"I feel like I got into the Harvard of farmers' markets." That is Sophie DeWaal, owner of Arya Tea Bar, talking to WFLX on the weekend the West Palm Beach GreenMarket opened its 32nd season. She also said, "I moved to West Palm because of the GreenMarket." Arya Tea Bar is one of just five new vendors on the Great Lawn this fall. Last October the market added 45.
The market didn't shrink, and it hasn't lost its appeal. In April it took back the No. 1 spot in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice poll for best farmers market. The small number of newcomers comes from the way the City chooses its vendors. Most of the booths you'll pass this Saturday were picked in 2025, and the next chance for the lineup to change opens in March 2027.
The GreenMarket Picks Its Vendors Once Every Two Years
The City's vendor application on Zealous lays out the cycle clearly.
- The open application runs once every two years, every other March.
- The window stays open for 30 days, and no applications are accepted after it closes.
- Applicants then take part in an in-person election, and that election chooses the vendors for the upcoming season.
The City's vendor application page says applications for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons have closed and that the process opens again in March 2027. One election covered two seasons. Last year was the year new vendors got in, and this year mostly carries that same group forward.
Eligibility is also narrower than many people assume. Vendors have to fit one of ten categories: All Natural/Home Decor, Bakery/Confectionary, Beverage, Cafe/Restaurant, Dairy/Meat/Poultry/Seafood, Farmer/Grower, Flowers/Plants/Trees, Gourmet Pet Foods & Treats, Gourmet Processed Foods, and Produce Reseller. The market does not accept antiques, clothing, jewelry or crafts. If you've noticed there are no clothing racks or jewelry tables between the produce and coffee tents, this rule is the reason.
Two Openings, Side by Side
The two most recent opening weekends show the cycle clearly.
| 2025-26 season | 2026-27 season | |
|---|---|---|
| Season number | 31st | 32nd |
| Opening Saturday | Oct. 4, 2025 | Oct. 3, 2026 |
| New vendors | 45 | 5 |
| Vendor count reported | 150, the most in market history | Well over 100, per The Palm Beach Post |
| Theme | "From the Ground Up" | "The World, Right Here" |
| Final Saturday | May 30, 2026 | May 22, 2027 |
The 2025 opening came right after an application cycle, and WFLX described the market then as a "business and community incubator." The 2026 opening is the second year of that same slate. The City's release describes an average Saturday as 10,000 to 15,000 visitors. The crowd is about as large as ever, even though the vendor list barely changed.
How Five Vendors Got In During an Off Year
With the main application closed until 2027, it's fair to ask how anyone joined at all. The City's September 8 announcement names the five: Ba Café, Arya Tea Bar, Macaroner, Sayblee Products and Truffle Smiles. Two of them have backstories that show the other ways into the market.
Ba Café came up through the shared tent. Last season, WFLX listed Ba Café as a new vendor in the Sprouts Program, which is the GreenMarket's shared-tent program for emerging businesses. Owner Kimberly Truong named the Vietnamese coffee business after her dad, since "Ba" means father in Vietnamese, and she had just finished the Mayor's Jumpstart Academy. This year the City lists Ba Café as one of its five new vendors. Shoppers who bought coffee from the shared tent last season will see the same business, now listed on its own.
Arya Tea Bar started with a storefront. DeWaal opened her Clematis Street shop in January and is now introducing it to the market crowd. The menu includes matcha drinks, loose-leaf teas and fruit refreshers made with house-made purees. She told WFLX the salted date matcha is one of the shop's most popular drinks. Many market businesses open a storefront after building a following at their booth. Arya did it the other way around.
Sayblee Products sells plant-based hair-growth and scalp-care treatments that the company says are handmade in Miami, and Macaroner sells boxed assortments that include vegan varieties. Truffle Smiles completes the group of five.
The Vendors Who No Longer Need the Election
The other change this season goes to vendors who have been there longest. The City named four long-term vendors "Legacy Vendors," a title for vendors with 15 or more years at the GreenMarket that means they "no longer need to compete for their spot." The four are:
- Leila, which the City's vendor directory links to Leila Restaurant, a Middle Eastern restaurant at 120 S. Dixie Highway
- Macy's Smoked Fish Dip, a Florida smoked fish dip brand
- Makeb's, a family bagel business serving breakfast and lunch, with a location at 300 S. Dixie Highway
- Mozzarita, listed on the City's roster as "Mozzarita (The Cheese Shoppe)"
The designation isn't new. Last year WFLX described Chuck Bado's Le Petit Pain French Bakery as a Legacy Vendor and said it was one of 14 vendors who had been at the market for more than 15 years. This year's four join that group. When the next application cycle opens in March 2027, their booths are already secured.
Two of the four also run restaurants a short walk from the Great Lawn on South Dixie Highway. They have the downtown location and the booth, and they've held both long enough that the booth no longer goes up for a vote.
The Market as a Starting Point
The City calls the GreenMarket "one of the largest small business gatherings in the region." WPTV's season preview backed that up with vendor stories. Mauricio Sanchez of Sanvel Coffee told the station the company sources its coffee directly from Colombia and roasts it locally each week. Sanvel started at the GreenMarket and now has brick-and-mortar locations in Wellington and Riviera Beach. WPTV reported that the French bakery Café Marseille also grew after building a customer base at the market, and that longtime vendor Palm Beach Cider Donuts now has a storefront on Northlake Boulevard.
That track record explains why a booth is worth competing for and why the vote happens only every other year. The City's release notes the market began with 13 vendors in a small parking lot. It now sets up on the waterfront at 100 N. Clematis St., and some businesses that started there have opened shops in other towns. Arya Tea Bar is the reverse case, a downtown storefront that joined the market.
Planning This Season's Saturdays
The lineup is mostly settled through May, so the details that change from week to week are the calendar and parking.
- Hours and place: Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., on the Great Lawn at 100 N. Clematis St.
- Two Saturdays off: The market is closed Feb. 6 for the Palm Tree Festival and March 20 for the Palm Beach International Boat Show.
- Last market: May 22, 2027.
- Master Chef Showcase: The chef-to-chef competition starts Saturday, Nov. 14.
- Free parking: The City Center, Clematis and Sapodilla garages are free during market hours.
- Closest parking: The Banyan and Evernia garages are nearest the market and charge the City's $5 all-day weekend flat rate.
- By bike: A free bike valet is set up at N. Narcissus Avenue and Clematis Street.
- Dogs: The Post lists the market as dog friendly.
The City's own Hours, Location & Parking page still shows last season's dates, so use the September 2026 announcement for this year's schedule.
What Opens Up in March 2027
The next application window opens in March 2027, and runs for 30 days. After it closes, applicants go through an in-person election that picks the vendors for the upcoming season. Legacy Vendors are exempt from that competition. Everyone else who wants a booth for fall 2027 has to compete for it. Businesses or growers who want in can email [email protected] before applying to confirm their products fit one of the ten categories. When the 33rd season opens next October, the number of new vendors on the Great Lawn will depend on the election that follows that March window.
We keep up with what changes along Clematis and the waterfront, from new storefronts to which booths stay at the market. If you own a home near the GreenMarket and want to know what it's worth this season, The Schilling Team can help you start with a quick instant home valuation. For more on downtown, see our West Palm Beach neighborhood guide and our summer field notes on North Railroad Avenue.
