Brightwood's two biggest outdoor market calendars end on the same day. On Saturday, November 21, 2026, the FRESHFARM Uptown market at 14th, Kennedy and Colorado runs its last morning of the year. At noon, The Parks at Walter Reed opens its free Holiday Market & Celebration on Marketplace Plaza. A final flea Sunday follows eight days later, on November 29. After that, the nearest weekend market is outside the neighborhood.
The Uptown market opened its 2026 season on April 4 and runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through November 21, according to FRESHFARM's Uptown market page. That comes to 34 Saturdays this year. As of this Thursday, five remain: October 24 and 31, and November 7, 14 and 21.
November 21, Hour by Hour
The last Saturday of the market season also has the biggest free event on The Parks calendar. The two overlap for one hour:
- 9 a.m. FRESHFARM Uptown opens at 5500 Colorado Ave NW for the final time in 2026.
- Noon. The Parks' Holiday Market & Celebration opens at Marketplace Plaza, 7175 12th Street NW, at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Dahlia Street.
- 1 p.m. Uptown closes until next spring.
- 5 p.m. The Holiday Market wraps up.
The Holiday Market listing promises a "magical visitor," handmade goods from local vendors, and a Grinch DJ spinning holiday music. Admission is free. The Parks suggests arriving early to pick up snacks from Whole Foods, The Charmery or Tropical Smoothie, or coffee from Starbucks, all on site. The schedule and vendor list will be posted closer to the date on the event page and on The Parks' Instagram.
The overlap makes it possible to stock up on produce, meat and bread at Uptown's last morning and then do holiday shopping at The Parks that afternoon. Uptown's last day is also the market's last chance this year to buy from the local producers FRESHFARM brings to the corner.
This Sunday Comes First
The weekend before Halloween is the first stop. On Sunday, October 25, The Parks holds its first-ever Fall Festival + Flea from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Marketplace Plaza. The event listing calls it an expanded version of the monthly flea, with music, a moon bounce, crafts for kids and adults, giveaways, a live painting session, and 15 vintage and home goods vendors and makers. Lovers Plant Studio and Wares curated it, with arts and crafts by Merry Pin DC.
The same afternoon, The Parks history walking tour meets at Marketplace Plaza from 2 to 4 p.m. Capacity is limited, according to the walking tour page. If you want a midday break from the festival, the tour fits in the second half of it.
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so October 31 is also one of Uptown's five remaining market mornings. The National Park Service's 2026 special events calendar for Rock Creek Park that day includes an "Echoes of Time" guided hike and a B.A.R.K. Ranger program at 10 a.m., then "Bike with a Ranger: Fall Leaves and Halloween Edition" at noon. With the market from 9 to 1 and the ranger ride at noon, you can fit both into one morning.
The Weeknights and Weekends in Between
From late October through the end of November, the calendar thins out on weekends and picks up on weeknights. Most of it is within a few blocks of Georgia Avenue and Dahlia Street.
| Date | Event | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue., Nov. 3 | Evening Qigong, donation-based | 6:30–7:30 p.m. | 1155 Dahlia St NW |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | Evening Qigong, donation-based | 6:30–7:30 p.m. | 1155 Dahlia St NW |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | The Parks history walking tour | 2–4 p.m. | Marketplace Plaza, 7175 12th St NW |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Evening Qigong, donation-based | 6:30–7:30 p.m. | 1155 Dahlia St NW |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Uptown's final market, then the Holiday Market | 9 a.m.–1 p.m.; noon–5 p.m. | 5500 Colorado Ave NW; Marketplace Plaza |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | The Parks Flea Market | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Marketplace Plaza |
DC Pop-Up and Wellness Essentials run the Qigong series, listed on The Parks' events calendar. 1155 Dahlia St NW is also home to Cantina Paraíso, which opened in the former Jinya space this spring, PoPville reported.
Thursdays have their own regular stop on Georgia Avenue. In September, PoPville listed a weekly pop-up from Hai Má (2 Moms) Banh Mi at Neptune Room, 5405 Georgia Ave NW, on Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. It serves pork, chicken or tofu banh mi and egg rolls. The pop-up schedule was posted in early fall, so check Neptune Room's channels before going.
November 29 Is the Last Date on the Board
The Parks Flea Market started this spring as a monthly event on the last Sunday of each month. It brings more than 20 vendors selling vintage clothes for all genders, accessories, decor, books and records, with items starting at $5. The flea market's 2026 schedule runs from April 26 through November 29 and lists no December date. So November 29 is the last market date currently posted for Brightwood this year. If you want a vintage find or a vendor's business card before the holidays, that Sunday is your last chance.
After that, the nearest weekend markets are a short trip south or north:
- FRESHFARM Columbia Heights, at Park Road and 14th Street NW, runs Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from January 3 through December 26, 2026. That leaves Saturdays on November 28 and December 5, 12, 19 and 26 after Uptown closes. The Columbia Heights market page lists winter hours of 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for January through March 2027.
- Takoma Park Farmers Market, at the Laurel Avenue shops with its entrance at 6931 Laurel Ave, says on its website that it runs year-round on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check its current schedule before you go on a December Sunday.
Columbia Heights takes over the Saturday morning market routine for the winter. Takoma Park fills the Sunday morning slot the flea leaves open from December on.
Georgia Avenue Is the Year-Round Part
When the markets close, the businesses that stay open through winter are on Georgia Avenue and the streets nearby, and this year added some.
Three Whistles opened at 5832 Georgia Ave NW on February 25, 2026, as a daytime café, espresso bar and workspace that becomes a restaurant and bar in the evening, PoPville reported at the opening. Its Resy page describes an all-day café with a full kitchen, bar and espresso bar, and takes dinner reservations. It covers the morning coffee hours and the evening dinner hours.
More businesses are on the way. On October 5, PoPville reported that The Practical Cyclist is coming soon to 6219 3rd St NW and plans to offer bike repair. On Kennedy Street, Routes and Root, a planned bar and eatery at 833 Kennedy St NW, was renovating and running a Kickstarter to finish the work as of PoPville's July update. No opening date has been set.
Two well-known restaurant spaces farther down the avenue are open for a new tenant. In August, PoPville reported that the former Uno Mas space at 3911 Georgia Ave NW was listed for lease. The space at 3815 Georgia Ave NW, where Chez Billy once operated and Seta Oasis was most recently, had a for-lease sign as well. Both corners could have new restaurants by the time Uptown reopens next spring.
Until then, put November 21 on your calendar: Uptown from 9 to 1, Marketplace Plaza from noon to 5, and the last flea of the year eight days later.
The Yolanda Burgess team keeps track of Brightwood's openings, lease signs and plaza events along with its home sales. If you're wondering how a new café, a lease sign, or a busy plaza on your block might shape the value of your home, schedule a free consultation and we'll go through it with you.
