Another Kimberley Farmers’ Market season is in the books! Over 14 Thursday evenings, the market welcomed an estimated 12,150 visits, brought together 51 unique vendors, and created more opportunities than ever to connect over local food, music, activities and community.
While the market was a little smaller on average this year, our community showed up in a big way. Estimated attendance grew by nearly 10%, from 11,100 visits in 2025 to 12,150 in 2026, averaging approximately 868 visitors each week.
And this wasn’t always an easy summer. For three weeks, our community lived under an evacuation alert as wildfires affected our region. Yet people continued to come downtown in droves: to shop, connect with neighbours, support local producers and spend an evening together. It was a powerful reminder of how important these collective spaces can be, particularly when our community is facing uncertainty.
More than a market
One of the biggest changes this year was expanding beyond Howard Street and further into the Platzl, creating more room for kids’ activities, community organizations and programming throughout the summer.
We welcomed 19 different community groups, 12 musicians and 19 activity providers, with community organizations making 54 appearances throughout the season, more than double the previous year. From kids’ art and cooking activities to salsa dancing, native plant workshops, seed bombs, and hands-on music exploration, there was almost always something new to discover alongside the weekly market.
We also worked to create more inviting spaces for people to slow down and stay awhile. Our new shaded gathering space at the Platzl gazebo, graciously donated by Kootenay Shade Works, offered a comfortable home for activities and community connections. In our food court, Round the Mountain generously lent us patio umbrellas, adding much-needed shade and helping transform the area around our main music stage into a welcoming place to grab some food, listen to live music and enjoy the evening.
None of that expansion would have been possible without our exceptional volunteers, who helped transform the space each Thursday, set up our new music stage, and get Howard Street set up and cleared quickly and safely week after week.
Our downtown neighbours embraced the market in wonderful ways. Kootenay Piano Works opened its doors throughout the season for free, hands-on music activities and brought piano performances right onto the sidewalk. Chupacabra Collective added artisan tables and weekly youth activities, while Art Gallery Kimberley brought local artists into the market to create art live and connect with market-goers as they worked. Alannimals brought free kids’ arts and crafts to the Platzl almost every week, giving our youngest market-goers plenty of opportunities to get creative.
Spark Society for Youth was an incredible presence throughout the summer, offering activities like face painting and managing our free bike valet, with financial support from the East Kootenay Climate Hub. The City of Kimberley also joined us throughout the season to share information about community programs and wildfire updates and to hear directly from residents.
Two market nights were particularly special, as the Matsuri Festival and Localpalooza took over the Centre 64 outdoor stage. The added performances brought even more energy downtown and created vibrant evenings that extended beyond the market itself. We hope to see the connection between the market and Centre 64’s outdoor stage continue to grow, with even more opportunities to activate downtown together in the future.
Music was an important part of the market itself, too. Our stages created space for local musicians to be seen and heard, from longtime performers to emerging artists… and, for some, the opportunity to experience their very first live performance. We are incredibly grateful to every musician who shared their talent with our community this summer.
Supporting local food and local livelihoods
At the heart of the market, of course, are our farmers, food producers, bakers, artisans and makers. The Kimberley Farmers’ Market is a core part of Wildsight Kimberley Cranbrook’s ongoing work to build a healthy, resilient, and connected community that supports local food sustainability.
The BC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Coupon Program continued to make fresh, locally produced food more accessible to lower-income residents, seniors and young families with children, while putting those dollars directly into the hands of local food producers. Participants spent $11,506 with eligible market vendors through the program this season.
For the first time, we also introduced anonymous vendor sales reporting to better understand the market’s economic impact. Based on reported sales and extrapolated across participating vendors, we estimate approximately $178,700 in vendor sales over the 14-week season, including purchases made through food-access programs.
Those numbers represent more than transactions. They represent money staying within our region, supporting farms and small businesses, and helping make local food and locally made goods a viable part of our community.
Most of all, we owe an enormous thank you to our vendors. They arrived week after week with trucks full of fresh produce, tables full of baking, locally prepared food, handmade goods, and so much more. They adapted to heat, smoke, wildfire uncertainty, and everything else the summer threw our way—and they are ultimately what makes the Kimberley Farmers’ Market possible.
We would also like to extend a huge thanks to our exceptional volunteers, musicians, activity providers, community organizations, downtown businesses, partners, and every person who filled a market bag, stopped to listen to some music, brought their kids for an activity, talked to a community group or simply came downtown to spend a Thursday evening together.
Thank you for an incredible 2026 season, Kimberley. We’ll see you next summer! 💚