El Paso (and Las Cruces) Farmer's Markets

El Paso (and Las Cruces) Farmer's Markets

Farmers Markets Here vs. Back Home

Farmers markets are a nice thing to do, usually on the weekends: a way to get outside, meet new people, get some fresh air, walk the dog, and pick up some food or crafts. El Paso has a number of them.

If you're moving from a different part of the country, the farmers markets here might look a little different from what you're used to. We recently moved from Wisconsin, and before that Florida. In Wisconsin, summer farmers markets meant a lot of fresh produce, but there were no farmers markets at all in winter, since there's 12 inches of snow on the ground. Here in El Paso, farmers markets run pretty much all year round. This was filmed in February 2022, and we went to these markets just in the past week or so.

Another difference is that El Paso's farmers markets don't have as much food, at least not this time of year. They're more focused on arts and crafts, along with baked goods and services. There will be more food in the summer, and the Las Cruces farmers market especially tends to have more of that traditional produce market feel once summer comes around.

Downtown Artists and Farmers Market

This market is located on 117th Anthony Street, near Union Plaza Park and Southwest University Stadium. It runs all year, every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with free parking available. The market was established in 2011 with help from the El Paso Museum and Cultural Affairs Department, giving locals a place to get together and share their products with the community. El Paso has always been a city that supports local, whether it's artists, farmers, or musicians, so if you're ever downtown, it's a good way to get a taste of the culture.

Upper Valley Market

This market is located at Mesa Plaza, 7930 North Mesa Street, and also runs year round, every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with plenty of parking around the venue. It started in 2017 at the substation with only 15 vendors and has since grown to host up to 130 vendors.

They also host a Chuco Market on the last Sunday of every month at the Chuco Relic in Central El Paso, at 3750 Gateway Boulevard East, also from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. And they host a market at the Outlet Shops of El Paso, at 7051 South Desert Boulevard, on specific dates: February 26th, March 19th, March 26th, April 23rd, and April 30th.

Country Club Market

This market is located at River Run Plaza, 1071 Country Club Road, and runs all year, every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with plenty of parking around the venue. It's a little bit bigger than the Downtown Artists and Farmers Market, with up to 70 local vendors.

The Country Club Market also hosts a separate event on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. called the Night Market, which usually starts up in March and runs through spring, summer, and fall. They also have a separate Cielo Vista Market on the east side, on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., located at the food court parking lot at Cielo Vista. It hosts over 120 local vendors, and at one point was voted the most successful farmers market launched on the east side of El Paso.

We stopped by one vendor at that market because my girlfriend thought everything there was adorable, so we ended up getting her a few earrings, and the vendor was nice enough to throw in a little El Paso magnet for free.

Las Cruces Market

This market is located at the Plaza de Las Cruces, 221 North Main Street, and it actually runs on two separate days. There's a smaller version on Wednesday, centered around the plaza itself, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and then the full market on Saturday, also 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., which spans seven city blocks in downtown Las Cruces.

This market started in 1971 and hosts over 200 vendors on its Saturday market, so it's a fairly large market, maybe one of the biggest we have around here, and it was actually voted one of the top farmers markets in the country at one point. It's a very family friendly market, and pet friendly too. If you're ever in the Las Cruces area and feel like shopping for something a little different, it's worth stopping by, whether on a Saturday or a Wednesday.

Wrapping Up

We hope this gave you a sense of the markets around the El Paso area, so that whenever you have a free moment on the weekend, you can decide to shop locally, find yourself something completely unique, and help support our community from within.