Santa Monica Farmers Market: Days, Hours, and What to Buy

Our Saturdays in Santa Monica started at the farmers market. It became part of our routine! Cream and I spent a month in Santa Monica and went every Saturday morning, and we always came home with oranges and grapefruit.

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In this guide 7 sections

Ours was the Saturday market on Arizona Avenue. It's up from the pier and close to the apartment we rented.

Look up the Santa Monica farmers market and there are four of them on three different days. Two even share the same street. If you only have one free morning, it's hard to know which one to pick.

Santa Monica Farmers Market Days and Hours: My Quick Answer

We went to the Downtown market on Arizona Avenue. It's the one I'd pick. It runs four times a week all year. It runs rain or shine.

• Wednesday, Downtown: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Arizona Avenue, from Ocean Avenue to Fourth Street. It's the biggest of the four, and the one Los Angeles chefs shop at.
• Saturday, Downtown: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the same street. A little smaller, and the one we went to every week.
• Saturday, Pico: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Virginia Avenue Park, 2233 Pico Boulevard. Free parking, food stalls, and live music.
• Sunday, Main Street: 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 2640 Main Street, close to the beach. Food stalls and live music.
• Cost: free to walk around. We spent about $20 a visit at most, for the two of us.
• What to buy in winter: citrus. The oranges and grapefruit were our favorites.
• When to go: early, before the lines at the popular stalls get long.

If you'd like to stay close, I'd start with one of these three.

The Pierside Santa Monica and the Hampton Inn & Suites Santa Monica are both close to the Downtown market, and I'd walk over from either one on a Wednesday or Saturday morning. For a splurge, I'd pick Shutters on the Beach. It's beachfront.

Where to stay in Santa Monica compares every area side by side.

Our Saturday Mornings at the Downtown Market

We always tried to get there early. It fills up fast!

It had a really nice feel. Arizona Avenue closes to cars and the street is wide and walkable, and there were so many tents down both sides. Part of what I love about markets is seeing what produce and other things they have. This one had so much!

Some stalls had huge lines. The egg guy always had a long one! That's Mike and Sons Egg Ranch from Ontario, California. It's one of the few farms that has sold at the Downtown market since it opened in 1981.³

We didn't want to spend much. We stuck to fruit and the odd pastry, about $20 a visit at most for the two of us. It's a little pricey, but it was fun.

We'd grab our fruit and sometimes a pastry and swing back to our place, and then we'd make coffee at home and walk up to Palisades Park, the clifftop park above the beach. It's at the west end of Arizona Avenue. If you'd rather eat your fruit with an ocean view, it's only a block or two from the stalls.

What to Buy at the Santa Monica Farmers Market

Oranges and Grapefruit

We bought oranges and grapefruit every time. They were so good! We'd eat them with our coffee in the morning before our walks, and of everything we bought, the citrus was the best.

Winter is citrus season in Southern California. February and March are a great time for it. A Santa Monica Daily Press market column from late February 2024 said citrus season was at its peak. It named tangerines and Cara Cara oranges along with kumquats and limes.⁵

Berries

Some weeks we added berries too. Strawberries come in more as the weather warms up in late winter and spring, and that same column said to look for more of them once the rain cleared.

The Pastries

Some weekends we'd add a pastry. The almond croissant was the best!

We also tried a guava-filled pastry that was so yummy. I love guava, and it didn't disappoint.

You'll spot the pastry stalls quickly by their tables piled high with croissants and buns behind glass or mesh covers.

What Else They Sell

We mostly stuck to fruit. There's a lot more. The Downtown markets also have flowers and eggs. Some stalls sell nuts and cheese and meat.

Hot food is mostly at Pico and Main Street, because the city puts its prepared-food vendors there. Across all four there are more than 150 farm stands a week.²

Which Santa Monica Farmers Market Should You Go To?

We only ever went on Saturdays Downtown, so that's the one I know best. The markets started in 1981 with a single Wednesday market.² Today there are four. Each one has its own feel.

