Join Prince William County in Celebrating National Farmers Market Week!

It’s National Farmers Market Week (August 6-12) and we invite you to celebrate with us by stopping by one of our fabulous farmers markets to support the local vendors that sell at our markets each week.

Wondering why farmers markets are important? Among many reasons, farmers markets help fuel local economies. In 2020, of the $2.9 billion in direct-to-consumer sales reported by the USDA, on-farm stores and farmers markets accounted for $1.7 billion (59%). And approximately 78% of farms selling directly to customers sold all their directly marketed food within a 100-mile radius of the farm. For every dollar of nutrition incentives spent on farm direct purchases, such as at a farmers market, it is estimated to result in a contribution of up to 3 dollars to the U.S. economy. 

Farmers markets also foster shared values between community members and farmers which can work to create a more fair and sustainable food system. For more than fifty years, farmers markets have influenced the way Americans eat, shop, and connect to their food, their farmers, and one another. Farmers markets are more than market places, they are places where neighbors learn, grow, and work together.

Since 1987, our award-winning Dale City Farmers Market has been connecting and serving Prince William County residents. With nearly 50 vendors in the summer and 20+ in the winter, it is one of the largest open-air markets in the region. Last year, the Dale City Farmers Market was once again voted ‘Best Agritourism Attraction/Event’ in Prince William County by InsideNova in their “Best of” issue, marking the sixth year the market has won the award having previously won in 2015 through 2019. 

The Dale City Farmers Market is currently open on Sundays through November 26, from 8 am – 1 pm, and then beginning December through March, on Sundays from 10 am – 1 pm. This year’s Dale City Holiday Market will be held on Saturday, December 2, from 9:30 am to 3 pm.

Due to popular demand, we also host the Prince William Farmers Market on Thursdays through November 9, from 3 – 7 pm, at Pfitzner Stadium. Here you can find many of the same dedicated vendors as Dale City and delicious foods, other offerings and more.

You can view the vendor lists for both markets here.

We encourage you to support farmers markets not just this week but all year-round. And if you visit one of our markets, we invite you to share a photo from your visit or your market “haul” on social media by using #LoveMyMarket and #FarmersMarketWeek along with #PWCparks.