Orange County Great Park Farmers Market

Small but great farmers market with real farmers. Saw one vender with a line of customers. So I checked it out. Was a vender with dips, hummus, etc in numerous flavors. Tasted a few and ended up buying almost all I tasted and there were a lot more I didn’t. Excellent flavor. Pita bread is great too. You could tell the people in the line were mostly regulars. That says it all. Awesome stall. Called BROTHERS PRODUCTS. Went back today and was impressed by Chavez Produce. Everything was very fresh. Their greens were kept with their stems on fresh water. Very impressed with how well kept, the extra effort.

This one is much smaller than other farmer’s markets like Irvine Farmer’s Market; maybe about 20 and so tents. There are some food trucks there with good quality food. The fruits and vegetables are not that great and all are pricey. There is no fresh flower and plant vendor there. Not a great booth designs.

I was skeptical at first but I give a try to Scorpion's fresh eggs with half a dozen of the mixed blue and brown. They had one of the most orange yolks I've ever seen, a little bit overprized but it seems that they were telling the truth about not feeding soy or corn to their chicken, I hope they keep doing this good practice in the future. Recommended! We also highly recommend taste of Asia's Bao stand and the Tamales from Tamale fiesta, you guarantee you will love them!

Great little farmers market for fresh produce, fruit, fish, beef jerky, desserts, baked goods, bread, yogurt, kefir, prepared foods and desserts, and I may be biased, but the absolute best gourmet mushrooms you can find. Come get some amazing stuff and support your local farmers and small businesses!

Perfect place to go with your family, friends, or significant other. My favorite vendor is the fruit stand who offers samples and plenty of delicious fruits. It doesn’t cost for parking.

Not as crowded as the Irvine Farmers market but also a lot smaller. Still a great selection of fresh fruits, drinks, and food trucks. And the hours are a more reasonable 10am-2pm for those who like to sleep in on weekends like me. Check signage frequently, over the past several months they've changed the layout as Great Park is still finishing construction on the parking lots.

The produce vendors are not great. Scorpion Farms had the worst quality and “service”. I was supposed to pay $3 for cucumbers and they charged me $6. The vegetables were also going bad so I see why they needed to scam me to make up for poor product. All the other vendors were great. We got some freshly made pizzas, the nuts and dried fruit seller is always a must visit. I didn’t see seafood this time though. Overall, will not be buying fresh fruits and vegetables, at least not from Scorpion Farms. If I want to get ripped off, I can just go to a high end grocery store. Although their produce will be better!

Extremely hard to find. Parking was limited. The vendors were nice and the fresh produce was excellent. I drove over from Garden Grove. Once off the freeway I must have hit every single red light on Sand Canyon Road. Not a fun drive getting there. Food vendors were really expensive.

Summary: This location has moved!!! So was looking for this farmers market at the Great Park for an hour. Parked at lot 2. Walked out saw the bouncy houses along with beer garden but no farmers market. It was only after I asked some employees where the farmer market was, did I learn that it moved/merge to Stonegate Elementary School. Drove there and found parking much easier and closer to the market. Essentially they turn the front parking lot into the farmers market. There is decent amount of fresh fruit/vegetable stalls with a some food trucks at the end. What I like about this market is that it is easier to quickly get in and out of this market. There was a food truck with meat skewers but by this time I was tired from spending an hour hunting for this market. This market hours is Sunday 10am-2pm. It really does have a more intimate feel. Worth a try to at least get some steps in

I stop by every few weeks to splurge on some Proof Bagels and their flavored cream cheese. Super tasty and the owners are super nice. The other vendors at the market are also really great at sampling their products so you can try and see which items you want to buy. Glad to have something nearby! I go right when they open when it's not crowded yet.

Great mid-size farmers market in OC. Been here a couple times on Sundays and it's about the same quality every week which is nice. Good produce stands and a fun variety of unique vendors. The bread vendor is amazing and the garlic sourdough loaf was fantastic. I love how there are multiple good food trucks and vendors to get food and enjoy the other activities going on in the park.

