Douglas County, Colorado
Douglas County Farmers Markets 2026
Six farmers markets run in Douglas County, and between them you can shop on a Wednesday, a Saturday or a Sunday from early May into November. Castle Rock has two (different days, different organizers, and yes, people mix them up). Here's when each one runs, where it is and what's still open this late in the season.
By Connor Tien, DougCo Social · Updated September 29, 2026
2026 season at a glance
Where the season stands as of September 29: Larkspur wrapped up on September 2. The Original Castle Rock market at the fairgrounds has one Saturday left, October 3. Festival Park in Castle Rock runs through Sunday, October 11, Sterling Ranch through Wednesday, October 14, Parker through Sunday, October 25, and Highlands Ranch keeps going until Sunday, November 1. The gluten-free market up in Englewood has its last date on Saturday, October 10.
| Market | Day | Hours | 2026 season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Rock, Original (fairgrounds) | Saturdays | 8am to noon | Jun 20 to Oct 3 |
| Castle Rock, Festival Park | Sundays | 9am to 2pm | May 24 to Oct 11 |
| Parker | Sundays | 8am to 1pm | May 10 to Oct 25 |
| Highlands Ranch | Sundays | 10am to 2pm or sellout | May 3 to Nov 1 |
| Sterling Ranch | Wednesdays | 3pm to 7pm or sellout | Jun 24 to Oct 14 |
| Larkspur | Wednesdays | 3pm to 7pm | Jun 3 to Sep 2 (done) |
| Gluten-free (Englewood) | 2nd Saturdays | 9am to 1pm | Jun 13 to Oct 10 |
The gluten-free market is in Englewood, just north of the county line. Everything else is in Douglas County.
The Original Castle Rock Farmers Market
Saturday mornings at the fairgrounds, and the word Original is doing real work: this one has been running for over 30 years by its own count.
The Original Castle Rock Farmers Market sets up in the upper parking lot at the Douglas County Fairgrounds every Saturday from the Saturday before Father's Day through the first Saturday of October, 8am to noon. In 2026 that means June 20 through October 3, so if you're reading this in late September, you get one more shot at it.
The vendors listed on the market's site include Snow Creek Ranch Steaks (Black Angus steaks, roasts and burger), Styria II Bakery ("a taste of the Alps"), C&R Farms (Colorado peaches), Sandy's Way Microfarm, Tamales Lady (handmade, gluten-free), Mauro Farm & Bakery, Spinfire Roasting Company (fresh-roasted chiles), Edelweiss Sourdough, Syed Farms (halal meat, poultry and eggs), the CSU Master Gardener booth, the Coffee Bus, Soda Jerk, Apothekerry, Albinelli Blends (balsamic and olive oil) and DAR Chocolate. Their own note under the list: "New farmers and ranchers are signing up every day," so the lineup shifts through the season.
One heads-up: the market's website was offline when we checked on September 29, so the details here come from a June 12 snapshot of it (linked in the Sources). If they changed anything late in the season, call before you drive out.
Breakfast after
Downtown Castle Rock has the breakfast spots: Wide Awake Eatery, B&B Cafe, Castleview Cafe or Pegasus.
Festival Park Farmers Market, Castle Rock
The Sunday one, downtown, run by the same group that runs Parker.
The LOCAL Colorado, the group behind the Parker market, runs a Sunday market at Festival Park in downtown Castle Rock from May 24 through October 11, 9am to 2pm. Their page keeps it short: "Colorado's finest ranchers, farmers, and artisans." It starts about a month before the fairgrounds market, runs a week past it, and puts you in the middle of downtown when you're done.
Brunch nearby
Union on Wilcox and Courtyard Social on Perry are the closest sit-down brunch spots. If you just want coffee and a bagel, Apres Coffee and BAGL share the block on Perry. And if you don't mind driving, Trestles Coastal Cuisine up on Happy Canyon Road is one of our picks and serves Sunday brunch until 2pm.
Parker Farmers Market
Over 100 vendors down the middle of Mainstreet every Sunday morning, by the organizer's count.
Mainstreet on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Sunflower Sky Farm's tent is on the right. (Photo: DougCo Social)
The Parker Farmers Market runs Sunday mornings on Mainstreet from Mother's Day "through Halloween," in the organizer's words. Halloween 2026 is a Saturday, so the last market is Sunday, October 25. The LOCAL Colorado lists over 100 vendors selling local produce, meats and dairy, food trucks, artwork and home and body products.
