The Delray Beach GreenMarket opens its 31st winter season this Saturday, October 24, at the Old School Square campus, 51 N. Swinton Ave. The same campus and the blocks of Atlantic Avenue beside it host the 15th annual Witches of Delray ride, the 64th annual Halloween Parade, Kidsfest and the Delray Beach Orchid Society's 36th annual Orchids on the Square, all on the same day.
Each event comes from a different organizer. The Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency runs the market. Achievement Centers for Children & Families presents the witches' ride. The Downtown Development Authority handles trick-or-treating, the City's Parks and Recreation Department runs Kidsfest, and the Orchid Society books the Vintage Gym. Each one publishes its own times, so no single listing shows the whole Saturday. Put side by side, the times run in sequence from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and they bunch up just after 1 p.m.
The Whole Saturday on One Clock
| Time | Event | Where | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 to 11 a.m. | 15th annual Witches of Delray ride | Starts at City Hall, 100 NW 1st Ave.; finishes at Old School Square | Achievement Centers for Children & Families |
| 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | GreenMarket winter season opening day | Old School Square campus | Delray Beach CRA |
| 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Orchids on the Square, 36th annual | Vintage Gym, N. Swinton Ave. and NE 1st St. | Delray Beach Orchid Society |
| 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Kidsfest | Old School Square | City Parks and Recreation |
| 11 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Trick-or-treating on the Avenue | Atlantic Avenue, Swinton to Federal | Downtown Development Authority |
| 1 p.m. | 64th annual Halloween Parade | Lines up at Atlantic Ave. and NE 5th Ave.; ends at Old School Square | City of Delray Beach |
The two published trick-or-treating times disagree. The DDA's event page lists 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Old School Square's page lists 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Both end at 1 p.m., right when the parade steps off.
The Morning Belongs to the Market and the Witches
The witches' ride starts at City Hall at 8 a.m., an hour before the first GreenMarket vendor opens. It is a police-escorted ride through downtown that goes from City Hall to Old School Square. The ride's listed window closes at 11 a.m., which is when the DDA's trick-or-treating window on Atlantic opens. The 2026 event pages give the start and finish points but no street-by-street route.
The market is the one event on this list that comes back next Saturday and every Saturday after that. The CRA started the GreenMarket in 1996. This winter season runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through May 22, 2027, with more than 70 local growers, makers and food vendors. That end date is a week later than last year's. The Palm Beach Post's guide to the 2025–26 season listed the market running October 25 to May 16, at the same campus and the same hours.
The CRA's opening-day announcement lists locally grown produce, grass-fed beef, fresh-caught seafood, just-picked citrus and tropical fruit, farm-fresh eggs, artisan cheese and jams, baked goods, cut flowers and plants. It also mentions a food area where vendors cook on site, with seating, plus live music through the morning and space for nonprofit vendors. SNAP benefits are accepted. The DDA's listing gives a smaller vendor count, more than 50, so the CRA's figure of 70-plus is the organizer's own number.
The Afternoon Crunch
Kidsfest opens at 11 a.m. with bounce houses, games, food, vendors and arts and crafts. Trick-or-treating fills Atlantic Avenue from Swinton to Federal at the same time. From late morning on, the market and Kidsfest are open on the same campus at the same time.
At 1 p.m., the parade lines up at Atlantic Avenue and NE 5th Avenue and heads to Old School Square. Old School Square describes it as a parade anyone can join, not just watch, so costumed families are the parade. The Rotary Club of Delray Beach hands out free ice cream at the finish.
When the parade steps off at 1 p.m., the GreenMarket still has an hour to go, Kidsfest has two, and the orchid show is midway through its first day, so the parade ends at a campus where all three are still open. After 2 p.m. the market closes, Kidsfest wraps up at 3, and the orchid show has the campus largely to itself until 5.
For produce shopping, the first two hours are the calmer window: the witches' ride is on the move and Kidsfest hasn't opened yet. For families planning the parade, the market's hot-food area and seating are open until 2 p.m., right beside Kidsfest.
The Building That Keeps Its Own Schedule
Orchids on the Square is held indoors at the Vintage Gym, at the corner of N. Swinton Avenue and NE 1st Street. It runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and returns Sunday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5. The Society promises thousands of orchids on display, raffle tables and twelve vendors. Its 2026 vendor list names Odoms Orchids, Quest Orchids, Florida Orchid House, Bamboo and Orchid Gardens, Lady Vanda Orchids, So Orchids, The Orchid Den, Orchids In Bloom, Mac's Orchids, Atizana Inspired Haitian Art Work, Bold Bungalow and Hicks Orchids & Supplies.
The Sunday hours make the show the easiest event on this list to fit around everything else. Anyone who spends Saturday at the parade can come back Sunday morning, when the parade and Kidsfest are over and the market is a week away from its next Saturday.
Across the campus, the Cornell Art Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday with free admission. Current exhibitions include "River of Grass," "Blooming in Color!," "Ron Garrett: Impressions & Expressions" and "Icons of Art," and the first three run into early 2027. The Crest Theatre next door is still closed for renovations, with its 323-seat performance space under construction.
Parking for a Day That Starts at 8 a.m.
With activity running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., where you park matters more than usual. The DDA's parking guide lists $4 an hour on Atlantic Avenue, $3 on nearby side streets, $2 in nearby lots and $1.50 in garages. Parking is free on side streets and in lots more than a block from Atlantic. The Old School Square Garage at 95 NE 1st Ave. charges $1.50 an hour, and the City lists free EV chargers there. A six-hour stay from the market's opening to the end of Kidsfest costs $9 in the garage and $24 on Atlantic.
Last season's market guidance also pointed shoppers to the Bob Federspiel Garage and the Monterey Lot. The City posts weekly traffic advisories to its social media every Thursday, which puts this week's advisory two days before the event.
Lunch After the Parade, and a Familiar Name Gone
For lunch downtown after the parade, Downtown Delray Restaurant Month has been extended through October 31 at select spots, including Big Al's Steaks, Campi Italian, Kapow Noodle Bar and W XYZ Bar at Aloft.
One familiar option won't be there. The Palm Beach Post reported that Park Tavern, at 32 SE Second Ave., planned to serve its last meals on Sunday, October 18, after 15 years downtown.
Into November on the Same Campus
The calendar stays busy into November. First Friday Art Walk returns November 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. at downtown galleries and cultural centers. The next day, Art on the Square brings about 100 artists to Old School Square for a two-day outdoor show on November 7 and 8, which puts it on the GreenMarket's third Saturday of the season. Old School Square also lists a Veterans Day ceremony on November 11 and a free "Wizard of Oz" movie night on November 13.
The GreenMarket is back every Saturday through May 22, and the team at BlackLabel Luxury Real Estate keeps a close eye on what lands beside it at Old School Square each weekend this season. If you'd like the inside view of downtown Delray's calendar, Let's Connect.