The Belmont Farmers’ Market is slated to open June 4 for the 2026 season.
With new vendors and returning traditions, Thursday afternoons in the Claflin Street parking lot will once again become a lively hub of fresh food, local businesses and community connection. The market will run until Oct. 29.
“It’s a great community event,” said Hal Shubin, chair of the market committee. “It’s just nice to walk around, see people hanging out together, watching music.”
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of opening day.
New Vendors
Each year, the Farmers’ Market hosts a plethora of local vendors selling fresh produce, baked goods, meat and dairy products, honey, and more.
“We like to curate the market so that not only do you have all these wonderful farms, there’s wonderful produce, but we have everything you need to create a meal,” said Suzanne Johannet, president of the Belmont Food Collaborative.
Previous Coverage
This year, the market will host 13 new vendors, according to its website. In total, there will be more than 40 vendors at this year’s market.
Here are the new vendors for the 2026 season:
- Drumlin Farm, Mass Audubon
- Lucky Bao Bakery
- Sweet from Scratch
- Annavana Foods
- Chitarra Pastaria
- Solstice Small Batch Pasta and Provisions
- Taste of the Straits hot sauces
- WLDFLR flour
- Akerman Maple Farm
- Terrarium Coffee drinks
- Hoppy Pop
- Wilson Confections macarons
- Vilca personal-care products
The market also operates an events tent and a community tent. The events tent has live music, and the community tent offers a space for local officials and residents to connect and take part in office hours and informational events. This year, the market will host a fundraising day for Belmont High School, during which student clubs will raise money for various nonprofits.
Food Assistance Programs
Through the years, the market has expanded its food assistance programs in response to ongoing constraints and cutbacks at the state and federal levels. Last year, 720 households in Belmont, representing 1,121 individuals, were enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
However, Shubin said there is likely more food insecurity in town than the numbers show.
To help combat local food insecurity, the Farmers’ Market, part of the Belmont Food Collaborative, doubles SNAP benefits up to $25 per week. It also doubles Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) coupons for eligible seniors and families that are part of the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC).
Last year, Massachusetts cut its Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), which gave SNAP recipients an additional $40 to 80 per month in free produce. In response, the Farmers’ Market started HIP+, which provides $20 per month for produce purchases to anyone who wants it, regardless of whether they qualify for SNAP benefits.
The Farmers’ Market provided more than $51,000 in food assistance last year across all of its programs.
“We’ve just been committed for a long, long time, almost since the beginning, to making sure that healthy, local, fresh food should be available to everybody, not just people with cash in their pockets,” Johannet said.
The POP Kids Club also works to provide kids with fresh produce and equip them with healthy eating habits. Each week, kids can sign up to get $3 in market money to buy any fruits, vegetables, or food-producing plants they want.
“We give kids these certificates, and they become meal planners and shoppers and savers,” Shubin said.
Opening day on June 4 will feature the market’s fifth Food Assistance Information Fair, helping connect families with local resources and raising awareness of food insecurity in Belmont.
“It’s both to help people in need, to expand their understanding of what they can try to get to help put food on the table, and for the overall community,” Johannet said.
Volunteer Opportunities
As the market gears up for opening day, several volunteer positions remain available. In particular, Shubin said the market is looking for volunteers to help set up/break down the market every Thursday, as well as volunteers to help with social media and the market’s food assistance programs. The market also needs a volunteer coordinator.
More information on how to volunteer is available on the market’s website.
The Belmont Farmers’ Market will run every Thursday starting at 2 p.m. at 10 Claflin St. On June 4, the market will kick off its 21st season with speakers and a ribbon-cutting at 1:30 p.m.