A few vendors we saw
From our May 17 visit: Royal Crest Dairy, Miller Farms, Messer Cattle Company, Black Gold Family Farm, Mile High Pie Guy, Tlaquesalsa, Cooper's Small Batch, Peak Provisions Pierogi, Homestead Hills Harvest, Rocking Do Ranch and Flèche Healthy Treats. On the drink side, Sati Coffee, a Denver roaster, pours cold brew, and Parker Sundays are on their own market list. For flowers, Sunflower Sky Farm, a cut-flower farm out of Bennett, had its tent up on Mainstreet (it's in the photo). The vendor mix rotates week to week.
Brunch on the way in or out
The market runs right through downtown Parker's restaurant row, so brunch is a walk, not a drive. A few to know:
- Poulette Bakeshop: obviously we'd recommend Poulette for the baked goods, but expect a massive line.
- Marvin's Place: a minimal cafe at The Juniper with no WiFi on purpose. Coffee, plus pastries and scones from Poulette.
- Parker Garage: weekend brunch with a patio.
- Black+Haus Tavern: American tavern, comfort food, patio.
- Tailgate Tavern: when we walked by at 10:30am on May 17 the patio was already packed.
- Playa Bowls: also at The Juniper. Açaí bowls and smoothies, grab and go.
Highlands Ranch Farmers Market
The longest season in the county: first Sunday in May through the first Sunday in November.
The Abeille flower truck at Highlands Ranch Town Center, May 17, 2026. (Photo: DougCo Social)
Metro Denver Farmers Market runs the Highlands Ranch market at Town Center every Sunday from May 3 through November 1, 10am to 2pm "or sellout," which is their phrase and a fair warning. The same group runs the Wednesday market at Sterling Ranch.
A few vendors we saw
From our May 17 visit: Martindale Farms, Peak Health Center, Kogler's Bakery, Itzuu Tacos, Styria Bakery, TruBucha (kombucha), Garden Coffee Co. (a Littleton roaster, so coffee is covered), Tiger Den Tea and La Montagne (French bread). We also spotted Abeille, a Castle Rock pop-up that sells flowers, books and gifts out of a renovated mini-truck (pictured above). We didn't make opening weekend, so we can't say they're there every Sunday. They were there on May 17.
Sterling Ranch Farmers Market
One of the two Wednesday markets, and the only one still running in October.
Sterling Ranch's market is a Wednesday afternoon one, 3pm to 7pm or sellout, at Providence Park on Piney River Avenue in the Sterling Ranch community. Metro Denver Farmers Market runs it, same as Highlands Ranch. The 2026 season is June 24 through October 14, which leaves three Wednesdays as of this update: September 30, October 7 and October 14.
After the market
Living the Dream Taproom is down the same street at 8155 Piney River Avenue and opens at 1pm, so it's already going when the market starts.
The Larkspur Farmers Market
The small-town one, Wednesday afternoons in the park on Spruce Mountain Road. Done for 2026; back in June.
Larkspur's Wednesday market ran June 3 through September 2 this year at the Community Park on Spruce Mountain Road, 3pm to 7pm. Their own description of the lineup: locally grown organic fruits and vegetables, eggs and organic meats, plus artisan oils, handcrafted soaps and candles, home decor, local crafts and original art. It is the shortest season of the six, so put early June on the calendar for 2027.
Buy direct from a Douglas County farm or ranch
Markets are the easy way in, but a couple of local producers also sell straight to you. Sandy's Way Microfarm in Sedalia is Certified Naturally Grown and sells its vegetables at the Saturday fairgrounds market, through farm pickup on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and through an online Harvest Membership. The Perry Ranch in Parker sells its grass-fed beef by reservation, runs a farm stand and a produce CSA, and takes online orders for local pickup. For butcher counters and more ranch-direct beef, see our guide to where to buy local meat in Douglas County.
The Gluten-Free Farmers Market
Just north of the county line in Englewood. Worth the drive if someone in your house has celiac disease.
NCA Denver Celiacs calls this "Colorado's only Gluten-Free Farmer's Market," and it runs the second Saturday of the month, June through October, at 333 W Hampden Avenue in Englewood. One date left in 2026: Saturday, October 10.
Their page lists what to expect: food trucks, small businesses, produce, crafts, art, beauty products, herbs, house plants, canned goods, dog treats, prepared foods and flowers. If you're coming up from Castle Rock or Castle Pines on a second Saturday, the Original Castle Rock market runs the same morning, 8am to noon, so you can do both if you leave early.