Please give a try to the Bao food cart taste of Asia! The taste is so authentic and delicious. We also purchased some beef tamales from Tamale fiesta and those are the best you can get in the whole Orange County, the flavoris great and they taste so authentic. Both totally recommended! We also purchased 6 mixed eggs (brown & blue) from Scorpion farms and they even though they are a bit pricey they are very high in quality with deep orange yolks! Recommended!

Nice quaint farmers market in my area! Don't come expecting a huge farmers market but this is a perfect sized market for a Sunday morning stroll to pick up some berries and pastries. My favorite stall is the sugar cane juice stall at the beginning. $8 for a giant cup of fresh sugar cane! There's a few food trucks I even picked up an elote! Like others have said not too much produce but alot of fruit stands! and even a dog food stand!

It's a small farmers market in a huge park. Took us awhile to find it but after researching we found it in lot 2. Love that it is dog friendly. Bonus, you can sample the fruits before buying! Absolutely loved how friendly this farmers market is!

It's definitely a small Farmer Market. It was a hot and humid day in OC so everyone looks a bit tired and thirsty - including myself! Parking: Plenty. Just followed the sign once you enter the park and you'll find many tents set up in the parking lot. However, if there is a fai/festival going on - good luck finding parking. I decided to drop by Great Park Farmer Market before attending another event across the park. Fruits and veggies look fresh. I did not buy anything today except some fruits. Please don't flame me but I think I prefer Sprout over this for organic label purpose and prices. It was not crowded so it was easy to walk around looking at different vendors. Maybe next time, I'll try one of the food trucks.

This farmers market is nice with a variety of vendors. Fruits and produce, hot food, baked goods, juices. Basically all your farmers market necessities! It is on the smaller side, so I wouldn't really go out of my way to come here if I didn't live around the area. For farmers markets in Irvine, I prefer the farmers market at Mariners Church on Saturdays. The plus is that it is in the Great Park, so you can pick up some food and have a nice picnic at the beautiful park!

Came here with friends a few weeks ago. We walked around and amongst the group we tried the fresh juice stand, the freeze-dried candy stand, the honey stand, and all of the food trucks. We grabbed lunch and then sat in the nearby grassy area to enjoy a picnic. It doesn't have a huge variety of items but the specialty items we tried were really good. I would definitely go back to get more of the honey and maybe try some of the breads as well. They had a few produce stands, mostly fruit and less of the veggies the day we went. But I will come back and check it out again to see what they have on a different day. Some pros are that the same day that the Farmers Market happens, they also have a family area with bounce houses and kids activities, as well as hamburgers and drinks to purchase. So it looks like it would make for a fun family afternoon.

This farmers market (now located at 100 Honors) has such fun vibes - the selection of businesses are so diverse, the people are friendly & high spirited, and the products are of great quality. I am especially a fan of Baba Foods (get the Kitchen Sink dip!!!) and even more so, the sweet man who works that stall. He's always looking for a lively conversation and lets you try their entire selection to ensure you're happy with your purchase. Definitely recommend checking him out; he's there every week with the biggest smile on his face.

Very small, not a lot of produce stands. There was a jerky stand, cell service stands, and other businesses but I go for the produce and was underwhelmed by the options. NO DOGS ALLOWED but we came based off someone saying they were so I walked my dog in anyways which I'm not proud of, but I wasn't the only one. Also - based off address its not easy to find this farmers market, mind you, this park is huge.

Food stalls were not that good. Fresh produce was good. Would not return. Vendors were very nice, parking is ok. Variety limited.

I found a local farmers market at the Great Park! It operates every Sunday from 10-2 in parking lot 3. I liked the variety of fresh fruits and vegetable stands and food trucks. A darling plant stand and some other fun stands to shop at.

Love this lively market! Though the market isn't huge, the vendors food far surpasses my expectations. The people are always pleasant & helpful. I always stop off at the tamale truck, the European kefir and kefir juice stand & my daughter loves the 100% juice stand at the end before we travel straight across to the vegetable/egg vendor from Exeter.

