The Royal Palm Beach Green Market & Bazaar will debut this month at a new venue and on a new day. The seasonal market will move to a lakeside location at Royal Palm Beach Village Hall at the corner of Okeechobee and Royal Palm Beach boulevards and will be held Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., opening for the new season on Saturday, Oct. 19.
“We loved the Veterans Park location, but this will be even better. It will open the doors for food trucks, trailers, displays and vehicles we couldn’t get into that location,” said Kathy Gilbert of POTTC Events, who organizes the market.
Gilbert’s firm provides event coordination and management for festivals and events throughout Florida, including several annual events locally.
“Village Hall has really great visibility, right on the corner. With the walkway along the lake, it is a great place to spend some of your Saturday strolling outdoors with the family,” she said.
Gilbert organized a Saturday green market in Wellington for the past four years. That event, however, is on hiatus this season.
With the new Royal Palm Beach market hosting some 40 to 50 vendors, Gilbert said she is expecting the regular Royal Palm Beach vendors who used to frequent the Sunday market at Veterans Park, many of the previous Wellington favorites, plus a range of new vendors because of the accessibility at the new venue.
While there is constant turnover, so it never gets too crowded, the green market traditionally hosts up to 1,500 people in a day. The new location averages 42,000 vehicles a day passing it, which provides a much higher potential traffic count than before.
“It’s a great family atmosphere to get outside and get your fresh, locally grown produce, pastries and baked goods, plants, flowers and cheeses, organic and vegan foods, pet goods, honey and handcrafted unique merchandise,” Gilbert said. “It’s all pet friendly with plenty of easy, free parking.”
Gilbert said that vendors and patrons have been asking that the market run continually every week for some time, and that schedule has been instituted for this season.
“New for this year, we will hold the market every Saturday from Oct. 19 through the end of April without missing any holiday weekends,” Gilbert said. “The market is open rain or shine, and only closes for severe weather.”
Gilbert added that at the grand opening celebration on Oct. 19, there will be fun kids’ activities complete with a pirate ship and the pirate school, plus the popular balloon artist appearances.
“Admission is free, and free parking is on site, there is live music and activities for the whole family,” she said. “It’s a great, pet-friendly way to support the local community.”
For more information, visit www.rpbgreenmarket.com.
