If you find yourself visiting St. John’s on a Saturday, be sure to check out the St. John’s Farmer’s Market. If you are vacationing in Newfoundland and your hotel or vacation rental is in the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, it’s easy to plan a day trip to the St. John’s Farmer’s Market. Aside from being a great place to get fresh organic produce and mingle with locals, you’ll find just about everything else there too, including folk art, international foods (the Indian foods are our favorites), locally made cheese, books about edible plants, foraged foods like mushrooms, and countless other things you never knew you wanted until you saw them.
You can even take a Yoga class, listen to live music, discover rug hooking, join in on free Tai Chi, and participate in a multitude of family-friendly workshops. The St. John’s Farmer’s Market is the perfect spot to mingle with locals, listen to live music, people watch, and chill out in a friendly relaxed atmosphere.
WHAT IS THE BEST DAY TO VISIT THE ST. JOHN’S FARMERS MARKET?
The best day to visit the St.John’s Farmer’s Market is on Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm. Saturday is the busiest Farmers Market day and sees the largest diversity of vendors. The Farmers Market is also open on the first Friday of every month from 9:30 am to 4 pm and on the second Sunday of every month from 9 am to 4 pm.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET TO THE FARMERS MARKET?
Depending on where you are staying, there are lots of options for you to choose from. If you’re in St. John’s, riding a bike or walking is the most environmentally friendly way to get there. You can also take public transport and driving to the St. John’s Farmers Market is easy with lots of free parking available right at the market. If you’re staying at a guesthouse near the Witless Bay Eco Reserve on in accommodations near The East Coast Trail, consider taking the Southern Shore Taxi service or Mobile Goat, especially if you’re traveling in a group. If you need more information about group transport and the best options for you, contact the adventure desk at Whale House Guest House to discuss options and book your tickets. To help you navigate best, below is a google maps link to help you find out more about metro bus times and schedules, walking times, bikes routes, driving routes, and more
IS IT FREE TO VISIT THE ST. JOHN’S FARMERS MARKET?
Yes, it’s free to visit, so bring your family and friends.
WHERE IS THE ST. JOHN’S FARMERS MARKET LOCATED?
The Farmer’s Market is located at 245 Freshwater Road in St. John’s. The facility is modern and accessible, complete with free filtered water, seating inside and outside, natural lighting, and an atmosphere that will keep you coming back for more.
IS THE ST. JOHN’S FARMERS MARKET KID FRIENDLY?
If you have little ones, there’s all the more reason to visit the Farmers Market. The St. John’s Farmers Market is an ideal family oriented place to spend the day. The market has a family-friendly atmosphere complete with gender-neutral bathrooms, change tables, and special activities for children. There are different performers every week, children’s games, colouring and book stations, face painting, and more. Because activities and performances change every week, you’ll always be surprised at what you’ll find when visiting the St. John’s Farmers Market with your family and friends.
HOW ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AND CONSERVATION?
The environment is important to all of us. It’s what supports human life on the planet, so taking care of it matters. With an emphasis on reducing waste, reusing items, recycling everything, and sourcing locally, the St. John’s Farmers Market is designed to limit human impact on the environment as much as possible. You won’t find single use plastic bags at the Farmers Market, but if you forget to bring your own you can pick up a St. John’s Farmers Market cotton bag made of recycled material from the Market Shop on inside the Farmers Market. The mandate of the St. John’s Farmers Market is to create a waste-free environment. Everything from dishes to take out containers are reusable and made from recycled materials. The Farmers Market has eight unique recycling containers on site ensuring everything gets recycled. All organic waste is composted. When you visit the St. John’s Farmers Market you can feel good about doing your part for the environment, and it’s a great place to familiarize children with recycling and composting best practices. Because most of the food at the Farmers Market is sourced within a 100 km radius, you can also feel great about the carbon footprint of your produce, something that’s often overlooked when shopping at large chain grocery stores.
WHAT ABOUT THE FOOD QUALITY?
If you’re looking for fresh produce and organic meats of the highest quality, the St. John’s Farmers Market is the best place to source high quality naturally grown food for you and your family. Unless you have your own organic garden, you won’t find fresher produce anywhere else. At the St. John’s Farmers Market you will also find things you can’t find anywhere else. Just look around and talk to the vendors. You may find yourself falling in love with a new fruit, vegetable, or food you never knew existed. If you’re health conscious, we can’t think of a better place to shop than the Saturday market.
I’M A DIGITAL NOMAD. IS THERE FREE WI-FI AT THE ST. JOHN’S FARMERS MARKET?
If free unlimited wireless internet is important to you, the St. John’s Farmer Market is the place to fill your boots. The Farmers Market has free complimentary ultra fast wireless internet for all customers and vendors, so if you’re looking for a place to chill out with great food while surfing the internet, you’ll have unlimited access during your visit to the St. John’s Saturday Farmer’s Market.
IS THERE A COFFEE SHOP AT THE ST. JOHN’S FARMERS MARKET?
If coffee is your thing, get ready to be impressed. The Market Cafe has fair trade organic coffee, pastries, teas, and delicious treats. Keeping with the spirit of environmental stewardship and conservation, everything at the St. John’s Farmers Market Cafe is sourced locally and the profits from the coffee shop go directly back into the market to help the market be even more awesome. As a place for entrepreneurs, youth, and new Canadians, the farmers market staff and volunteers work hard to create an atmosphere of acceptance and love. The Farmers Market Cafe is cash only, so make sure you bring actual paper money with you to enjoy the best herbal teas, iced drinks, sandwiches, soups, and of course great tasting fair trade organic coffee.
IS THE FARMERS MARKET LGBTQ FRIENDLY?
Yes. Regardless of your race, gender, background, or identity, you will find love and acceptance at the St. John’s Farmers Market. The Saturday Market is a safe and inclusive space. It’s also a great spot to meet other people, mingle, and let loose. There is a zero tolerance policy for discrimination or hate of any kind at the St. John’s Farmers Market. Everyone is welcome.
Have you visited the St. John’s Market before? What did you like the best? Do you have a vendor you would like to recommend? Post in the comments below and let others know what your experience was like.
