Since the summer market closed on Oct. 24, one organization runs every Saturday market on 5th Avenue North. The Edmonds Historical Museum has run the summer market for decades. It is now also taking over the Edmonds Holiday Market in November and December and the Edmonds Winter Market from January through April, as My Edmonds News reported on Oct. 24, 2026.
Shoppers will notice a few practical changes. The holiday market opens an hour earlier than it used to. The winter market comes around twice as often. From the start of the Holiday Market on Nov. 7 to the end of the Winter Market in late April, the longest stretch without a market on the block is three Saturdays around New Year's.
Who ran the market before, and who runs it now
Until this season, the City of Edmonds ran the cold-weather markets. When the city announced the 2024 Holiday Market, it was the event's tenth season, set at 5th Avenue North and Bell Street, with vendor details on the city's own market Facebook page. The Edmonds Beacon's 2025 preview still called it the city's holiday market. Its new vendors that year included The Crumpet Shop at Main Street Commons. My Edmonds News called the January 2025 market the City of Edmonds Winter Market.
The museum has run its summer market for decades. It is the biggest of the three, with about 90 vendors each Saturday in season, according to My Edmonds News. Vendors there are family-owned businesses. Farmers bring what they grow or raise, and makers sell what they make. Resellers, imported goods and franchises are not allowed.
The museum's vendor pages for the 2026 Holiday Market and the 2027 Winter Market set a similar bar. Goods must be handmade or grown in Washington, and resellers are not allowed. Every vendor needs a Washington business license and commercial liability insurance, and the market manager approves each application. Now the same rules apply on the same block from November through April.
The markets also pay for the museum's work. In the same My Edmonds News piece, the museum says market revenue helps it "research, collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the community." That means a Saturday wreath or a jar of preserves helps fund the Carnegie Library building at 118 5th Ave. N. and its exhibits.
The holiday market now keeps summer hours
The Holiday Market now runs on the summer market's schedule. In 2024 the city ran seven Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting Nov. 2 and skipping Thanksgiving weekend. The museum's 2026 Holiday Market has six Saturdays, Nov. 7, 14 and 21 and Dec. 5, 12 and 19, all from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those are the same hours the summer market has used all along.
If your habit was to wander down around 2 p.m., you now have the last hour instead of the middle of the afternoon. Booths line 5th Avenue North and Bell Street outside the museum. My Edmonds News lists farmers, artisans, bakers and specialty food makers, selling fresh and preserved foods, holiday greenery, handmade gifts and artwork, with music and decorations.
The earlier closing time also leaves room for afternoon and evening events downtown. Here's how the season's Saturdays shape up:
| Saturday | 5th & Bell, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Also downtown that day |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 7 | Holiday Market opens | |
| Nov. 14 | Holiday Market | Talk on Puget Sound during Prohibition, Edmonds Historical Museum, 2:30 to 4 p.m. |
| Nov. 21 | Holiday Market | First Dibs evening shopping, 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Nov. 28 | No market | Tree Lighting, 3 to 5 p.m.; Luminaria Walk, 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Dec. 5 | Holiday Market | Artisan Alley at the Old Edmonds Opera House, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Dec. 12 | Holiday Market | |
| Dec. 19 | Holiday Market closes for the year |
On Nov. 14 the market closes half an hour before the museum's own talk. Bradley Holden will speak on Puget Sound during Prohibition, from 2:30 to 4 p.m., according to My Edmonds News' Art Beat column. On Nov. 21, booths come down at 2 p.m. and First Dibs begins at 5 p.m. Participating downtown businesses offer specials, and optional wine tickets benefit Washington Kids in Transition.
Thanksgiving Saturday belongs to the tree
The market skips Saturday, Nov. 28, the same Thanksgiving weekend break the city took in 2024. The corner stays busy anyway. The Edmonds Chamber of Commerce's Tree Lighting runs from 3 to 5 p.m. that day at Centennial Plaza, at 5th Avenue North and Bell Street. That's the intersection where the market booths stand on the other Saturdays.
The Chamber's event page lists performers and vendors from 3 p.m. It also lists free warm drinks, kids' crafts and donation drives on 5th Avenue North. Santa arrives at 4 p.m., and the program and countdown begin at 4:30. Comstock Jewelers presents the 2026 ceremony, North Sound Church sponsors the main stage, and Richard Taylor Jr. is the emcee. The Chamber also notes that the date falls on Shop Small Saturday and suggests making a day of it downtown.
The same page asks for donations. It warns that free events like the Tree Lighting "are at risk." It cites rising costs and "new expenses related to city budget constraints, such as permitting, staffing, police support, and safety equipment." This season, the museum runs the markets on the corner and the Chamber is raising money to keep the tree lit there.
When the tree lighting wraps up, the first Downtown Edmonds Luminaria Walk begins. It runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at Civic Center Playfield, 310 6th Ave. N. The event listing promises hundreds of luminaria and a family Creation Station. The playfield itself opened to the public in June 2023. The Luminaria Walk is new this year.
The next Saturday, Dec. 5, the market returns with company. Artisan Alley's PNW Handmade Holiday Market fills the Old Edmonds Opera House at 515 Dayton St. on Dec. 5 and 6, open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. With both open that day, downtown has an outdoor market and an indoor one a few blocks apart.
January through April, twice as often
After Dec. 19, the next market is Saturday, Jan. 16. That leaves Dec. 26, Jan. 2 and Jan. 9 without one, the longest gap between the start of the Holiday Market and the end of the Winter Market.
In past years, the Winter Market came once a month. In 2027 it runs twice a month, on eight Saturdays: Jan. 16 and 30, Feb. 13 and 27, March 13 and 27, and April 10 and 24, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The museum's page notes that this is the market formerly known as the Winter Cabin Market. Vendors set up on 5th Avenue North between Main and Bell.
The museum says plainly what the winter market is for. In My Edmonds News, it describes the market as a way to help "keep downtown active during a time of year when pedestrian traffic naturally declines." For farmers and makers, it keeps them in touch with customers between the summer and holiday seasons. The museum's own page calls the three markets together "an almost continuous cycle of outdoor markets in downtown Edmonds." Once the April 24 market ends, the Summer Market comes back.
Getting there on a market Saturday
On market days, 5th Avenue is closed to cars from Main to Bell, and so is Bell Street between 5th and 6th. Downtown parking surrounds those blocks, and the museum's visitor page warns that Saturdays get busy. The closed streets become the main walkways, sidewalks stay open, and the museum says it can get a little crowded midday. With the 9 a.m. opening, an early arrival now beats both the crowd and the noon rush.
For breakfast first, Main Street has a new option. Rooster Bagel Cafe Kitchen Bar opened at 515 Main St. on Oct. 3. Its opening hours were 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, and evening service is planned for later, according to My Edmonds News. Those hours cover the whole market window, so you can get coffee before the booths open at 9 and come back after they close at 2.
With a market on 5th and Bell most Saturdays from November through April, being able to walk there counts for more than it used to. If you're thinking about a move within Edmonds, whether a downsize closer to the market blocks or a step up to more space nearby, The Christophilis Team is happy to talk it through over coffee. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your neighborhood goals.
