At 4 p.m. on a Tuesday in October, vendors set up at Rose District Plaza, 418 S. Main St., for a market that stays open until 8. It's easy to think of the Rose District Farmers Market as a summer Saturday thing. This year the City of Broken Arrow has it running on Tuesday evenings through Dec. 22, and those Tuesdays carry most of downtown's holiday season.
Counting from this coming Tuesday, Oct. 13, that's 11 Tuesdays in a row with a market at the plaza. Around them sit two parades, a tree lighting, four nights of carriage rides and two holiday concerts down the street. The same market also helped launch a business that is now taking over a long-vacant building a block north. Here is the whole season in one place, from someone who grew up a few blocks from all of it.
The season at a glance
All dates are from the City of Broken Arrow's community calendar unless noted. Locations are Rose District Plaza, 418 S. Main St., unless listed otherwise.
| Date | Day | What's happening | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 10 | Sat | Farmers Market; Cool Grilles Classic Car Show on Main Street | Market 8 a.m. to noon |
| Oct. 13, 20, 27 | Tue | Tuesday Market | 4 to 8 p.m. |
| Oct. 17, 24 | Sat | Farmers Market | 8 a.m. to noon |
| Oct. 31 | Sat | Halloween market with the Traveling Barnyard and trick-or-treating | Market 8 a.m. to noon; Barnyard 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. |
| Nov. 3 | Tue | Holiday Market opens; Straight No Chaser at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center | Market 4 to 8 p.m.; concert 7:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 7 | Sat | 7th Annual Broken Arrow Veterans Day Parade | 10 to 11:30 a.m. |
| Nov. 10 | Tue | Holiday Market | 4 to 8 p.m. |
| Nov. 12 | Thu | Christmas in Broken Arrow Kick-Off and tree lighting | 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 17, 24 | Tue | Holiday Market with Santa | Santa 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 20 | Fri | Carriage Rides | 6 to 8 p.m. |
| Nov. 28 | Sat | Carriage Rides | See city calendar |
| Dec. 1 | Tue | Holiday Market with Santa | Santa 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 4 | Fri | Carriage Rides | See city calendar |
| Dec. 5 | Sat | Broken Arrow Christmas Parade, downtown | 10 a.m. |
| Dec. 8 | Tue | Holiday Market, Santa, Claus & Paws Night; Grady Nichols Christmas Show at BAPAC | Santa 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; concert 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 12 | Sat | Carriage Rides | See city calendar |
| Dec. 15 | Tue | Holiday Market, Santa and "The Mean One" | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. |
| Dec. 22 | Tue | Final Holiday Market with Santa | 4 to 8 p.m. |
Two patterns show up in that table. The Saturday market ends Oct. 31, so after Halloween the Tuesday market is the only weekly market night left downtown. Saturdays from then on belong to the parades and carriage rides.
Tuesdays carry the holidays
The Holiday Market picks up right where the Tuesday Market leaves off. It runs Nov. 3, 10, 17 and 24 and Dec. 1, 8, 15 and 22, always from 4 to 8 p.m. Santa visits six of those eight nights, starting Nov. 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The city lists the Santa visits as free and open to the public.
Two Tuesdays have their own twist:
- Dec. 8, Claus & Paws Night. The city invites people to bring their dogs to the market for a photo with Santa.
- Dec. 15, "The Mean One." He's at the market the same evening as Santa, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Two of those Tuesdays also have a concert down the street. The Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center at 701 S. Main St. sits at the south end of the same stretch of Main. On Nov. 3, the first night of the Holiday Market, Straight No Chaser takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. On Dec. 8, Claus & Paws Night, the Grady Nichols Christmas Show also starts at 7:30 p.m. Market hours end at 8, so if you have concert tickets you can shop or get a Santa photo first and then walk south to your seat.
If you're planning around grandkids or visiting family, the Tuesday Santa nights are the easiest to plan on. They repeat on the same weekday at the same time for six weeks, so a missed night just moves to next week.
