Thousands of people are expected at the year's first Cedar Farmers Market, with last year's Mother's Day opener setting a new record for attendance at the event. (Image Credit: File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

major milestone

30th anniversary season kicking off for Cedar Farmers Market

May 9, 2026 | 10:06 AM

NANAIMO — The unofficial start of summer across the mid-Island comes Sunday.

The Cedar Farmers Market will open up its 30th anniversary season on Sunday, May 10, its traditional Mother’s Day start, with around 120 different local vendors staged on the former Woodbank Elementary School fields on Woobank Rd.

Market executive director Kate Poirier told NanaimoNewsNOW they’re expecting upwards of 3,500 shoppers over the four hours, many of whom will stay for an extended period of time.

“We think it’s really important to have some destination for people to go to and connect with others and be allowed to loiter, actually, it’s encouraged. We’ve invested over the years in chairs and seating and tents and shade for everyone, and we do want them to come and stay and hang out.”

Food and coffee trucks will set the stage for shoppers to browse local artisans, bakers, woodworkers, florists, farmers, and more.

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Shoppers are welcome to attend beginning at 10 a.m. through to 2 p.m., however market organizers offer a 30-minute window beginning at 9:30 a.m. for those needing a quieter shopping environment.

The focus for Poirier is decidedly local, with vendors coming from the mid-Island area.

“We really try to support our local south end businesses, I think this weekend we have close to 20 or 25 businesses just from the Cedar-Yellow Point area and a lot of food producers and artisans.”

The June 28 market is currently scheduled to be a formal celebration of the event’s 30-year history, however plans are still in the making for the event.

Poirier said it’s been incredible to watch, and be part of, the event’s growth over the years.

“This started 30 years ago at the Crow & Gate Pub with just a handful of farmers and the Cedar Women’s Institute, and now we’ve gone from six vendors back then to 175 different businesses that participate through our six-month season.”

The Cedar Farmers Market runs every Sunday from Mother’s Day to Halloween, with a special Christmas-themed market in mid-November.

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by Alex Rawnsley

30th anniversary season kicking off for Cedar Farmers Market

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