Sunset Park's Two Monthly Markets Split Up in November

Most months, the two farmers' and makers' markets on either side of Sunset Park run back to back on the same weekend. The Sunshine Market at Midtown sets up at Midtown Commons on the fourth Saturday. The Sunday Market at Westshore Marina District fills Bridge Street on the fourth Sunday. October followed that pattern, with Midtown on Saturday the 24th and Westshore on Sunday the 25th.

November doesn't. The Westshore market comes first, on Sunday, November 22, the weekend before Thanksgiving. Midtown follows six days later, on Saturday, November 28, the weekend after. If you plan on doing both in one weekend, you'll need two separate weekends this month.

The Calendar Rule Behind the Split

Both markets keep their usual fourth-weekend rule in November. November 1, 2026 is a Sunday, so the fourth Sunday arrives on the 22nd, while the first Saturday doesn't come until the 7th, which pushes the fourth Saturday to the 28th. When a month starts on a Sunday, a fourth-Saturday market and a fourth-Sunday market end up in different weeks.

Both organizers have published dates through September 2027, and the pattern shows up exactly twice in that schedule.

Every other month on both schedules, February through July and September 2027, puts the markets on the same Saturday and Sunday. That makes November the unusual month on the 2026 calendar, and it happens to be the month with a holiday in the middle.

November 22: Bridge Street Gets the Sunday Before Thanksgiving

The Westshore market is the larger of the two. Tampa Bay Markets describes it as having more than 70 vendors, and the organizer's own count for October 25 was 65. It runs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from October through May at 4900 Bridge St., with free parking and restrooms, and dogs are welcome. Its 9 a.m. start is an hour earlier than Midtown's, which matters for anyone who wants to finish the market before lunch.

The November roster hadn't been posted yet. On Marketspread, the platform the organizer uses for vendor lists, the November 22 vendors still show as tentative. What the page does show is that this market's vendor roster overlaps with Midtown's. Pour Decisions Coffee Co and DJ's Homemade Dog Treats both appear on the Westshore market's vendor list and on Midtown's. In a month when the two dates are six days apart, a vendor you missed on one Sunday could show up at the other market the following Saturday.

The market also sits inside a commercial strip that's open every day. The district's shops and restaurants include Qwench Juice and DRNK Coffee, Sand Surf Co., the Color Bar salon, and Rock It Cycle and Fitness, with Chuck Lager's kitchen at the same cluster. Salt Shack on the Bay and The Hula Bay Club are nearby on the water. The newest name on Bridge Street is The Greene Turtle at 5224 Bridge St. That's So Tampa reported in January that the Maryland-based sports bar had opened the previous fall, its first location in Florida.

The drive south on Westshore Boulevard passes a restaurant with a new name that isn't actually new. At 3671 S Westshore Blvd., Trattoria Pasquale is now Luigi's Kitchen. That's So Tampa covered the rebrand in September under the headline "the 'new' South Tampa Italian restaurant that's been here all along." The restaurant opened in 2012 and is still run by the same team, led by Chef Luigi Cavallaro, who is from Bolzano. The September article doesn't give a date for the name change, so a call ahead before a pre-market dinner is a good idea.

November 28: Midtown Gets the Saturday After Thanksgiving

The Sunshine Market at Midtown Commons, 3659 Midtown Dr., has been running since 2021. The organizer lists more than 50 vendors and local live music. The header on its page says 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but the same page says hours run 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. from October through May. That puts the November 28 closing time at 3 p.m., an hour later than in summer. Parking is free, and the market welcomes families and dogs.

For a sense of what a fall Saturday looks like, the October 24 edition listed 69 vendors on Marketspread. Crafts were the largest product category, followed by clothing and baked goods. Esmeralda's Kitchen sold pastries including Armenian baklava and matnakash, alongside Pour Decisions Coffee Co and DJ's Homemade Dog Treats. Like the Westshore market, the November 28 lineup is still marked tentative.

Midtown's restaurant directory lists Colony Grill, Sal Y Mar, True Food Kitchen, Sunda, BellaBrava, Ponte, Walk-On's, Shake Shack, Kale Me Crazy, and Midtown Boba within walking distance of the Commons. Whole Foods Market and REI are part of the same development. The Saturday after Thanksgiving can cover the market, a grocery run to restock after the holiday, and lunch, all without moving the car.

Midtown also has an evening event before then. Its calendar lists a Sunset Market on Thursday, November 5, from 6 to 10 p.m. That makes three market dates in November within an easy drive of Sunset Park: an evening at Midtown on the 5th, a Sunday morning on Bridge Street on the 22nd, and a Saturday back at Midtown on the 28th.

December Puts Them Back Together, a Week After the Gift Market

December 1, 2026 is a Tuesday, so the two markets line up again, on Saturday, December 26 and Sunday, December 27. Both land the weekend after Christmas, and both rosters are still marked tentative.

The holiday shopping market comes a week earlier. A Merry Midtown runs Saturday, December 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Midtown Commons. It's part of the Tampa Bay Markets 2026 holiday series, and the listing promises local goods for gifting, free gift wrapping, a visit with Santa, and festive music. Since the December 26 market falls after the gift exchange, December 19 is the Midtown date for anyone shopping for gifts.

So in the last two months of 2026, the Saturday market at Midtown moves through three different roles: a post-Thanksgiving restock on November 28, a gift market on December 19, and an ordinary fourth Saturday on December 26. The Sunday market at Westshore stays the same throughout. It's the earlier start and the waterfront setting, and the only thing that changes is its place relative to the holiday.

The Next Split Is August 2027

After November, both published schedules keep the markets on the same weekend every month until August 2027. That month starts on a Sunday, so the Westshore market moves up to August 22 and Midtown stays on August 28. Summer hours will also be in effect then, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Bridge Street and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Midtown, so both markets will close earlier than they do this fall.

If you'd like to talk through the blocks of Sunset Park that sit between Midtown Commons and Bridge Street, whether you live there now or are still comparing South Tampa neighborhoods, Andrea Webb is happy to help. Let's Connect.