Every Sunday from June through September, Fairgrounds Park turns into the best-smelling spot in Loveland. Fresh produce, handmade goods, live music and a lineup of vendors selling everything from sourdough to salsa await at the Loveland Farmers Market, and this season brings two can’t-miss reasons to plan a Sunday around it: Kids Daze on Aug. 23 and the Honey Festival on Sept. 13.
The Farmers Market Basics
The market has been voted one of the 10 best farmers markets in Colorado, and it’s easy to see why: vendors set up at Pavilions #1 and #2 at the north end of Fairgrounds Park at 700 S. Railroad Ave. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday, from June 7 through Sept. 27 (check for annual closures around holidays), with local farmers, ranchers, bakers and artisans filling the park each week. Cash, major credit cards and SNAP/Double Up are accepted on-site. On the last Sunday of each month, the market expands into an Artist Market with 15 additional local artist vendors.
Browsing the market means weaving through booths of just-picked produce, fresh-baked bread, small-batch salsas and jams and handmade goods from local makers, all set against the backdrop of Fairgrounds Park and the Big Thompson River. Live music plays throughout the morning and food trucks round out the offerings for anyone who’d rather grab breakfast than cook it. Well-behaved pets are welcome elsewhere in Loveland’s parks, but the market’s narrow, crowded aisles ask visitors to leave animals at home; service animals are always welcome.
Whether visitors are stocking up on produce or just soaking in the atmosphere, the market has become a Sunday tradition worth building a Loveland getaway around.
Kids Daze Brings a Market Made for Little Shoppers
This year, on Aug. 23, the market welcomes back Kids Daze, a special Kids Market designed to let young shoppers take the lead, buying and selling alongside the grown-ups at their own dedicated booths. Registration and details are available at KidsMarkets.com, and families looking for more ways to fill the day will find plenty of ideas in Visit Loveland’s guide to free family fun in Loveland.
It’s a fitting preview of what’s ahead for Loveland families: the Children’s Museum of Northern Colorado is set to open this year at Loveland Yards, adding a brand-new, hands-on destination to the city’s growing lineup of family-friendly attractions.
Honey Festival Sweetens the Season on Sept. 13
The market’s biggest weekend of the year arrives Sept. 13, when the Honey Festival takes over Fairgrounds Park from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., running alongside the regular farmers market. Local honey vendors, mead tasting, an observation beehive and bee-themed products fill the park, along with the Busy Bee Kid Zone, live music and food from local favorites.
For visitors who want to work up an appetite first, the Honeybee Hustle offers a one-mile loop course open for an hour and a half, with a mass start at 10 a.m. and a Mini Honeybee Hustle for kids under 10. Participants can run or walk as many loops as they’d like, and registration is available through Sweetheart City Racing.
Vendor Spotlight: MeadKrieger Meadery. This year’s Honey Festival is presented in part by MeadKrieger Meadery, a Loveland-based meadery inspired by Norse culture. The team crafts mead from dry to semi-sweet, often incorporating fruits, spices and herbs, and for the festival they’re bringing a selection of their most popular varieties for tasting and purchase, including both traditional and more adventurous flavor profiles.
Stopping by the booth means getting a real introduction to mead, not just a sample. “We love introducing people to mead, so we’ll be offering tastings, answering questions and helping people discover which styles they enjoy most,” Susan from MeadKrieger says. For first-timers, they describe mead as more than just honey wine. “It can range from light and crisp to rich and complex… depending on the style, it can resemble wine, cider or even a light dessert drink.” MeadKrieger’s own lineup, they add, is “crafted so it is never too sweet but balanced and smooth.”
Not sure where to start? The Susan recommends a session or fruit-infused mead for a first taste. Its “very approachable” pours “highlight the natural character of the honey.” Her advice for anyone eyeing the booth: “Come curious.” Bottles will be available to take home, so the tasting doesn’t have to end when the festival does.
Plan Your Visit
Ready to build a weekend around it? Here’s what to know before heading to Fairgrounds Park:
- Market hours: Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 7 – Sept. 27
- Kids Daze: 23, register at KidsMarkets.com
- Honey Festival: 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Location: Fairgrounds Park, 700 S. Railroad Ave., Loveland
- Parking: Accessible off S. Railroad Ave., via First St. just west of Highway 287
Note for drivers: Google Maps can be tricky here, since Railroad Ave. is also called S. Roosevelt Ave. north of the Big Thompson River. Fairgrounds Park sits south of First St. and west of Highway 287, next to Barnes Park.
Making a weekend of it? Loveland’s hotels, inns and vacation rentals put visitors minutes from Fairgrounds Park and the rest of the city’s late-summer lineup. Browse options on the Visit Loveland Where to Stay page, and check the market’s full calendar of special events for even more Sunday plans this summer and fall.