1. Downtown Wednesday Market // The Biggest One

On a weekday, I'd go Wednesday. It's the original and still the biggest, and more than 60 farm stands set up there each week.³ It's also where Los Angeles chefs come to shop for their restaurants.⁴

• Who it's for: food lovers and anyone with a kitchen, on a weekday
• Skip it if: you want a hot breakfast or live music (try Pico or Main Street)
• When: Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Where: Arizona Avenue, from Ocean Avenue to Fourth Street
• Getting there: north of the pier and the Downtown Santa Monica Metro station

2. Downtown Saturday Market // The One We Went To

This was our market! It sets up on the same stretch of Arizona Avenue, and it has more than 40 farm stands.³ It's a little smaller than Wednesday's.

• Who it's for: weekend visitors staying Downtown or near the pier
• Skip it if: you're driving and want free parking (the Pico market has it)
• When: Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Where: Arizona Avenue, crossing the Third Street Promenade
• Good to know: it closes over Thanksgiving weekend³

3. Pico Farmers Market // Free Parking and Live Music

I'd pick Pico if you have a car. It runs on Saturdays at Virginia Avenue Park, inland from the beach.

It started in 1992. About 35 California farms sell there. There's prepared food and live music too.⁶ There's a playground and a splash pad right next to the market.

• Who it's for: drivers, and anyone who wants breakfast with their shopping
• Skip it if: you're staying by the beach without a car, since the Downtown market is much closer
• When: Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Where: 2233 Pico Boulevard, at Virginia Avenue Park

4. Main Street Farmers Market // Sunday Mornings in Ocean Park

I'd save it for a Sunday. It's in Ocean Park on a street of independent cafés and shops, and about 40 farms sell here. There's prepared food and live music too.⁷

• Who it's for: Sunday visitors, and anyone staying near Main Street or Venice
• Skip it if: Sunday is your travel day
• When: Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Where: 2640 Main Street

Santa Monica Farmers Market Parking and Tips

We always walked over. Parking was never our problem. If you're driving or coming from farther away, these will help.

• Go early. The markets open at 8 a.m. (8:30 on Sundays), and the popular stalls build long lines as the morning goes on.
• Parking Downtown: use the city parking structures on Second and Fourth Streets. Since April 2026, the first 90 minutes cost $1.⁸ The Pico market has free parking.
• Renting a car: if you'll drive to the Pico market or around LA, check LAX rental car prices early.
• By Metro: take the E Line to Downtown Santa Monica station, at Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue, then walk about 7 minutes north to Arizona Avenue.
• From the pier: walk north on Ocean Avenue for three blocks, then turn right onto Arizona Avenue. Heading to the pier after? Its neon sign is off being restored, and a half-size stand-in fills in until the original returns, expected late 2027.⁹
• Bring cash and a bag. The city's tourism site recommends cash for the markets, even though many businesses in town take cards.
• Leave pets at home. Only service animals are allowed.
• Rain or shine. The markets run all year, but they can close on some holidays.

When to Go to the Santa Monica Farmers Market

We went to the Santa Monica farmers market first thing in the morning to beat the crowds, and it leaves the rest of the day free for the beach or anything else.

We went every Saturday from late February to late March 2025. That was right in citrus time and the berries were just starting to show up. February mornings were cold and gray for us in Santa Monica, so I'd bring a jacket. Los Angeles in February has the full weather picture.

Is the Santa Monica Farmers Market Worth It?

For us it was worth it every week.

• It's for: anyone with a free Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday morning, food lovers, and anyone with a kitchen to cook in.
• Skip it if: your trip has no market mornings at all. There's plenty more to fill your time in things to do in Santa Monica.

You have to check it out, even if you don't buy anything. Just see what they have and start your morning there!

Next Steps for Your Santa Monica Trip

• Palisades Park, Santa Monica: the clifftop walk we took after the market, a block or two away
• Things to Do in Santa Monica: our favorite things to do after a month living there
• Where to Stay in Santa Monica: the best areas, with hotels at every budget
• Los Angeles in February: what the weather is really like, and how to pack for it