppers, whether they’re local families or downtown professionals shopping on their lunch breaks. To entertain the children while you shop, there are two kids’s areas, including one with water toys.
During the peak seasons, you might have upwards of 40 to 50 vendors and hundreds of visitors walking through. Here, you’ll find produce spanning from garlic to asparagus that’s grown in greenhouses year-round, as well as berries, maple syrup, and coffee. Vendors are MyPick verified or otherwise vetted to ensure products are being grown by the farmers themselves.
The Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market also hosts annual events like Strawberry Fest, Barbeque Fest, and Apple Fest where you can get fresh-pressed cider on site and join the apple pie eating contest.
The markets runs on Wednesday and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. from May through December at the Quaker Food City Centre, and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. from November to April in the lower level of Peterborough Square. For more information, visit www.ptboregionalfarmersmarket.org.
Find verified and vetted producers at the Lakefield Farmers’ Market
Centrally located between the village of Lakefield and the Otonabee River, the Lakefield Farmers’ Market is a local favourite because shoppers can be confident they are supporting their neighbours.
All vendors of the market are MyPick verified, ensuring that 100 per cent of what they are selling has been produced right on their farm. All artisans are also vetted by a jury of local artists who determine whether the work is entirely made by the seller, while prioritizing those who use local or recycled materials.
With many vendor pop-ups, live buskers on site, and special events like a Mothers’ Day opening market, Berry Bash, and Christmas in July, every week feels a little bit different at the Lakefield Farmers’ Market.
The Lakefield Farmers’ Market is held Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lakefield Arena parking lot. Find out more at www.lakefieldfarmersmarket.ca.
Join the Butter Tart Bake-Off at the Bancroft Farmers’ Market
Just steps away from the York River and a children’s playground, the Bancroft Farmers’ Market is a weekly community gathering that’s all about giving back.
Unlike many farmers’ markets in Ontario, the Bancroft Farmers’ Market aims to support farmers and small businesses by restricting the barriers to access and removing vendor fees. Instead, operational costs are covered through local sponsorships.
As a result, every week, 15 to 30 local farmers and artisans are on site selling specialized coffee, breads, meats, sweetgrass, fishing lures, wooden crafts, crocheted art, and much more.
This year, the market held its first-ever Bancroft Butter Tart Bake-Off in partnership with Virginia Sweets Bakery to kick off the market season. Vendors, locals, and visitors were invited to register their homemade butter tarts to be judged by an expert panel at the first market of the season. The event was such a sweet hit that market organizers are well underway planning a similar event for next year.
The Bancroft Farmers’ Market takes place from the May long weekend to Thanksgiving from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. To learn more, visit bancroftmarket.wixsite.com/bancroftmarket.
Visit a monthly animal display at the Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market
The Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market was established in 2018 in part by Elmer Buchanan, who is both a farmer and a former Hastings-Peterborough MPP who served as Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture and Food.
The market includes a range of farmers selling meat, produce, maple syrup, and baked goods, alongside artisan products including fibre arts and jewellery.
On the last Friday of June, July, and August, the market hosts a special animal display inviting farmers around the region to teach visitors about life on the farm.
The Havelock Farmer & Artisan Market runs from 1 to 6 p.m. on the south side of Highway 7 in the village of Havelock between June and September, with food vendors on site from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Learn more at www.havelockmarket.ca.
Celebrate artisans, young entrepreneurs, and more at the Cobourg Farmers’ Market
The Cobourg Farmers’ Market is not merely a farmers’ market but also a community hub, celebrating artisans, young entrepreneurs, and the community.
One of the biggest farmers’ markets around, this one feature anywhere from 30 to 50 vendors each week, selling produce, baked goods, salsa, bread, cheese, maple syrup, honey, fruit, preserves, and more.
On the third Saturday of the month, the market expands to celebrate artisans, inviting woodworkers, jewellers, fibre artists, and others to share their works of art.
The fully producer-run market has also begun to launch special events like the Northumberland Flower Festival, inviting flower vendors to connect with the market’s regular shoppers, as well as the Young Entrepreneur Festival, held in partnership with Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland’s program for emerging youth entrepreneurs.
The Cobourg Farmers’ Market runs from May until October from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Rotary Harbourfront Park and from November and December from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. across the street at Market Square. Find out more by visiting www.cobourgfarmersmarket.org.
Head to Millbrook on the last Sunday of the month for the Millbrook Farmers’ Market
Although the Millbrook Farmers’ Market transitioned to a monthly format this year, organizers remain hopeful that the weekly market will return next year.
For now, it’s on the last Sunday of the month that you’ll find more than 15 vendors selling produce, fruit, microgreens, pet food, wine, beer, and much more. With vendors selling grab ‘n’ go snacks like smoothies and popcorn, the monthly event always draws families and crowds.
The Millbrook Farmers’ Market is seeking new vendors. If interested, email millbrookfarmersmkt@gmail.com.
The market is located in the parking lot of the Millbrook/South Cavan Public School from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the last Sunday of the month until October.
For the latest updates, visit www.facebook.com/MillbrookFarmersMarket/.
Support local farmers twice a week at the Lindsay Farmers’ Market
Since 1859, the Saturday Lindsay Farmers’ Market has been giving regional farmers, producers, bakers, and artisans a place to gather and sell their wares. But in 2018, it turned into a twice-weekly celebration of local tastes with the new launch of a Thursday market.
With some vendors having attended for more than 40 years, the market is a destination for finding cured meats, cheese, baked goods, dog treats, vegetables, honey, and more.
As part of a new tradition, the season launches with free hot waffles and maple syrup available during the opening day market. It’s also continuing to introduce more and more events like a pumpkin hunt for children over the Halloween weekend where they can wear their costumes and go trick-or-treating at the vendor booths to win some prizes.
The Lindsay Farmers’ Market runs Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Wilson Fields and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of Victoria and Kent. To learn more, visit lindsayfarmersmarket.com.
A new kids’ corner and family events at the Campbellford Farmers’ Market
Since the mid-1980s, the Campbellford Farmers’ Market in Northumberland County has been one that residents and cottagers visit by car, foot, and boat every week to discover something all new.
With 25 vendors at the market, you’ll find beef, pork, fruit, specialty vegetables, maple syrup, and lavender, as well as artisans selling sourdough, candles, woodworking, baked goods, and more. The Campbellford Farmers’ Markets also hosts annual special events including a Family Day, Petapalooza, and a Halloween scavenger hunt for the children.
To make every market day exciting for youngsters, this year the market introduced a new kids’ corner with hopscotch, colouring, and other fun activities that will keep them engaged while you shop.
The Campbellford Farmers’ Market is held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays from May to October at 66 Front Street South in Campbellford. To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/CampbellfordFarmersMarket
Kawartha Localist is an editorial series from kawarthaNOW celebrating the places, experiences, businesses, and communities that make our region extraordinary. Written by people who live here, work here, and have spent nearly 30 years exploring the Kawarthas and surrounding region, each edition shares trusted local recommendations, hidden gems, and favourite discoveries from across Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.
Whether you’re looking for your next hiking trail, favourite patio, scenic drive, farmers’ market, or weekend adventure, Kawartha Localist is what we love about where we live.
