Olympia Farmers' Market

Olympia Farmers' Market ties its food access work directly to the Washington State Department of Health through its SNAP Market Match collaboration, giving this waterfront market a clear public-service role alongside shopping. At 700 Capitol Way N, the market runs year-round and shifts into a four-day Thursday-through-Sunday schedule from April through October, with 10am to 3pm hours. Its stated mission is to nourish the community, support small-scale local agriculture, and cultivate a healthy economy, a frame that helps explain why benefits programs, live entertainment, and educational events sit so prominently in the market’s identity.

Why it matters locally

Since 1975, Olympia Farmers' Market has described itself as “Keepin' it fresh,” linking the market to a long local history as well as present-day commerce. The market’s mission is explicit: nourish the community, support small-scale local agriculture, and cultivate a healthy economy. That local role also shows up in the way it organizes benefits and education. The market highlights SNAP, WIC, Senior Farmers Market Benefits, and Senior Day benefits as part of its market programs, not as a side note. It also hosts recurring Lunch & Learn programming in the Market Garden area and daily live music from 11 to 2 on market days, pairing food shopping with hands-on demonstrations, talks, and performances rooted in the market itself.

What you'll find there

The clearest picture of the mix here comes less from a product roster than from the market’s own programming: cooking, farming, mending, and art demonstrations happen inside the market and around the Market Garden, so shoppers can expect food stalls alongside makers and prepared-food activity. The market also says its vendor count reaches 100, pointing to a sizable lineup across the grounds.

• -Watch Jinu Choi of Bulgogi Hustle lead a bibimbap-focused Lunch & Learn session.
• -Catch Chef Tissany Gilmore of Onyiyechi presenting a stew demonstration at Lunch & Learn.
• -Learn from Mitch Lewis of Summit Farms during the “Business of Farming” Lunch & Learn.
• -See Andi Clarke featured in a silversmithing demonstration during Spring ArtsWalk.
• -Join Jennifer-Jeanne Murdock for “Weaving Intention” at Spring ArtsWalk.

Thursday brings a free raffle with $60 in non-expiring market currency during high season, and Sundays in May and September add the Stitch It, Don’t Ditch It mending series.

Know before you go

Parking is unusually straightforward here: the market has more than 200 free two-hour spaces onsite plus an overflow lot on Washington Street. If you are arriving without a car, the Olympia Transit Center is about a 10-minute walk away, and the free Dash bus runs from the Capitol Campus through downtown to the market’s front door. Cyclists have racks at the front entrance, near the traffic circle, and by the market garden. Boaters can also approach via the Port Plaza Dock at Waterfront Park, which offers free four-hour moorage for vessels up to 200 feet. Inside the grounds, the market is wheelchair friendly, offers handicapped parking, and welcomes service animals. General pet access is restricted, with pets allowed only in open areas such as the garden and stage pavilion.

Payments & SNAP

SNAP/EBT is accepted at Olympia Farmers' Market, and the market’s SNAP Market Match program is run in collaboration with the Washington State Department of Health. The market also highlights WIC, Senior Farmers Market Benefits, and Senior Day benefits, and notes that a WSECU ATM is onsite for cash access.