OGDEN — One of downtown’s most enduring summertime traditions returns to Historic 25th Street this weekend.

Farmers Market Ogden will kick off its 2024 summer season Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., along downtown Ogden’s signature thoroughfare. The summer market, which spans three city blocks, will operate every Saturday thereafter through Sept. 14.

Jessica Anderson, the Ogden Downtown Alliance’s marketing and communications manager, told the Standard-Examiner that the weekly event provides an opportunity for locals to connect.

“The market fosters a sense of community and brings people together in a meaningful way,” she said. “We see all types of people … Ogdenites, visitors from surrounding cities and states. There’s a good mix of people who visit.”

To mark its Memorial Day weekend opening, Saturday’s market will feature a number of live performances. There will be music on the main stage from Giants in the Oak Tree from 9:30-11 a.m. Del Pero will then perform from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Meanwhile, aerialists from Salt City Circus also will be performing from 11-11:30 a.m. at the intersection of 25th Street and Lincoln Avenue.

This year’s summer market will feature more than 200 vendors across its 17-week run, including many newer and first-time participants. Anderson says there will be “a healthy mix” of local farmers/producers, prepared food, packaged food, food trucks, hand-crafters/artisans, artists and community organizations.

In addition to the various vendor booths and live performers, free community yoga will be held every Saturday morning during the market from 9-10 a.m. at the Municipal Gardens. Participants are advised to bring their own yoga gear, including a water bottle and sun protection.

Anderson says that as many as 20,000 people visited the summer market each Saturday in 2023. Those numbers rival that of Salt Lake City’s farmers market and make Ogden’s weekly event an important one for the local growers and small businesses.

“The economic impact of the market downtown is huge,” she said. “Bringing in those 20,000 visitors each week helps support local commerce throughout the market season.”

American Farmland Trust has recognized Farmers Market Ogden as the state’s best farmers market for the past two years.

Anderson offered the following advice for market newbies:

“Attendees should arrive early to beat the crowds, and that’s when they’ll get the best selection of the fresh produce, too. We’d also encourage visitors to bring reusable bags (and) stay hydrated because it can get pretty hot out on the street. We also put out market updates and a schedule of events on our social media every week.”

For more information, including vendor applications, go to https://www.farmersmarketogden.com.

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