If you're going a bit stir crazy and looking for a safe weekend activity, check out this drive-through Farmer's Market at the Great Park! They've modified a parking lot and arranged approximately 15 stations in a giant loop. It's on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fortunately there is plenty of space and the line moves efficiently. There are the standard offerings at farmer's markets. There is a kettle corn station right in the front (which can make a good snack while going through the line), a beef jerky guy, honey, boutique pet food, hummus and olives with pita bread, and about five different fresh fruit and vegetable stands that sell everything. At the end there are about four different food trucks if you're looking for something to eat on the way out as you hit the road. Masks are required, and most of the exhibitors wear them, and you are supposed to as well on the driver's side. When you order food from the trucks you drive by, place the order, then park in a spot and they bring it to you. Overall this is fun to check out and a nice change of pace from stuff being closed everywhere. Worth a look and watch out or you might spend a lot more than you though you might. My only wish is that they had more vendors!

Small Farmer's Market, not a lot of variety. Produce, especially fruit per pound is quite expensive ($12/lb for cherries is outrageous). Beware of the baked goods from Santino's Baking Company. I bought some Ciabatta rolls ($8.00 for 4 rolls), and got home to find mold on them. Not as fresh as they claim. Seafood and dairy items sold out in the open sun, even if they are iced or in coolers does seem completely 'food safe' to me, so I pass on those items as well.

This is one of the most organized farmers markets I've seen in the Orange County area! I love that this market has a little bit of everything, but not too much stuff. I also appreciated the wide variety of delectable treats and coffees you could get. We ended up visiting a few vendors and were able to pick up several grocery items along with some delicious breakfast treats. I would highly recommend this farmers market to anyone!

Remember in Back to the Future when the timeline skewed into some alternate dimension? This place reminds be of the "Biff Tannen" timeline. I get quality over quantity, but if you are going to charge $5 for a small Danish it should be the actual size of a Grizzly claw. This place suffers from serious "Affluenza" and I'm sad it is so close by and that is all we are stuck with. I had people raving over some of these overpriced morsels and all I can think of is. "You don't get out much do you?" Oh well, there's always drivin a few towns over for a dose of reality.

Nice little market, much smaller (1 row, 30-40 stalls) than the one on Saturdays at Mariners Church (150-180 stalls?) but same quality produce. My family goes to one or the other every weekend. Make sure you make it to the end with the hot food stalls, the tamales are *chefs kiss*. If you like spicy, try the salsa stand on the parking lot side with the red & green (1x-hot to 10x-hot) varieties. The Almond Guy, however, threatened to hit my car with his. First, he wasn't paying attention when driving on the empty street, turning into the parking lot. When I crossed the parking lot, he turned sharply & sped towards my car, then veered away when he got close as if he was going to t-bone us. When I walked in, I saw that SUV behind his vendor stand - tall skinny guy with long straight hair almost to his shoulders. What a menace.

This is a very convenient farmers market especially if you have kids playing soccer here. Very crowded, parking is easy and free. I would say this is a medium sized farmers market with a decent variety of vendors. The fruit vendors range in price, some selling mixed stonefruit for $4/lb, another selling for $6.50/lb. The food truck options are nice: dumplings, tamales, pizza, grilled sandwiches/fries, and crepes. The prices for produce seem a bit higher than other farmers markets in OC. We like the table setup for easy eating. Would definitely consider coming back, mostly to walk around and go to the park. All in all, fine farmers market, not our fave.

The market is ok, small but good enough for neighbors. However the burrito vendor which is located near the entrance... forget the name, is the WORST I ever had. $12 of nightmare. Avoid that place if you can.

No dogs allowed. You reviewers lied to me :) We're outdoors, thats dumb. No clue what the market was like.

We spontaneously decided one Sunday to try and see the farmers market. We were a little worried about bringing our puppy due to previous reviews, however we saw lots of dogs allowed. We were impressed by the amount of fresh veggies and fruits. There were many stalls and we were able to compare which had a better price. For big heads pf romaine and red leaf lettuce, we paid $4. What a bargain! Fruits were on the pricier side but, they were delicious and could not resist peach season. Also don't sleep on the other vendors like the açaí, kombucha and natural dog chews. Overall, a perfect place to spend a Sunday morning.

