Until recently, Wesley Chapel's two big Saturday markets ran on the same weeks. Last November, the Avalon Park Wesley Chapel Farmer's Market ran on the first and third Saturdays of each month, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 4424 Friendly Way. The Fresh Market at Wiregrass runs on those same first and third Saturdays at 28211 Paseo Drive. So on market weekends there were two at once, and on the weekends between there were none.
That changes on Oct. 10. Avalon Park's Downtown Saturday Market comes back on the second and fourth Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 4424 Friendly Way in downtown Avalon Park. That's the same area where Avalon Park Common, a new park, opened on Sept. 25. Moving one market back a week turns two overlapping markets into a single rotation. From now through the holidays, most Saturdays have a market somewhere in town.
What one week's difference adds up to
Count the Saturdays from Oct. 3 through Dec. 26. There are 13. Wiregrass runs on the first and third Saturdays all year, except in December, when it meets only on the first Saturday. Avalon's own calendar lists market dates on Oct. 10 and 24, Nov. 14 and 28, and Dec. 12 and 26.
If both had kept the first-and-third pattern, this stretch would have had a market on six Saturdays. With the new schedule, it has 11. Only Oct. 31 and Dec. 19 have no market at all.
Some fall roundups still list Avalon on the old first-and-third schedule. The Avalon Park Wesley Chapel calendar and the organizer's listing both show the second-and-fourth dates, so go by those before heading out.
| Saturday | Market | Also that day |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 3 | Wiregrass | Gardening 365 Festival; Warlock House Spookfest |
| Oct. 10 | Avalon Park downtown | First market since Avalon Park Common opened |
| Oct. 17 | Wiregrass | Avalon Park Fall Fest, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Oct. 24 | Avalon Park downtown | Avalon Fall Community Yard Sale; Fall Festival & Carnival at The Grove |
| Oct. 31 | None | MINISO soft opening at Wiregrass is the day before |
| Nov. 7 | Wiregrass | |
| Nov. 14 | Avalon Park downtown | |
| Nov. 21 | Wiregrass | Last Wiregrass Saturday before the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot |
| Nov. 28 | Avalon Park downtown | |
| Dec. 5 | Wiregrass | Wiregrass's only December market |
| Dec. 12 | Avalon Park downtown | Avalon Aglow, 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Dec. 19 | None | |
| Dec. 26 | Avalon Park downtown |
Wiregrass weeks have new places to stop afterward
The Fresh Market at Wiregrass hasn't changed. Tampa Bay Markets runs it, with rotating vendors selling local produce, herbs, plants, flowers, artisanal foods and handcrafted goods. The vendor directory includes names like Bijou Candleworks, Adalfie Home and BEAR CAKES RUM CAKE'S. That's the full roster, though, not a lineup for any one date. Fall hours started in October, so the 9 a.m. summer start is now 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parking is free and dogs are welcome.
What's new is the block around the market. Good Stuff Coffee Co., a Veteran- and Latino-owned specialty café with a private event space, opened July 26 at 28210 Paseo Drive, Suite 170. The market's address is 28211 Paseo Drive. Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine is now open at The Shops at Wiregrass. It serves pita, kebabs and desserts, has patio seating, and hasn't held its official grand opening yet. MINISO plans a soft opening on Oct. 30 next to Nikki's Boutique on Paseo Drive. Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café is expected in December at Center Court, with crêpes, coffee and brunch. The center hasn't named a date, so the Dec. 5 market may come before it opens.
Oct. 3 is the busiest Saturday on the calendar. Wiregrass opens at 10 a.m. Across town, the free 10th Annual Gardening 365 Festival & Plant Sale runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wesley Chapel District Park, 7727 Boyette Road. It has plant vendors, a butterfly exhibit, gardening seminars, a Kids Zone and food vendors. That afternoon, the Warlock House Enchantment at 25950 Queen Sago Place holds its first public family Spookfest from 2 to 6 p.m. You could buy produce in the morning and plants at midday, and still make the Spookfest.
Avalon weeks come with a new park downtown
Avalon's market has used the same address before. Last year's listing also put it at 4424 Friendly Way. What's new is Avalon Park Common, near that same address in downtown Avalon Park. Avalon Park Group opened the park on Sept. 25 with live music and family activities. Resident Desiree Gutierrez won the naming contest with "Avalon Park Common." Bandshell construction is scheduled to begin in early 2027.
Florida Penguin Productions organizes the market. Its listing describes gifts, baked goods, home décor and local small businesses. Entry and parking are free, the market is accessible, and pets and families are welcome.
Avalon also schedules big community events around its market weekends. Fall Fest 2026 runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 17, a Wiregrass Saturday. So Avalon draws a crowd on a Saturday when its own market is off. On Oct. 24, the Fall Community Yard Sale runs from 8 a.m. to noon, overlapping the market's 10 a.m. start. On weeknights, Art Snacks Pt. 3 meets Tuesday evenings in October from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. On Dec. 12, Avalon Aglow runs from 5 to 9 p.m. after a market that closes at 2.
The two empty Saturdays and the busy week before Halloween
The rotation still has gaps, and the rest of the fall calendar fills them in.
- Oct. 22 to 25. The 22nd Annual Wesley Chapel Fall Festival & Carnival takes over The Grove, with rides and games, food trucks, a Kids Zone, live performances, a pageant and costume contests. Its Saturday is also an Avalon market day. Nearby at KRATE at The Grove, newer options include K-Crunch Fried Chicken, Bowls & Fries at 5888 Grand Oro Lane, the Udo Ulo Tea Lounge, and Green Table, a plant-based restaurant.
- Oct. 31. Neither market is scheduled. The Warlock House's statuary night tours run every Tuesday and Friday in October at 7 and 10 p.m., so the last tours that week fall on Friday, Oct. 30.
- Nov. 1 and Nov. 29. Tampa Bay Markets lists themed Lagoonside events at Epperson on Nov. 1 and at Mirada on Nov. 29. Both fall the day after a Saturday market, and they're one-time events, not part of the rotation.
- Nov. 26. The 14th Wiregrass Turkey Trot starts Thanksgiving morning with a 7:15 a.m. Tot Trot and an 8 a.m. 5K, followed by a 1-mile fun run.
- Dec. 19. Wiregrass is done for the year after Dec. 5, and Avalon's next market is Dec. 26.
Both markets keep the same hours, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and both offer free parking and welcome dogs. That makes the rotation easy to follow. If it's the first or third Saturday, head to Paseo Drive. If it's the second or fourth, go to Friendly Way.
For sellers, the same calendar is useful for timing. The weekends that bring neighbors out to Paseo Drive and Friendly Way are also good weekends to put a home in front of local buyers. If you're thinking about listing this fall, Siftar Group can match staging, photography and launch dates to the Saturdays that draw the most people. Schedule your complimentary listing consultation and we'll map your timeline to this fall's Wesley Chapel calendar.
