West Palm Beach GreenMarket reclaims No. 1 ranking

Shoppers browse fresh produce, local goods and specialty items at the West Palm Beach GreenMarket. [Photos by the City of West Palm Beach]

The West Palm Beach GreenMarket is back on top. After three consecutive No. 1 finishes and two years as runner-up, it reclaimed the title of best farmers market in the nation in the 2026 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice poll.

The waterfront market opens its 32nd season Saturday, Oct. 3.

This season’s theme, “The World, Right Here,” captures what Angela Poco, the city’s marketing and community events manager, sees each Saturday: about 140 vendors sharing foods and traditions from around the globe.

“It’s incredible to see, experience and just eat your way through the market,” Poco says. “You don’t have to travel to experience different cultures.”

That variety is right here at Waterfront Commons, beside the Intracoastal Waterway, Poco says.

The market began with 13 vendors in an Old City Hall parking lot in 1995 and now stretches along the waterfront. Shoppers can find fresh produce and flowers, French pastries, Latin American flavors, and foods rooted in family traditions from Asia, Europe and beyond. They also can talk with the people who grow, bake or prepare what they sell.

Shoppers return “week after week after week,” Poco says, because of the vendors. “We’re the best green market in the country because of our vendors, the products that they have, the passion that they have, and a lot of it is culture-based.”

Many sellers, she says, draw on traditions they learned growing up.

Poco says the market received more than 950 vendor applications during its last selection cycle. Judges consider what each business offers and how it fits into the overall mix. Farmers and growers remain the largest category, while prepared foods, beverages and other offerings give shoppers plenty to explore.

Five new vendors are joining the market this season.

Poco says some returning businesses requested larger spaces, while others had grown enough to concentrate on expanding operations outside the market. Organizers also leave room for visitors to move comfortably through the market, which draws an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people on an average Saturday.

The market’s role in a vendor’s business can extend well beyond a Saturday sale. Poco says the city’s marketing team helps sellers learn to promote their products on social media and connect with the GreenMarket’s audience. She has watched vendors turn an idea into a business with a storefront.

“We want them to be successful because when they’re successful, we’re successful,” she says.

The city’s Legacy Vendor program recognizes businesses that have participated for at least 15 years. Those vendors no longer have to compete for a spot through the regular judging process. Four more earned the designation this year.

Poco describes longtime vendors as part of the market’s culture and heritage and as examples for newer entrepreneurs.

The market also gives visitors reasons to linger. Workshops can show shoppers how to arrange flowers or care for a new plant, and Poco says organizers are exploring more health and fitness activities this season. Live music and the lawn overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway offer places to spend the morning after shopping. Nearby, the Antique and Flea Market adds more blocks to browse.

The GreenMarket is open Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 100 N. Clematis St. Admission is free. The season runs through May 22, with closures scheduled for Feb. 6 and March 20. Parking is free during market hours at the City Center, Clematis and Sapodilla garages; the closer Banyan and Evernia garages charge a $5 flat rate.