This farmers market is cute and you can walk around the great park after exploring the market which is nice - not the biggest farmers market but still better than most around here and we have never had an issue with parking. There are vendors for basic fruits/veggies/nuts, mushrooms, teas, coffees, empanadas, breads, honey, pretty much your standard stuff! There are always a few food trucks too. The tamale stand was pretty tasty and so was the breakfast burrito one next to it!

Not sure if I was just profiled based on class... but I do not look like the typical demographic composition of this affluent neighborhood farmers market. But I've been a resident of Irvine for years. I tried entering this morning, along with my service dog, and was told that we're not allowed in, even if I have a service dog unless I was blind. I don't believe this policy is legit though, but I don't like to make a scene so I went back to my car and just observed. As I sat in the parking lot, I watched about a dozen rich White families walk right in with their lap dogs with no problem. They were even greeted warmly.

The Great Park Farmers Market is reminiscent of the farmers markets outside of my apartment when living in New York City. Like those markets, the GP Farmers Market isn't huge but everything that you could want from a farmers market could be easily obtained. There are several large stands occupied by farm fresh produce - berries galore, fresh and large veggies, eggs, citrus, etc. I like to do a once over before I choose a vendor to purchase my goods. The farmers are all super friendly - many offering samples of their fruits. Like many farmers markets you can be sure to find local honey, salsa, hummus, baked goods and other assorted household items here. At the far end of the market there are usually about 4 food trucks and a kettle corn stand. During COVID they have set up a system to ensure that patrons and vendors alike could safely enjoy the market. There are two entrance points to the market - one from the parking area and the other end near the food trucks. There are chalk outlines for the flow of how to walk through the market - think Ikea without the confusing maze. Some merchants have also taken to adding their own precautions as well. The bakers I purchased my delicious almond chocolate croissant that was freshly made from France imported ingredients had an extra mesh covering to separate patrons from their plastic wrapped goodies. I have been here a few times and I love that there is something for everyone in the family. My girls loved picking of their handmade Hawaiian flower headbands (thanks Auntie!), my husband stocked up on frozen empanadas for an easy weekday lunch, my mother in law enjoyed a delicious keto cinnamon coffee cake and I am really loving these fresh berries and guavas. A few things to note: - Cash is king at farmers markets if you didn't know, but most of not all of the vendors do accept credit cards - some with a small transaction fee. I also noticed a few accepted Venmo as well. - It's really hard to miss the market since there are huge yellow sandwich boards lining the streets - but keep your eyes peeled and they will direct you straight to the market. - Connect with them on Facebook for last minute updates such as closures or special events. - The entire market is set up in one of the many large and spacious parking lots of Great Parks. And so it is to be expected that that is ample parking.

This was one of the most boring farmers markets I've been to. The music band was great but the farmers market was not great. I'm not coming back here. I've been to way better ones with better produce. Plus I saw multiple people take fruit from stands that weren't samples and not pay for the fruit. They also have a sign that says no dogs allowed in the farmers market yet there are plenty of people with dogs.

Really small Farmer's market with maybe under 20 booths. The vendors are all really nice though! I recommend! Also, people bring their dogs so it seems like dogs are allowed! They have an area with benches so you can sit and chill and eat food bought at the food trucks !

This farmers market is perfect for a quick drop in between weekend plans. It is a manageable size and has the usual products one expects from a farmers market. There is a constant flow of people, but it does not get too crowded. Located in parking lot 2 and open from 10-2 every Sunday. Park in the same lot and make the short walk over to the tents. The tents are arranged in two rows of around 30 merchants and a couple of food trucks toward the end. There are several produce vendors as well as a variety of others. We like to bring a picnic blanket to have lunch on the grass across the park afterwards.

I LOVE this market. So much good stuff -- fresh fruits and vegetables, freshly baked breads, freshly made pita chips and hummus. Really a dream for a vegetarian (or anyone who loves fresh produce). Such a bonus that it's right in the Great Park. I'm not sure why people lowered the ratings because it's "small" -- I feel like that's a bonus. Less crowds, and you can get what you need and get out, without a bunch of distractions.