Saturdays and the weekend set pieces
Saturday mornings in October still belong to the market, from 8 a.m. to noon on Oct. 10, 17, 24 and 31. The last one is the Halloween edition. The Traveling Barnyard is there from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., and there's trick-or-treating at the market while supplies last.
This Saturday, Oct. 10, the market shares downtown with the Cool Grilles Classic Car Show. According to the Rose District's road closure page, the show closes Main Street from College to Ft. Worth along with nearby downtown streets. If you usually park on Main for the market, it's worth planning a different approach that morning.
Once November starts, the weekend events get bigger and less frequent:
- Veterans Day Parade, Saturday, Nov. 7. This is the 7th annual parade. It runs 10 to 11:30 a.m. and is listed at Rose District Plaza.
- Christmas in Broken Arrow Kick-Off, Thursday, Nov. 12. It runs 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the plaza and includes the tree-lighting ceremony and holiday activities. This is the only weekday evening event on the calendar that isn't on a Tuesday.
- Carriage Rides, Nov. 20, Nov. 28, Dec. 4 and Dec. 12. The city describes complimentary horse-drawn rides through the decorated district. The Nov. 20 listing gives hours of 6 to 8 p.m. The later dates are on the city's November and December calendars, and it's a good idea to confirm their times there before you go.
- Broken Arrow Christmas Parade, Saturday, Dec. 5. Visit Broken Arrow's 2026 listing gives 10 a.m. and the location as "Rose District | Downtown Broken Arrow." It says the parade travels through downtown, but no street-by-street route has been published yet.
The carriage rides fall on Fridays and Saturdays. The Holiday Market falls on Tuesdays. So in the five weeks before Christmas, a free downtown activity is on the calendar for both a weeknight and a weekend most weeks.
From a market stand to a Main Street storefront
The plaza calendar matters for more than the events. The farmers market that fills it is also where one downtown business got its start, and that business is now working on what the city has described as a missing piece of the Rose District.
In July 2026, Broken Arrow City Manager Michael Spurgeon told News On 6 that a neighborhood grocery and deli called District Mercantile was expected to open "this fall." It's going near the corner of Dallas Street and Main Street, about two blocks south of Broadway and one block north of Rose District Plaza. The station reported the building had been vacant for about four years and boarded up for several of them. The plan includes grocery staples, deli items and grab-and-go meals. Spurgeon called the market "something downtown Broken Arrow has needed for years."
The owner behind District Mercantile also runs the coffee business longtime residents know as Rise and Grind. According to News On 6, that business started at the Rose District Farmers Market more than a decade ago before it opened a brick-and-mortar shop. The Broken Arrow Sentinel reported that Rise Grind & Ride plans to move into the new building at 224 S. Main St. and rebrand as Wanderlust Roastery, sharing the space with the grocery. So a vendor that once set up at the same market now running on Tuesday nights is preparing a permanent spot a block from the plaza.
The reporting we found doesn't give a specific opening date. In a July 15 update, the City of Broken Arrow tied its renovation incentive to finishing the property renovations and opening the business. The most recent reporting we found still describes the opening as expected this fall. Until the doors actually open, it's best to think of District Mercantile as on the way.
The 200 block of South Main already has one newer arrival. In February, the Broken Arrow Sentinel reported that Kilwins, the chocolate, confectionery and ice cream shop, was coming to 217 S. Main St. with a target of mid-March. The Kilwins Broken Arrow store page now lists that address with daily hours, which makes it an easy stop for something sweet after a Santa visit at the plaza.
Put together, the Rose District's holiday season is laid out along one stretch of Main Street. Kilwins and the District Mercantile building are in the 200 block. Rose District Plaza, home to every market night and Santa visit, is at 418. The Performing Arts Center is at 701. Every event in the table above takes place on or just off those blocks.
Whether you're planning Santa nights with grandkids, taking a parent along for a carriage ride, or just keeping Tuesday evenings open for the market, I'm happy to share what I know about downtown Broken Arrow. I grew up here, and the Rose District is still one of my favorite places to spend a December evening. If a move is part of your family's plans this year, my door is open, and so is my calendar. Joanna Ford | Let's Connect.
