Every Tuesday, Alvarado Street closes to cars and becomes the Old Monterey Marketplace. Downtown’s main drag fills with farm stands, prepared food, and vendors, a certified farmers market wrapped inside a street fair, and it has been a weekly fixture for years.
The produce end brings the Salinas Valley harvest straight from the growers, some of the best and cheapest in the region, while the rest of the street runs to hot food, crafts, flowers, and the occasional live music. The Baker’s Alley section leans into prepared food, so it doubles as an easy dinner. It is as much a social hour as a shopping trip, the evening when downtown feels most like a neighborhood.
Bring a bag and some cash, and go hungry. Parking downtown tightens once the street closes, so come a little early or walk in from the surrounding blocks. The market runs rain or shine through the afternoon into the evening.
The market carries through most of the year, but summer is its peak, when the produce is at its best and the evening light keeps people lingering on the street.
Weekly dates and any seasonal changes post to our events calendar, and our Eats coverage follows the local food scene. For vendor lists and hours, See Monterey keeps current details.