The farmers market is lacking, there is really only one row of vendors, and half of them are food (as in, non-produce). However most are nice, and the fruit I bought here is pretty good. The one star review though is for the awful response I got at the Baba Foods Hummus stand. I don't know if he is the owner of this stand or a worker of it, but regardless, he is extremely unprofessional. I walked up, excited to purchase hummus that I had run out of, and this man starts yelling both fake and real Chinese words at me. Well, the only "real" Chinese words were "Ni, Hao" followed by some "Ching Chong" business. Really???????? I paused for a second and before I could come up with a response, he said "No Ni Hao? How about viva Korea?" Followed by more "Ching Chong" business. I left, and so did the other woman who witnessed the debacle. I was really looking forward to that rainbow dip.

A pretty nice place to spend a Sunday afternoon. Located in the idyllic setting of the Great Park every Sunday from 10am-2pm, this farmers market offers the usual fresh produce and organic fruit, as well as some unique specialty foods and products from local artisans. Throw in a handful of food and beverage stands, and it makes for a pretty nice setting to enjoy a quick lunch. What this farmers market lacks in terms of variety and size, makes up for with a nice atmosphere and a family friendly vibe. There are a number of picnic tables spread around the lawn, and the laid back vibe with the live music was a nice touch. Don't come here expecting a do any serious shopping, just bring your pets and little ones to enjoy a nice afternoon out.

Compared to numerous farmer's markets I've been to, this one is average. It's not the most convenient location for a farmer's market. There are half a dozen large produce booths or slightly more. The produce is varied, the quality equally varied, and the prices on the higher side. I did get a few sweet potatoes from a very nice and informative vendor who threw in a free persimmon to sample. Lots of food booths and a handful of food trucks make this a great stop for Sunday lunch. There are also a number of various craft booths (scented candles, hats, jewelry, framed art and photos, etc.) One great thing is that they have live music. Today we were treated to Elvis on stage! Burnin' love, baby!

Comparing to some other Farmers Market, this particular one is pretty small and doesn't have a lot of variety for produce. However it appeals to me that it also has food trucks. Today's food trucks were Barcelona on the Go, Potato Tornado, Rolling Sushi, Crepe Bonaparte, Greek, Mediterranean, etc. I've heard so much about Barcelona on the Go and finally got to try it. Their top sirloin steak + fries with chimchurri was really good! However, their infamous paella the rice was a little undercooked. I thought it won't be crowded but I was wrong. Especially after the rain, a lot of family came out to enjoy the nice sunny day. The cara-cara oranges were really sweet so I got a few to go. The strawberries, blueberries and avocados were impressive! There were carousel (free but need to sign a waiver form), playground and the OC orange balloon. If you have kids, this will be a great place to spend Sunday afternoon. As most yelpers pointed out, it definitely has potential to grow. I hope more food trucks and vendors will show up.

This gets 3 stars as a generous gift. Generally speaking - this place runs kinda badly. Some days the parking staff are twats and ridiculous. Other days there isn't enough reception to complete a transaction. There is zero shade. Limited seating and even more limited eating areas. It's set in an uncovered area in a parking lot that just cooks in the sun. The heat is rough on the fresh food. As there is no electricity wired in,.. no one gets to have fresh food. After 2-3 hours in the hot sun,.. all of the fresh products look sad. It's so frustrating. We loved shopping Farmers markets for fabulous choices in oranges,... nope. Green veggies looking great,.. nope. How about an awesome food truck? Nope. The only good food truck was the sugar cane juice truck. Seating? Nope. Shade anywhere? Nope. Bathrooms? I did not see any. The one awesome thing was a vendor- Jezebel's Apothecary. Awesome. Sadly - due to bad management from the Farmer's Market staff - she is done. Good thing I can call her and order stuff. When this started out brand new - they were on and in grass areas with seating. Not now. It's a sad state with no shade and vendors suffering in the heat. We stopped going because of the drama to park,.. there is plenty of parking but staff are uncooperative. There is not enough shade, no cold water drinking options, zero shade. No bathrooms. Not enough Farmer's booths. Not enough fresh farm direct options. BUT it is fun to check out all the booths. After you have been a couple times - there is not anything new. It's not worth it to buy food there. We have had bad experiences with food there every time. The best stuff is probably the sugar cane juice guy and a couple of the taco/empanadas places. The food trucks - not so much. I have no idea why Managment won't put out adequate seating. We actually had kids sit on our table and under it on our feet ! Running around knocking our food all over and the parents did nothing - because there was not seating or shade. Want to make this better? Provide adequate electrical hook-ups to run each booth. Put up some shade sails and seating options through the event. Make a designated eating area with bathrooms, running water,.. shade and even a separate play area for the kids. Have more garbage cans too! This has potential to be more successful. For the most part it's just people looking and trying free samples and moving on. Which is rough on the vendors.

