Downtown Tempe Has a Sunday Market Again. Here's How It Fits Into Your Weekend

"With the community's support, we can build the best Sunday market in the state from here." That's Jon Przybyl, owner of Proof Bread, in the City of Tempe's announcement of the Tempe City Hall Farmers Market. In that same release he listed his reasons. Tempe is centrally located, it has the infrastructure for a market, its streets offer free Sunday parking, and its population is "primed for this kind of event."

That's a bold goal for a market whose first Sunday came only days ago. High winds pushed back the planned October 11 opening, and the market launched on Sunday, October 18 at City Hall Plaza. City Hall sits at 31 E. Fifth St. Hours are 8 a.m. to noon on most Sundays from October through April. From May through September it shifts earlier, to 7 to 11 a.m.

The Sunday Slot Tempe Is Claiming

Most of the region's established markets meet on Saturday. Tempe's market does have Sunday company, though: Ahwatukee and High Street were already holding Sunday markets before October 18.

Two things stand out in that table. Tempe's market opens an hour before the other two Sunday markets, which matters in a region where the most comfortable outdoor hours come early. And while Ahwatukee and High Street sit in a suburban corridor and a north Phoenix mixed-use district, Tempe's market is in the middle of a working downtown. The Gilbert Farmers Market, despite its name, meets on Pecos Road in Chandler.

Why City Hall Works on a Sunday

Axios Phoenix pointed out that Tempe City Hall is closed on weekends, which leaves its plaza open for a weekly market. The "infrastructure" Przybyl mentioned is spelled out on the city's market page:

• Street parking is free across Downtown Tempe on Sundays.
• City Hall parking garage, 117 E. Fifth St., is free for the first hour.
• Brickyard parking garage, 98 E. Seventh St., costs $4 per hour.
• Restrooms inside City Hall stay open during market hours, and there are more public restrooms at the Tempe Transportation Center on Fifth Street and Forest Avenue.

Put together, a regular trip is simple. Park on the street for free, shop for an hour, and you're home before the late-morning heat. If you drive into the City Hall garage, its free first hour covers a quick trip. The Brickyard rate only matters if you stay longer.

Downtown Tempe has hosted a Sunday market before. The 6th Street Market met on Sundays at 24 E. Sixth St. with local artists, produce and live music, according to a 2019 PHOENIX magazine guide. The Downtown Tempe archive lists dates through November 22, 2020. The new market brings a Sunday market back to downtown Tempe nearly six years after those last listed dates.

Who Is Running It, and Why That Shapes What You'll Find

The market is a partnership between the City of Tempe, Przybyl and Meg Kabotie Adakai, who founded the Flagstaff Mountain-Town Market. Both organizers come from farmers markets themselves.

Proof Bread's own history says Jon and Amanda Przybyl became its owners in 2017 after meeting its founder at a farmers market, and the bakery later moved from a Mesa garage into a historic Downtown Mesa building. Mountain-Town Market describes itself as an Indigenous-woman-owned Flagstaff market centered on local growers, food, artisans, community and live music. In the city's release, Kabotie Adakai said she believes "food is medicine and art."

That approach shows in the organizers' vendor wish list, which goes well beyond produce stands:

• Farmers, gardeners, ranchers, mushroom growers, beekeepers and Arizona foragers
• Artisan food makers, including take-home grocery items, treats, and hot food and drinks
• Face painters, henna artists, live sketch and portrait artists, and typewriter poets
• Musicians who can play "gentle farmers market morning vibes for tips"
• Dog treat makers, including Arizona antler chews
• Body care, teas and wellness products made with local ingredients
• A limited number of arts and crafts vendors working with agricultural or natural materials

Vendors who commit to coming every week get a "founders rate," and applications take at least two weeks to process. Both details point to a market still filling its tables. Expect the lineup to change from week to week through the fall, and check @tchfarmersmarket on Instagram for current vendors. The organizers also post weather calls and day-of changes there.

One practical note for regular shoppers: EBT and Double Up Food Bucks aren't accepted yet. Organizers are working on it, according to the city.

The Sundays Between Now and Mid-December

The organizers' calendar runs the first season through April 11, 2027, with breaks on two festival weekends. Here's how the next seven weeks line up with the rest of Tempe's calendar:

1. Sunday, Nov. 1. Market from 8 a.m. to noon. Tempe Tardeada begins at noon at the Tempe Community Complex, 3500 S. Rural Road, and runs until 8 p.m. The city lists it as a free family event.
2. Sundays, Nov. 8, 15 and 22. Regular market mornings, 8 a.m. to noon.
3. Sunday, Nov. 29. Market day, the morning after the Fantasy of Lights Street Parade and Tree Lighting on Saturday, Nov. 28.
4. Sunday, Dec. 6. No market. That's the final day of the Tempe Festival of the Arts, listed for Dec. 4 to 6 in Downtown Tempe, though the festival notes its dates are tentative.
5. Sunday, Dec. 13. The market returns, the day after the Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade at Tempe Beach Park on Saturday, Dec. 12.

The Tempe Tourism listing shows market dates through December 27. Summer dates on the earlier 7 a.m. schedule will be posted once the second-season calendar is out.

The market also arrives as downtown wraps up its Mill Avenue restoration, which the free Meet Me on Mill event was scheduled to celebrate on October 23 with live music on two stages along the widened sidewalks. For more on what's opening nearby, see our guide to Mill Avenue's restaurant wave. The next market morning is Sunday, November 1, at 8 a.m. on City Hall Plaza.

At Timeless, we follow how Tempe's weekends are changing, from new Sunday traditions downtown to the restaurants opening around them. If you're wondering how changes like these affect what your home near downtown is worth, we'd be glad to talk it over. Schedule a consultation and get a free home valuation, or explore more on our Tempe neighborhood page.