Duncan Farmers' Market

The Duncan Farmers' Market is one of British Columbia's oldest and largest farmers' markets, and a Saturday-morning institution in the Cowichan Valley. Every Saturday, year-round, more than a hundred vendors fill the market square in downtown Duncan, turning City Square and Craig Street into a bustling open-air celebration of the valley's remarkable food and craft scene. In a region known across the Island as farm-and-wine country, this is where that abundance comes to town.

The range is genuinely impressive. Tables overflow with just-picked produce, farm eggs, cheese, meat and seafood, fresh baking and preserves, honey and cider, plants and flowers — much of it grown or made within a few kilometres. Alongside the food you will find a strong roster of local artisans selling pottery, art, textiles and handmade goods, plus food trucks and ready-to-eat treats for breakfast or lunch on the go. Because it runs every Saturday through all four seasons, the market changes with the calendar: spring starts and seedlings, high-summer berries and tomatoes, autumn squash and apples, and cozy winter market days. It is as much a community gathering as a shopping trip — a place to meet the growers, catch up with neighbours and take the pulse of the Cowichan food scene. Bring a basket and cash, come early for the best selection, and build in time to explore downtown Duncan's cafes, shops and totem poles while you are there.