I'm not sure when it happened, but now that they've moved the farmers market closer to palm court, it has a much better vibe. Rather than being isolated in a parking lot surrounded by dirt where it was before, it's now next to grassy areas where you can enjoy your food sitting on the grass under shade with usually live music playing. It's also closer to regular and more abundant parking. The produce selection is still modest, but the quality is good with Sunny Cal farms being my favorite.

Smaller than I expected. A little bit of vendors and food choices. Parking was ample. service from different vendors in good and unique. Ambience was friendly

Great Park Farmers Market is quite of a gem. The feel is very friendly and you have a lot of vendors to do your grocery shopping or grab a snack/breakfast/lunch. Ambiance: The market is shaped in a U. One line will consist of about 50 farmer shops, the curve provides all the various food trucks (14 when I encountered) and last but not least the other end are shops selling their merchandise. In the middle are seats for you to enjoy your food, take a break, and enjoy the local performers. It's samples galore and people are pretty friendly, don't be shy to share a bench with a stranger. Parking: Once you enter the park, you should easily be able to find the place. There should be enough parking for your car despite the place being pretty busy. Overall: To reiterate once more, I enjoyed the feel here. It's one of the bigger farmer's markets I've been to compared to SoCo and UTC. The ambiance is quite nice and they offer multiple options. The farmers are friendly and the prices are about right. If ever in need of a place to spend your easy sunday morning or early afternoon, I would recommend this place.

Always my favorite farmers market. My friends and I stumbled upon this place on a long bike ride adventure we were having for the UCI-LAW Handlebar. We we'rent aware there was a farmers market here, originally we wanted to ride the big ORANGE! Instead we decided to venture into the market where we had the opportunity to sample a large variety of fruits and vegetables. Everything is so fresh and delicious, we keep coming back every Sunday...it is now a family/doggie trip The fact that PETS ARE ALLOWED! Gives this place five stars! More if they were available. Everyone is so friendly and helpful, and they have dog bags located throughout the farmers market and the park. I highly recommend this place :) PS Look for the single guy with the truck and a small table. He usually only has about four different fruits on his table, but his oranges are just soooo juicy and delicious. Oh and ask him how Fred is. He's very personable and friendly, and slices fresh samples for us every time.

I've been to this farmers market a dozen times, but right now, due to COVID, it's a drive thru experience. I've been to a few farmers markets during the summer COVID months, but none have taken the precautions that this one has. Oh and the entrance has changed. You will see the signs directing you where. This was interesting, you stay in your car the whole time and drive up in a line to the tents. No cutting...lol. And on a hot day like today, it was kinda nice being in the car with the AC on. You will have the list of venders at the entrance, so if you've hit all the ones you were planning to visit, you can drive over to the right lane & go around all the cars towards the exit instead of waiting in line with everyone still shopping. At the end of the market, there are the food trucks. You will be given their menu when you enter the market, so that you can order online while you shop, and have your food is ready when you're done shopping. They do have porta potty's by the entrance, but the Great Park facilities is open, so you can just go across towards the park area and use the nice restrooms. My favorite venders are Sunny Cal who cold press the best Pomegranate juice I've ever had. Only $7 for the pint, but they do sell larger bottles. They also have delicious nuts & fruit hybrids. And then there's Pet Point who make all natural dog treats and dog food. I came for the treats, but she ended up giving me a free bag of the frozen dog food to try. It's that fresh that it needs to stay frozen. I will probably come back even during this new drive-thru layout. Luckily it is very organized, and was a new experience.

