Beginning May 7, the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market will be operating its Saturday market at a new location: Fifth Street and McKinley, south parking lot on the Phoenix Bioscience Core, which is located between Roosevelt Row and the central business district. Without a break in service to the community, the market and its 90+ farmers and vendors will transition to the new location where the market will have more space to expand and more opportunities to feed our community. 

“We are thrilled to announce that the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market is not closing; instead, we continue to serve our community at a new home with the Phoenix Bioscience Core,” said Tanya Chakravarty, executive director of the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market. “This move and the partnership with PBC allows us to write the next chapter of the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market and to continue the good work started by Cindy Gentry and others.” 

The Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market has served as a local food hub since 2005 and is a vital asset to the downtown community. The market offers a community gathering space that supports local farmers and showcases the cultural, diverse, and entrepreneurial spirit of the vendors and artisans who are essential to our community – this includes Blue Sky Organic Farm and Crooked Sky Farms who continue to serve as anchor farms for the market.

“We are happy to welcome the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market to our community,” said David Krietor, executive director of the Phoenix Bioscience Core. “The farmers market will continue to thrive in this new location, and we’re excited to see how our university and entrepreneurial partners on the PBC will engage with this great event for downtown Phoenix.” 

The market’s new location places it in the heart of Phoenix Bioscience Core, which is home to thousands of researchers, students, and staff from all three state universities. The farmers market will be stationed in the south parking lot of 850 PBC, a seven-story, 225,000 square-foot facility developed by Wexford Science + Technology in partnership with Arizona State University. 

“We are grateful for the downtown Phoenix community who love the farmers market and wanted it to stay. Thank you also to our community partners: City of Phoenix’s Planning and Economic Development Department, Phoenix Bioscience Core, Arizona State University, and Wexford Science + Technology,” Chakravarty added. “Their support and dedication in helping us find solutions and securing a new home for the market will help make this transition a reality. We are really looking forward to working with the Bioscience High School to reduce and divert food waste and to work with the many ASU programs to support entrepreneurs and farmers.” 

“The Downtown Phoenix Farmer’s Market is going to be an amazing resource for the Phoenix Bioscience Core and ASU’s Downtown Phoenix Campus,” said Rick Naimark, ASU’s associate Vice President for development. “ASU is dedicated to creating deep connections with the communities that it serves, and by locating the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market to the Phoenix Bioscience Core, we hope to foster new collaborations through programs in our College of Health Solutions, Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, and other Downtown Phoenix programs that will improve public health outcomes and provide resources for Phoenix-area small businesses and entrepreneurs.”

“While our vendors and the community they serve have prospered much over the years at 721 N. Central Ave, it’s time to begin a new journey of development within the Phoenix Bioscience Core,” said Colin Dueker, manager of the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market. “Our farmers, food-makers, artists, and musicians will continue to prosper and nurture a diverse community downtown. The new space shall serve as a proper catalyst in establishing our long-term future and success in Downtown Phoenix!”

About the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market

The Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market is managed by Community Food Connections, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to making quality, nutritious food more accessible. The market is an essential resource to our local economy and is focused on strengthening small, urban farmers and businesses that foster a sustainable food system and produce healthy products for the local community. The Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market is a great destination for local families and visitors alike. Each week the farmers market welcomes an estimated 3,000 visitors. To learn more about the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market or to donate, visit www.downtownphoenixfarmersmarket.org or follow our move on Instagram. 

The Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market happens every Saturday, year-round. Hours are 8:00AM-1:00PM October through May and summer hours are 7:30AM-11:30AM May through October. 

About the Phoenix Bioscience Core

The Phoenix Bioscience Core is the center of gravity for Phoenix’s life science ecosystem. Home to Arizona’s three public research universities — Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona — the PBC is committed to training the next generation of health care leaders and driving translational discovery.