If you've been telling yourself you still have all of September to get out to the Sammamish Farmers Market, you're working from an old mental calendar. The market's own schedule puts the last day at Wednesday, September 16, which means from today there are exactly three Wednesdays left, not a loose month of them. September 2 is the market's Sustainable Sammamish day, and September 2 and 9 have shortened hours.
That matters more this year than most: the Sammamish Independent reports that the market has grown since it started as a modest produce stand back in 2008 under the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce. The 2026 season is running with more than 60 vendors and support from 24 sponsors, which is a different animal than the market that used to fit in a corner of the Commons. If you've been treating a Wednesday evening trip as optional background noise, the last month of this particular season is worth a second look.
The Market's Closing Schedule
The market runs every Wednesday from May 6 through mid-September at Sammamish Commons, 801 228th Ave SE, usually from 4 to 8 p.m. That's been true all summer and it's the pattern most residents have baked into their weekly routine. The hours shrink for the final two Wednesdays before closing. The market's organizers have confirmed that on September 2 and September 9, the evening will run 4 to 7 p.m. instead of the usual four hours.
Here's what the closing stretch actually looks like:
| Date | Hours | What's happening |
|---|---|---|
| September 2 | 4 – 7 p.m. (shortened) | Sustainable Sammamish theme day, first week of the earlier close |
| September 9 | 4 – 7 p.m. (shortened) | Second week of the earlier close |
| September 16 | Final day of the 2026 season | Last Wednesday before the market goes dark until next May |
That's the entire remaining window. Miss a Wednesday from here and you've lost a third of what's left.
Sustainable Sammamish Day Is September 2
Backed by Sammamish Plateau Water, Puget Sound Energy, Republic Services, and the Cascade Water Alliance, the event focuses on practical ideas around reducing, reusing, and eating in season.
If you're choosing which remaining date to prioritize, September 2 is a natural choice if that programming is your draw.
Don't Confuse This With the Block Party
One thing worth untangling if you're new to Sammamish or just haven't kept close track: the farmers market at the Commons is a separate event from the Sammamish Block Party, even though both carry the Chamber of Commerce's fingerprints. The Block Party runs at the Sammamish Presbyterian Church parking lot, not the Commons, and its 2026 dates were July 22 and August 21. That second date has already come and gone. If you're picturing carnival games and a beer and wine garden as part of your farmers market plan, you're thinking of a different evening that's already off the books this year. The market itself, with its produce stalls and food trucks, is the one still running for three more Wednesdays.
A Sign of the Market's Growth
The clearest sign that this isn't the small neighborhood market some residents remember is the growth in one specific program. The market's Power of Produce voucher effort, which gives kids between 4 and 10 a two-dollar credit toward a fruit or vegetable of their choice, went from roughly 300 participating kids in 2024 to about 800 in 2025. That's not a rounding error. That's participation nearly tripling in a single year, in a program that only works if families are actually showing up on a regular Wednesday, not just for the marquee events.
Market manager Pam Saito, who also owns Five Hooks Seafood, has described the value for small vendors in terms of exposure: a single evening at a booth puts a business in front of hundreds of people who might never have found it otherwise. Sammamish Chamber CEO Julie Honn has framed the market similarly, pointing to the plateau's mix of cultures as the reason the Wednesday gathering works the way it does, pulling people out onto the grass to listen to music and meet neighbors they wouldn't otherwise cross paths with. Neither of those is marketing language. It's a fairly accurate description of what a Wednesday evening at the Commons has become as the vendor count has climbed past 60 and the sponsor list has grown to 24.
Choosing Among the Remaining Market Days
You don't need a strategy for a farmers market. But if you're weighing which of your remaining Wednesdays to prioritize, the math is simple. September 2 gives you a shorter window and the sustainability programming. September 9 repeats that shortened window, and September 16 is your last chance to visit before the market goes dark until next May.
If you've got young kids and haven't used the Power of Produce vouchers yet, the program's growth suggests plenty of other Sammamish families have already figured out something worth knowing about. And if daylight matters to your evening plans, build the September hours change into how you time dinner, because 7 p.m. arrives faster than the 8 p.m. close you've gotten used to all summer.
None of this requires planning ahead by more than a week. It just requires knowing that "I still have all of September" was never actually true.
Whether you're a longtime Sammamish Plateau resident or just getting to know the neighborhood rhythms, staying close to the small details like this is part of what keeps a place feel like home rather than just an address. If you're ever curious about what's happening in the Sammamish housing market itself, or thinking ahead to a move on the Eastside, Angie Holmstrom is always glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.
