FW Farmers Market will open in new location May 9
Published 11:30 am Friday, March 13, 2026
Federal Way Farmers Market will open in its new location on Saturday, May 9, the day before Mother’s Day.
This year’s market will look a bit different in its new home in the city center, where it will fill 316th Street between the Performing Arts and Event Center (PAEC) and Town Square Park, and host approximately 60 vendors in 12’ by 12’ tents.
From building the PAEC to Town Square Park to the plans to build Town Center 3 (TC3), the city’s leadership has been working for years to activate and create a true downtown core for Federal Way.
This project has become and even bigger priority now that the light rail is active.
The city has spent the past year wrapping up the final details to move the Federal Way Farmers Market location, beginning with the Feb. 22 council retreat in 2025, where Public Works Director EJ Walsh shared an overview of the Festival Street idea.
The first action began with passing a Festival Street resolution on Nov. 18, 2025, where the council declared that the “Federal Way Farmers Market serves as a gathering point and presents a diverse variety of products and activities for the community,” and that allowing a “portion of South 316th Street to be temporarily closed to vehicular traffic will facilitate new downtown attractions by creating a space free from traffic for pedestrian-oriented, city-sponsored events.”
The city then had to purchase a crash barrier system to ensure that pedestrians and vendors will be safe from vehicular traffic. The system the city chose is the same system used by Seattle Police, Tacoma Police, Sound Transit, City of Kirkland, City of Redmond and others, and will also be used for other events.
At Mayor Jim Ferrell’s State of the City event in February, he announced that Congressman Adam Smith has secured funds for a new Civic Plaza, which will be located in the former Target site that has been an empty concrete slab since the former big box store’s demolition.
“This plaza will activate the site in the near term, while setting the stage for future development at Town Center 3 in the years ahead. It’s a creative way to bring energy and activity to our downtown today while we continue building toward what comes next,” Ferrell said in his address.
The city is also partnering with the Federal Way Public Market group to explore the long-term viability of a permanent, year-round public market.
“This temporary Plaza may be the perfect place to really start that discussion,” Ferrell said.
The Federal Way Farmers Market has been a staple in the city for more than two decades. The market was a volunteer effort for years, founded by Rose Ehl and her husband, Dave, who died on Feb. 1.
The city took ownership of the market ahead of the 2025 market season to protect what has become a key civic activity for the community.
This year, the market will run 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Saturday from May 9 to Sept. 26. There will be no market on July 4.
More summer events
This year features a busy summer of community events, with many taking place around the PAEC, the new Civic Plaza and Festival Street and Town Square Park.
These will include the Summer Sounds concert in the park series as well as the Summer Movie in the Park series.
• May 29 – May 31: Arts Explosion Juried Art Show Festival hosted by the Federal Way Arts Commission
• June 19 through June 21: Kickin’ It Federal Way, a three-day free community festival that will include a watch party of FIFA World Cup games, live music, games and activities for families, soccer tournaments and clinics, food vendors, and more.
• July 4: Red White and Blues annual Independence Day celebration
• Aug. 1: Federal Way Pride Celebration
• Aug. 5: Kids Day
• Aug. 8: The Federal Way Community Festival is a free event to help Federal Way “celebrate and experience the cultures from all over the world who reside in our region, to bring us together, and help us learn about our neighbors and their heritage.”
