New-look Athens Farmers Market kicks off 2025 season
Published 6:00 pm Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Officials officially open market season Tuesday May 6. Photo courtesy city of Athens
Lisa's Baker-E offers a variety of baked goods and gluten free options. Photo courtesy city of Athens
Vendors and customers crowd the market on opening day. Photo courtesy city of Athens
Customers pick up some greenery on opening day of the Athens Farmers Market. Photo courtesy city of Athens
A variety of vendors were on hand for opening day at the Athens Farmers Market. Photo courtesy city of Athens
Customers pick up some goodies on opening day of the Athens Farmers Market. Photo courtesy city of Athens
Ready to eat local this summer? The season for shopping home-grown produce is officially here, after the Athens Farmers Market held its 2025 kickoff event on Tuesday, may 6, at Doug Gates Park.
Opening with ceremony to commemorate more than $800,000 in recent park renovations, the market hosted an afternoon ribbon cutting to celebrate the start of an abundant new growing season. From now through September, the market will hold regular weekly opening dates, making it easy to incorporate locally-raised food into your summertime grocery routine.
There’s no cost to pop in and browse the market during any of its open dates from May through late September. During that period, the market will always be open on Tuesdays, while Saturday dates also will be added from June through the end of August.
Here are the open dates for this year’s Athens Farmers Market:
- Tuesdays: May 13 through Aug. 26 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturdays: June 7 through Sept. 27 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Located at 409 W. Green Street in Athens, the market’s home at Doug Gates Park has seen significant upgrades thanks to a major recent refresh. In partnership with the Limestone County Commission (which owns the property), market organizer Athens Main Street helped steward the project with a new paint and a new roof at the park pavilion, alongside reworked landscaping that added new trees and indigenous local plants.
An expansion of the park’s entertainment pavilion also added more space for market vendors while also offering additional room for a whole slate of other uses when the market itself isn’t open. Coupled with the county commission’s recent facility upgrades (including handicap accessible restrooms, new vendor tables, large fans, and improved electrical service), the farmers market begins its 2025 season with much more to offer than ever before — both for customers and for the local growers who help sustain home-grown agriculture in Limestone County.
Find the Athens Farmers Market online at athensmainstreet.org/athens-farmers-market, and follow the latest market news and events on Facebook (just search the platform for “Athens Farmers Market.”) Interested in becoming a vendor? Learn more online at the above address, which includes additional links to a vendor application and a periodic market newsletter.
