The Nampa Farmers Market will open its 2026 season on Saturday, May 3 at a new location in downtown Nampa’s Lloyd Square, offering shoppers a larger, more centrally located venue with space for 120 vendors — a 40% increase over the previous location’s capacity. The market, which has operated in various Nampa locations for over 20 years, draws thousands of Canyon County residents each Saturday morning during the growing season and serves as a critical direct-to-consumer sales channel for dozens of local farms and food producers.
The move to Lloyd Square, the newly renovated public plaza at the corner of 1st Street and 11th Avenue, provides the market with permanent infrastructure including electrical hookups, public restrooms, covered vendor pavilions, and accessible parking. The previous location at the Nampa Recreation Center parking lot had been outgrown as vendor demand and shopper attendance increased steadily over the past five years.
What Shoppers Will Find at the New Location
The expanded market will feature 120 vendor spaces divided into three sections: fresh produce and farm products (50 spaces), prepared foods and food artisans (40 spaces), and handcrafted goods and Idaho-made products (30 spaces). All fresh produce vendors must grow their products within 150 miles of Nampa, ensuring that market spending stays within the regional agricultural economy.
New vendor highlights for 2026 include a canyon County honey cooperative featuring raw honey from six local beekeepers, a Caldwell-based tortilleria offering fresh corn and flour tortillas made from Idaho-grown grain, and a Sunny Slope wine tasting booth featuring vintages from Canyon County’s emerging wine region along the Snake River. The prepared food section will include wood-fired pizza, farm-fresh crepes, Vietnamese pho, and a new BBQ vendor smoking meats with Idaho fruitwood.
“The Nampa Farmers Market isn’t just a place to buy tomatoes — it’s where Canyon County comes together,” said market director Rachel Diaz. “Every Saturday morning, you see families reconnecting, farmers sharing stories about their operations, kids discovering where their food comes from. Moving to Lloyd Square gives us the space to grow that community experience while supporting the local agricultural economy that sustains our county.”
Supporting Canyon County Agriculture
The Nampa Farmers Market generated approximately $2.8 million in vendor revenue during its 2025 season — money that flows directly to Canyon County farms and small food businesses without middlemen, distributors, or corporate overhead. For many small farms, particularly diversified vegetable operations and specialty crop growers, the market represents their primary revenue source and the difference between profitability and failure.
The market accepts SNAP/EBT benefits and participates in the Double Up Food Bucks program, which matches SNAP purchases of fresh produce dollar-for-dollar up to $20 per visit. The program, funded through a partnership between the Idaho Foodbank and USDA, makes fresh local food accessible to lower-income Canyon County families and directs additional federal dollars into the pockets of local farmers.
Schedule and Access
The Saturday market operates 9 AM to 1 PM every week from May through mid-October. A Wednesday evening market returns in June, running 4:30 to 8 PM with a focus on prepared food, live music, and family entertainment. Parking is available in the downtown Nampa municipal lot on 12th Avenue and along surrounding streets. The market is also accessible via Valley Regional Transit Route 40.
What Comes Next
Opening day on May 3 will feature a ribbon-cutting with Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling at 8:45 AM, followed by live music from 9 AM. Vendors interested in applying for the 2026 season can submit applications at nampafarmersmarket.org through April 1. Canyon County residents can sign up for the market newsletter for weekly vendor highlights and special event announcements. For broader Idaho agricultural news, visit Idaho News.