"Kicks off on Saturday, October 3 from 9 AM – 1 PM at the Andover Farmers Market." That line from the ARTful Andover Art Walk announcement on Andover Patch starts the art walk in a Saturday parking lot instead of a gallery or a storefront.
That choice makes more sense this year. In 2026 the market lot at 34 Bartlet Street became a permanent fixture of downtown Andover. This October, things start there and then move out into downtown. The market closes on October 17. The art that launched beside the produce tents stays on view in downtown businesses until Halloween.
What a Permanent Lot Gave the Market
The Andover Farmers Market opened its 20th season on June 20. It now has what Andover News called a long-term location, in the parking lots next to Andover Town Park and near the Town Offices. Organizers worked out the arrangement with town officials during the offseason. The market also got financial support from the town through opioid settlement funds.
The market started in 2006 through the work of a Phillips Academy student and the Andover Center for History & Culture. Andover News described it in June as one of the town's largest weekly community gatherings. Organizers expected to beat the previous year's record for vendors and community partners. Two counts appear for vendors. The town's calendar listing says 25+ vendors each week. Before opening day, organizers told Andover News they expected more than 35 food producers and artisans each week. Both figures are at least 25.
It's a producer-only market. Its 2026 vendor roster covers the whole season and includes these farms:
- Farmer Dave's
- Gaouette Farm
- Leaf Water Farms
- Liberty Hill Farm
- Pleasant Valley Gardens
- Tewksbury Honey
The roster doesn't say which vendors come on which Saturday. The market sends shoppers to its website and social channels for each week's lineup.
The site also carries more than produce. HOME Yoga leads weekly yoga classes, and the Merrimack Valley Community Music School coordinates the live music. The Power of Produce Club gives children ages 4 to 12 $3 in tokens each week to spend at the market. The market is federally licensed and doubles SNAP purchases up to $25 a week, so a shopper can get up to $50 in eligible food. Vendors also accept WIC, Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and Healthy Incentives Program benefits. Each week the market collects food for the Village Food Hub, which runs a 24-hour food pantry in Ballardvale. A temporary spot can host a Saturday market. A permanent one gives programs like these the same address every week.
October 3 Put Three Events on One Lot
October 3 showed what the location can now hold. The Art Walk kickoff ran from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the market. In June, organizers had said the market would partner with the Town of Andover on October's Art Walk.
RevFest 250, billed as Andover's Great American Gathering, ran at The Park from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. the same day. It was free and open to all. Andover News reported before the event that the Andover Celebrates America 250 Committee was hosting and the Andover Center for History & Culture was co-sponsoring. The planned program included:
- Colonial craft demonstrations and Revolutionary War reenactors
- Walking tours
- A display by the Cowasuck Band of the Penacook/Abenaki
- Period music by Prescott's Battalion
- A free concert by Them Apples
- A 300-drone show at 7 p.m.
That list comes from coverage published before the day. The Andover Center for History & Culture keeps a Revolution 250 page where it described October 3 as a day of celebration, crafts, art and music at The Park on Bartlet Street. A farmers market in the morning, an art walk starting at the same time, and an all-day festival running into the evening all happened at one address. That's the clearest sign so far of what the permanent lot can support.
The Art Walk Outlasts the Market by Two Weeks
This is the fourth year of the ARTful Andover Art Walk. The Town of Andover's Planning and Land Use Division and the Andover Arts and Culture Alliance present it. It shows work by more than 34 local artists at 25 business locations downtown, as a self-guided tour that runs through Saturday, October 31. The announcement suggests planning lunch or dinner and some shopping around the stops.
The market's last day comes two weeks before the Art Walk ends. The final Saturday is October 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. After that the Bartlet Street lot is quiet on Saturday mornings, but the art that launched there stays in 25 downtown businesses for two more weekends. Here are the two closing dates side by side:
| Andover Farmers Market | ARTful Andover Art Walk | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Lots beside Town Park, 34 Bartlet St. | 25 downtown business locations |
| 2026 run | June 20 to Oct. 17, Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Oct. 3 to Oct. 31, self-guided |
| Who's involved | Producer-only vendors | More than 34 local artists |
The announcement doesn't name the artists or the 25 businesses, so you'll find the stops by walking downtown. The kickoff page on Patch is still the easiest public reference for the dates.
The Rest of October Stays Downtown
Around the market's last two Saturdays, the calendar keeps going on the downtown streets where the Art Walk is installed, and then on into December.
Thursday, October 8, 5 to 8 p.m. The town calendar lists Witches Night Out for "Downtown Andover and beyond!" and asks people to check back for details. That evening falls in the middle of the Art Walk, when work is up in downtown businesses.
Saturdays, October 10 and 17, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. These are the last two market days of the 20th season.
Wednesday, October 28, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Andover Patch reports that downtown businesses and town departments will take part in Downtown Trick-or-Treat, with departments greeting visitors outside Old Town Hall.
Saturday, October 31, 5 to 7 p.m. These are the townwide trick-or-treating hours. The Art Walk also ends that day.
Thursday, December 10, 5 to 8 p.m. The Downtown Holiday Shop and Dine Stroll is on the town calendar, and the town says more details are coming.
That's six fixed dates over about nine weeks. The two market Saturdays use the Bartlet Street lot. Witches Night Out and both trick-or-treat dates happen downtown while the Art Walk is still up, and the December stroll brings people back to the same blocks after it ends.
Elm Square and Elm Street Are Changing Too
The downtown that hosts these events is also changing, a few blocks away. Leader Bank opened a full-service branch at 2 Elm Square and held a grand-opening celebration on October 6, Andover Patch reported.
Down Elm Street, a developer is asking to demolish the building at 18 Elm St. that housed Palmer's Restaurant and Tavern for 30 years, until it closed in May 2025. The plan would combine that lot with 24–26 Elm St. for a 12-unit residential building, according to Andover News. The building dates to about 1819. Over the years it has been a residence, a funeral home, and home to other commercial businesses. The Andover Preservation Commission started reviewing the demolition application on August 11 and visited the site on August 20.
The commission can find that a historically significant building is "preferably preserved." That would block a demolition permit for up to 12 months while alternatives are explored, and the delay can be lifted earlier under certain conditions. As of early September, no development application had been filed with the Planning Department. The existing building stays standing until the residential proposal gets every required town approval. For now, this fall's Elm Street looks much the way it did last fall.
Put together, this October shows how downtown Andover's calendar now works. The market's permanent home at 34 Bartlet Street held three events on October 3, and two weeks after the October 17 finale, the art that started there is still up on downtown's blocks.
At The Good Life Real Estate Group, we keep track of calendars like this one because a town's rhythm is part of knowing it, whether you've lived in Andover for twenty years or are just learning which Saturday the market closes. If you'd like to talk about what's changing downtown, from Bartlet Street to Elm Square, we're happy to share what we're seeing. Contact Us anytime.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