Frequently asked questions
Highlands Ranch opened first, on Sunday, May 3, at Highlands Ranch Town Center. Parker opened on Mother's Day, May 10. The Festival Park market in downtown Castle Rock opened Sunday, May 24. Larkspur opened Wednesday, June 3. The Original Castle Rock Farmers Market at the Douglas County Fairgrounds opened Saturday, June 20, the Saturday before Father's Day. Sterling Ranch opened Wednesday, June 24. The last market of the year is Highlands Ranch on Sunday, November 1.
Five of the six. Larkspur wrapped up September 2. The Original Castle Rock market at the fairgrounds has its last Saturday on October 3. The Festival Park market in Castle Rock runs through Sunday, October 11. Sterling Ranch runs through Wednesday, October 14. Parker runs through Sunday, October 25, and Highlands Ranch through Sunday, November 1. The gluten-free market in Englewood has its last 2026 date on Saturday, October 10.
Six. Castle Rock has two: the Original Castle Rock Farmers Market at the Douglas County Fairgrounds on Saturdays, and the Festival Park market downtown on Sundays. Highlands Ranch runs Sundays at Highlands Ranch Town Center. Parker runs Sundays on Mainstreet. Sterling Ranch runs Wednesday afternoons at Providence Park, and Larkspur runs Wednesday afternoons at Larkspur Community Park. Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Franktown and Sedalia do not have a weekly market of their own that we know of.
Castle Rock has two, run by different people on different days. The Original Castle Rock Farmers Market runs Saturdays 8am to noon in the upper parking lot of the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 500 Fairgrounds Drive, from June 20 through October 3. The Festival Park Farmers Market runs Sundays 9am to 2pm at Festival Park on Second Street in downtown Castle Rock, May 24 through October 11.
On Mainstreet in downtown Parker, Sundays 8am to 1pm, from Mother's Day (May 10) through the last Sunday of October, which is October 25 in 2026. The organizer, The LOCAL Colorado, lists over 100 vendors. The market footprint sits east of Parker Road and west of Pine, and Victorian Drive stays open for turners.
At Highlands Ranch Town Center, 9288 Dorchester Street, every Sunday from May 3 through November 1, 2026, 10am to 2pm or sellout. Metro Denver Farmers Market runs it, and also runs the Wednesday market at Sterling Ranch.
Not a dedicated one in 2026. The closest options are the Highlands Ranch Farmers Market at Town Center (Sundays 10am to 2pm), the Original Castle Rock Farmers Market at the fairgrounds (Saturdays), or People + Produce at Belleview Station in Denver, just north of Lone Tree, which runs Sundays 9am to 1pm from May 31 through October 11, 2026.
None of the six organizers post a dog policy on their market pages, so check each market's website or the signs at the entrance before you bring one.
It depends on the market. Parker's organizer lists local produce, meats and dairy, food trucks, artwork and home and body products. Larkspur's page lists organic fruits and vegetables, eggs, organic meats, artisan oils, soaps and candles, home decor and art. The fairgrounds market in Castle Rock lists its vendors by name, including Black Angus steaks, Alpine-style baked goods, Colorado peaches, halal meat and eggs, sourdough, roasted chiles and tamales.
Yes. NCA Denver Celiacs runs what it calls Colorado's only gluten-free farmers market at 333 W Hampden Avenue in Englewood, in the north parking lot next to the Chase tower. In 2026 it runs the second Saturday of the month, June 13, July 11, August 8, September 12 and October 10, from 9am to 1pm, rain, snow or shine.
Sources
- The Original Castle Rock Farmers Market: originalcastlerockfarmersmarket.com, June 12, 2026 snapshot (the live site was offline on September 29, 2026).
- The LOCAL Colorado: Festival Park Farmers Market and Parker Farmers Market.
- Metro Denver Farmers Market: market schedule (Highlands Ranch and Sterling Ranch).
- The Larkspur Farmers Market: thelarkspurfarmersmarket.com.
- NCA Denver Celiacs: Gluten-Free Farmers Market.
- Belleview Station: People + Produce.
- Vendors and producers: Sandy's Way Microfarm, The Perry Ranch, Sati Coffee farmers markets, Sunflower Sky Farm, Abeille, Garden Coffee Co.. Vendor sightings in the Parker and Highlands Ranch sections are from our May 17, 2026 visits.
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