This Farmers market kinda feels like the "swap meet" at the OC fair grounds. So be prepared as you may find as many vendors selling arts and crafts and prepackaged items even services as you will actual farmers and local produce vendors. However, how much of a tomato and zucchini selection do you really need? I for one look as the Sunday morning Market as a good reason to spend your morning at the Park. They do have a selection of the oh so trendy food trucks so you can satisfy your requisite craving. There is enough of a variety of other vendors to make it interesting even if you may have to deal with someone trying to hawk you insurance, a spa, or a time share. ( slight exaggeration but you get the idea) The Great Park, while not quite great just yet, offers ample and free parking and wide open spaces to enjoy your recently purchased goodies from the Market. A bit of planning and you can have yourself a proper picnic right there in the shadow of the Great Park balloon. From that standpoint this Farmers Market is a standout and worth a trip.

My Sundays are usually laid back and the Great Park Farmers Market provided just that - a sunny laid back day eating good food and casually looking at various things. The day felt very "SoCal" to me. First, it's December and it's hot! Second, seeing so much clean useable flat land, half of which is being farmed for food, made me think that SoCal is very blessed. This Farmers Market is in its infancy - it's new but really not so bad. I'm excited to see how this market develops. Currently, there's so much land and empty space that the actual market portion looks really small. I counted about 20 vendors, in addition to that, there were 4 food trucks and 1 espresso-truck. There are about 4-5 local produce vendors, some ready-to-eat food vendors (cupcakes, desserts, hummus, almonds, etc.), and some arts and crafts or gardening vendors. It's really not much but it's still a new market. There's plenty of seating available next to the food trucks and there's even a live band playing. There's also plenty of space for kids and dogs to run around. There's even a Merry-go-round/carousel! If that's not your thing, then you can ride the Balloon up and down or take a quick walk around the "Food Lab" which is basically a small area with big planters and produce growing. I've added a few photos so hopefully they are helpful. All in all a pretty relaxing day :)

This is the best U-Turn in the city of Irvine! The Market is organized in a huge U shape with produce and prepared perishables (like fresh breads / cookies / nuts) on one arm, food trucks and food stands on another, and non-food goods (like pampered chef / tupperware / home-made soaps / woodworking etc) on the last arm. The produce vendors have really quality stuff and good prices! I think I've purchased the freshest, most healthy looking produce here that I've ever seen. I also love the amazing selection of food trucks. There seem to always be at least 6 of them there including one of my fav's (Rancho-a-Go-Go). Adding to the fun environment, they always have some kind of musical entertainment in the middle of that "U" with some seating so you can enjoy some of the great food truck / food stand eats. All that good stuff said, the parking is really a challenge there. For as big as the Great Park is, they may need to move this venue up the road where there is more parking, or at least create a makeshift gravel lot. It's a commonplace thing to see cars circling for parking between 10 and noon. It would also be nice to see a few more tables / benches. With the selection of food vendors available, the 6 or so picnic tables just don't cut it. Still, this is the place to be on a Sunday morning. Bring your reusable totes, and go hungry. You're sure to fill your sack and your tummy!

We came here for two reasons yesterday - lunch at the food trucks and to buy some fresh produce. We didn't have any trouble with parking, found a spot in the first aisle. We walked past all the vendors and went straight to the food trucks to eat. There were at least six trucks there yesterday, plus a couple stands with people cooking gyros and tempura dishes. Lunch was good! They have an area set up with benches and there was a girl singing...I could have done without her. I think the seating would be scarce in the summer, but since yesterday was a rainy day, we found a seat with no problem! After lunch we headed back to the market to get some produce. I have been juicing a lot recently so I was hoping to find an abundance of great fresh veggies and fruit. Not so much. There were probably 10 produce vendors and I swear they all had the same things! I didn't find anything unique (except purple carrots), it seemed like they all had beets, spinach, celery, carrots, apples, oranges...nothing out of the ordinary. There was one fruit vendor that I did really like, Sunny Cal Farms, that had really good fruit. Everything was mix and match, $3 a pound. I bought about five pounds of apples, persimmons, kiwis, pluots, and meyer lemons. At the end of our visit I walked away with four bags full of produce for about $35. I liked this market, but I didn't see anything that wowed me, which is what I was hoping for. I think I will come again sometime, especially if we want to combine shopping with lunch at the food trucks. But I can't see myself driving all the way over here weekly for produce.

