The Farmers Market Season Begins!
Kristi Viray, Marketing and Outreach Coordinator
Farmers market season is almost here, and we can’t wait to see you out there!
The FCPA Farmers Markets are back this spring, bringing fresh, local food to 10 locations across Fairfax County: Annandale, Burke, Herndon, Kingstowne, Lorton, McLean, Mount Vernon, Oakmont, Reston, and Wakefield. From April through November, more than 25 amazing volunteers help run our markets each week, serving over 9,000 weekly shoppers.
All 125 of our farmers and producers only sell what they grow, raise, or make themselves. When you shop at our markets, you’re directly supporting local farms and small businesses.
We’re also working hard to make our markets greener. Every market offers free food scrap collection and free compostable bags to cut down on landfill waste. Last season alone, shoppers helped divert over 148,000 pounds of food scraps from the landfill and turned it into nutrient-rich compost. Our markets are now plastic-bag free, and we distributed more than 600,000 compostable bags to our vendors. Shoppers can also pick up free reusable shopping bags and washable produce bags at the information tent.
We want fresh, healthy food to be accessible to everyone. At five of our markets, shoppers can exchange their SNAP benefits for tokens. We partner with Virginia Fresh Match to double those funds (up to $40), so families can take home twice as many fruits and vegetables. Last year, this program generated almost $105,000 in sales, helping both local farmers and families in our community.
Our Nourish Your Neighbor program is another way markets give back. On the last market day of each month, customers can buy extra produce and donate it on site to a local food pantry. From May to October last season, shoppers donated over 5,000 pounds of fresh produce. During the government shutdown in October 2025, the community stepped up even more, contributing 1,500 pounds of fresh food to help neighbors in need.
As we head into a new season, we’re excited to keep growing our environmental efforts and food access programs while continuing to bring you fresh, local food!
Learn more about our markets and apply to volunteer at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/farmersmarkets/. See you at the markets!
