"What started with just 13 vendors in a small parking lot has grown into a Saturday morning tradition for residents and visitors alike," Mayor Keith A. James said as the West Palm Beach GreenMarket got ready for its 32nd season. The market opened on the Great Lawn at 100 N. Clematis St. on Saturday, Oct. 3. It runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. every Saturday through May 22, 2027.
The parking lot has grown into more than 100 vendors and an average of 10,000 to 15,000 visitors on a Saturday. The way the city decides who gets a booth hasn't gotten as much attention. That process explains why the tents along the waterfront this fall will mostly be the same ones you see in May. It also explains why four of them just became the closest thing the market has to permanent fixtures.
A Booth Is Won Every Other March
The city doesn't take applications every season. On its application platform, it describes a 30-day window that opens once every two years, in March. After the window closes, applicants go through an in-person election, and the vendors for the coming season are chosen from that process.
Before anyone gets to the election, the product has to fit one of 10 categories:
- All Natural / Home Decor
- Bakery / Confectionary
- Beverage
- Cafe / Restaurant
- Dairy / Meat / Poultry / Seafood
- Farmer / Grower
- Flowers / Plants / Trees
- Gourmet Pet Foods & Treats
- Gourmet Processed Foods
- Produce Reseller
Antiques, clothing, jewelry and crafts are excluded. That rule shapes the waterfront more than any theme does. The GreenMarket is a food, plant and pantry market by design, and it stays that way because of what the application accepts.
The timing matters this fall. The city's vendor application page says the application for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons has closed and will open again in March 2027. The 2025 call ran through March 31 of that year and covered both seasons. This season is the second half of that cycle. The next open competition for spots comes after the market's last Saturday of the season has been scheduled, not before.
Four Vendors Who Are Out of the Running
This year the city added a way to skip the vote entirely. Four vendors who have been at the GreenMarket for 15 years or more were named "Legacy Vendors," and they no longer have to compete for their spot. They are Leila, Macy's Smoked Fish Dip, Makeb's and Mozzarita.
When the March 2027 application opens, every other vendor goes back into the pool, and these four don't. If one of them is part of your regular Saturday loop, it's the stall most likely to still be there after the next election.
Three of the four also have a home base away from the Great Lawn, which helps on the six days the market isn't running.
| Legacy Vendor | What they sell | Where else to find them |
|---|---|---|
| Leila | Middle Eastern food | Restaurant at 120 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach |
| Makeb's | Fresh bagels, omelettes, sandwiches, subs, soups and coffee | 300 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach |
| Mozzarita | Hand-pulled mozzarella and other fresh cheeses, including burrata | The Cheese Shoppe, 1301 10th St., Suite 2, Lake Park |
| Macy's Smoked Fish Dip | Smoked fish dip and hot sauce in Original, Spicy and Garlic | Nelson Family Farms' farm store and select markets |
The city's vendor list links Leila straight to Leila's own site, which gives its current address on South Dixie Highway rather than Clematis Street. Makeb's is a few blocks down the same road. Between the two, a Saturday favorite becomes something you can get on a Tuesday lunch break.
The Five Names That Are New This Fall
With most of the roster carried over from last season, the clearest change at the stalls this year is the group of five vendors the city welcomed as new: Ba Café, Arya Tea Bar, Macaroner, Sayblee Products and Truffle Smiles. Here's what's known about them so far:
- Arya Tea Bar serves matcha, fruit refreshers and classic teas. It already has a storefront at 508 Clematis St. The Palm Beach Post reported that the shop opened in January. The market booth sits a few blocks east of a shop that's open the rest of the week.
- Ba Café was described by WPTV as a Vietnamese coffee vendor in a preview of the 2025-26 season. The city lists it as new again for 2026-27, so the booth may have changed since that report.
- Macaroner's online shop sells build-your-own boxes, a vegan line and a sampler.
- Sayblee Products and Truffle Smiles are on the city's list of new vendors. The city hasn't published descriptions of what either one sells, so the market itself is the best place to find out.
The Saturdays That Don't Follow the Pattern
Because the lineup is steady, the season's variety comes from the calendar instead. The city's theme for 2026-27 is "The World, Right Here," built around vendors representing Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and beyond. A handful of dates break from the usual Saturday. The city's showcase page lists the chef dates without years. The years below follow from the season, which runs from October 2026 to May 2027:
| Date | What's different |
|---|---|
| Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026 | First Master Chef Showcase of the season |
| Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026 | Master Chef Showcase |
| Saturday, Jan. 30, 2027 | Master Chef Showcase |
| Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027 | Market closed for the Palm Tree Festival |
| Saturday, March 20, 2027 | Market closed for the Palm Beach International Boat Show |
| Saturday, April 10, 2027 | Final Master Chef Showcase |
| Saturday, May 22, 2027 | Last market of the season |
The showcase puts Palm Beach County chefs head to head, presenting dishes to a judging panel. Restaurants, caterers, food trucks and private chefs can apply by email. The city hasn't named this season's competitors yet. The chef profiles on that page are from earlier seasons. The two closed Saturdays fall six weeks apart in late winter, so February and March each have one weekend without a market.
The city's season announcement also lists live music and weekly workshops as part of the market.
The Closest Garages Are the Ones That Charge
The parking setup carries over from last season, and the Post reports the same arrangement for 2026-27. During market hours, three city garages are free:
- City Center Garage, 401 Banyan Blvd.
- Clematis Street Garage, 500 Banyan Blvd.
- Sapodilla City Garage, 640 Clematis St.
The Banyan Garage at 200 Banyan Blvd. and the Evernia Garage at 333 Evernia St. are the closest to the Great Lawn. Both charge the city's all-day weekend flat rate of $5. The free garages are a longer walk up Banyan and Clematis. The Sapodilla garage on the 600 block of Clematis puts Arya Tea Bar's storefront on your route to the water.
If you'd rather skip the car, the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority runs a free bike valet at 143 N. Narcissus Ave., at the corner of Clematis Street, during the same 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. window. It's operated by Bike West Palm Beach, and staff will do a complimentary check of your bike's air, brakes and chain while you shop.
The city also sets aside 8:30 to 9 a.m. every Saturday as a Quiet Shopping Time for visitors who prefer a lower-stimulus market, with Quiet Spaces along the eastern edge of the market area. That first half hour comes before the crowds build, and before the March 2027 application decides who sets up on the Great Lawn in October 2027.
If your Saturday route runs from a Clematis garage to the waterfront and back, you already know downtown West Palm Beach the way buyers who are thinking about the area are trying to learn it. When you're ready to talk about what living near the market or the South Dixie corridor looks like for your next move, Michelle Nelson - FL can walk you through it block by block. Schedule Your Free Consultation.