Finding the entrance to the Farmer's Market was like solving a tricky case. And it wasn't going to be easy. We put our detectives hats on looked for clues at every corner once we got off the 5 freeway because boyyy were we lost. But after 10 minutes of making a several u-turns and sighting small sign and clues here and there we put it all together and behold... The Great Park Farmer's Market!! Since we did all this work I can't help but share the directions: 1) turn onto Marine Way into the park where there should be a small Farmer's Market sign 2) turn left into Ridge Valley Street where there should be a Great Park sign 3) turn right onto Phantom Street and follow the signs that say Farmer's Market. Whew, writing that was a mission.. now on to writing about the actual market! So this Farmer's Market was surprisingly small with maybe around 40 booths but there were only a few with fresh produce..quite saddening since this is the very reason why I go to these. At least there was a variety of vendors - cookies, jewelry, coffee, and more. At around 12pm it wasn't as busy as I thought it would be and I already saw some vendors start packing up. I don't think I'd drive up here for fresh produce considering that it doesn't have much produce let alone as many booths as the Long Beach one. Plus the Long Beach market is closer to my home!

This is the sweetest Farmer's Market and it's so quick and to the point! [[ Parking & Location ]]-- get off of San Canyon Ave on the 405 fwy and follow the signs right by the 5 fwy ramps to enter. Park in the first lot on your left and this'll connect you from the Farmer's Market to the Antique Market too. Of course it's all outdoors, so walk comfortably and wear sunscreen and a hat! [[ Market ]]-- I love that the locals are consistently bringing their goods every weekend and it's so nice to know you're getting to know the people who are supplying you their fresh fruits and veggies! Plenty of free tastings too :) On 2 separate occasions, I've also brought my elderly parents and we got stuck at the first booth buying trees and flowers. Great variety for a smaller market. [[ Food trucks ]]-- There seems to be a similarly consistently group of trucks who come out. I'd recommend the acai bowls and the BBQ trucks for their mac n cheese sandwich. YUM! Oh! Let's not forget the amazing kettle corn either!! :) [[ Dogs ]]-- So SAD!! Only a few weeks ago they implemented the NO DOG rule :( Lucky for my baby Cody, he's strolled the market twice on previous visits before he was denied access. You can still bring your furry friends to hang out at the Great Park but just no sniffing around the Farmers Market.

They've definitely grown and expanded since I visited their very first day back in Nov '10. They used to be over by the balloon side, where there wasn't much shade with the hot concrete during the hotter days. Now, they are located in a more "woodsy" area with trees and shrubbery. Just follow the signs. I would say they at least tripled the amount of vendors. If you're a first timer, you'll definitely notice they don't compare to other Farmer's Markets when it comes to fresh produce, fruits, and vegetables. There are definitely a lot more vendors selling their pre-packaged food and specialty products. It's just the way it is, and will probably remain that way. But other than that, it's perfect to take a stroll and kill some time on an early Sunday morning. You don't see too many people buying, but a lot of vendors have free samples. The food trucks are located in the back, along with some other food stands ranging from corn, pizza, gyros, and kettle corn.

This place is a rip-off. There's a kettle corn stand at the end that also sells cotton candy and "shaved" ice. I was duped into getting a "shaved" ice for my girls and ended up getting a small bowl of bits of ice that basically is SLUSHY ice - for $4. This is NOT shaved ice folks. I basically got a 7-Eleven XXS slushy for FOUR DOLLARS. And the flavoring is awful. 100% artificial. How can they dupe people like this???!!!!! I basically threw it out as it was that terrible. The stand appears to have been operated by a Mexican family. Buyer beware!!!!

Enjoyed this Farmers Market but for different reasons than the one in the University center. Not as many farm vendors here or unique food sellers , but, they have more gourmet food trucks and more prepared food vendors. Got a nice cheese pizza at TJ's Woodfire...my son enjoyed the shaved ice and lemonade bought next door. I had a lovely dessert crepe at one of the food trucks. You can also bring your bikes to ride around the open areas of the "Great Park" and take a balloon or carousel ride or visit the art gallery. I spent an enjoyable Sunday with my son :)