Bloomington Farmers Market in November: Your Switchyard Park Guide

The Saturday market has three weekends left on Morton Street. After that it moves to Switchyard Park and keeps going every Saturday but one through the end of March 2027. The move also changes who runs it. In November, two separate organizations share the Switchyard Park Pavilion. From December on, a nonprofit with no tie to the City runs the market on its own. Which group is in charge on a given Saturday determines how SNAP matching works, where your dog can go and where you park.

Three Saturdays left on Morton Street

The City of Bloomington's Community Farmers' Market runs rain or shine every Saturday, April through October, at Showers Common, 401 N. Morton St. October hours are 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., an hour later than the 8 a.m. start that held from April through September. The City doesn't print a closing date, but every Saturday through October puts the last downtown market on Oct. 31, 2026. That leaves Oct. 17, 24 and 31.

The season's big fall event is already over. WFIU reported that the market's annual apple tasting was set for Saturday, Oct. 3, with more than 15 apple varieties and over 60 vendors expected. Market coordinator Clarence Boone is named in the story. The weekday option has wrapped too. The City's page says the Tuesday Farmers' Market has ended for 2026.

You may see craft tables at the late markets. Under the City's 2026 vendor handbook, registered craft sales are allowed in October and November only for vendors who sold at eight markets between June and September. So the crafters there now are summer regulars, not new arrivals.

The calendar from here to March

Here's every Saturday from now through spring, pulled from the City's calendar and the Winter Market's published 2026-27 schedule.

In total, three Saturdays remain downtown and 20 are scheduled at Switchyard: three co-hosted in November, then four in December, five in January, four in February and four in March. Most of Bloomington's Saturday market year from here on happens on South Rogers Street.

The Winter Market's main information page still says "CLOSED Nov 29" and doesn't give a year. Its 2026-27 schedule lists the closed date as Nov. 28, the same day as the City's Holiday Market.

November is two markets under one roof

The three November Saturdays at Switchyard are a shared event. On its 2026-27 vendor page, the Winter Market describes the arrangement this way:

"For the fourth year, in a spirit of cooperation, the Bloomington Winter Farmers' Market and Bloomington Community Farmers' Market will co-host the November market at Switchyard Park."

The two groups are separate. Bloomington Winter Farmers' Market Inc. says it is a nonprofit run by a volunteer board, hires its own market manager and is not affiliated with the City of Bloomington. The City market is run by the Parks and Recreation Department. The Herald-Times covered the same setup last year, reporting in November 2025 that during November both markets "operate in conjunction at Switchyard Park Pavilion."

The pavilion also lays out differently from Showers Common. The Winter Market's vendor terms list indoor booths, which may be smaller and come only as single spaces, along with outdoor single and double booths. Expect a split between inside and out, with vendors from two organizations spread across both areas.

The one Saturday the market goes back downtown

On Nov. 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Switchyard is dark and the action moves back to Morton Street for the City's 23rd annual Holiday Market. It runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., which is later and longer than any regular market day. It's held indoors and out at City Hall and Showers Common, rain, shine or snow, and admission is free. The City describes it as fresh local farm products plus handcrafted gifts from regional artisans.

The City's posted stage schedule so far:

• 10:30–11:30 a.m.: Bloomington Chamber Singers
• 11:30 a.m.–noon: IU Ballet, a preview of The Nutcracker
• 1–1:30 p.m.: Constellation, a preview of its holiday musical Annie
• Noon–1 p.m. and 1:30–2:30 p.m.: still listed as TBA

The City also warns that booth spaces offered through social media comments are scams. Parks and Recreation doesn't sell advance tickets for the Holiday Market.

What changes when the address changes

Moving from Morton Street to Rogers Street changes more than the drive. Here's what's different at Switchyard.

1. Parking. The Winter Market says parking at Switchyard Park is free.
2. The bus. The City's SNAP page says Bloomington Transit route #2 South Outbound serves the November market, with stops north and south of the Rogers Street entrance.
3. Dogs. The Winter Market's page says no dogs are allowed in the pavilion. If you usually walk the market with your dog, note that the Switchyard Park dog park is on the City's calendar for Yappy Howl-idays on Saturday, Dec. 5.
4. SNAP matching. Each organization runs its own program. The City's Market Bucks program gives $6 for every $3 of SNAP, up to $27 in SNAP and $54 in Market Bucks, while funding lasts. The Winter Market's Farm to Family Fund matches SNAP/EBT up to $30 per week, for $60 total. Its homepage says to buy market tokens with your SNAP/EBT card at the Info table. The City's SNAP page lists Switchyard as the November site but tells Saturday shoppers to exchange benefits inside City Hall, and it doesn't say whether that instruction applies on the November dates. Check with market staff on your first November visit.
5. Gift certificates. City Farmers' Market gift certificates can be used with most City market vendors. They're sold at City Hall during the Saturday market or at the Parks and Recreation office. The City's page doesn't say whether the Winter Market accepts them, so ask before you count on them after November.

The address and hours stay the same from November through March, but the operator changes in December, and that's when the Winter Market's rules apply on their own.

Who's at the pavilion once December starts

The Bloomington Winter Farmers' Market calls itself the oldest winter market in Indiana. It lists produce, meat and poultry, salmon, dairy, eggs, maple syrup, honey products, baked goods, coffee and tea, prepared food, flowers, plants and crafts.

Its vendor directory names who stocks those tables:

• Farm vendors: Barnhouse Farms for produce and eggs, Earth Song Farm for produce, flowers and plants, FirstLite Farms and Freedom Valley Farm for produce, and Groce Family Farm for meat.
• Food and drink: Aahaa Chai, Applerose Bakery, Bivi's Tamales, Considerate Burrito and Crossroads Kombucha.

The directory notes that vendors and products may vary from market to market. Treat it as a list of who sells there over the season, not as a guarantee that a given vendor will be there on a particular Saturday. The schedule runs every Saturday from Dec. 5 through March 27, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at 1601 S. Rogers St.

I'm Amanda Richardson, and I put local calendars like this one into the welcome packets I build for clients moving to Bloomington, because knowing where Saturday morning happens is part of settling in. If you're starting over here this winter, or helping someone who is, Amanda Sells Indiana can help you get oriented. Schedule a Free Consultation.