Where is the Mountain View Farmers' Market on Sunday, Nov. 29? It isn't in its usual spot. The market normally runs Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Caltrain station lot at 600 West Evelyn Ave. On Nov. 29 and again on Dec. 13, the California Farmers' Markets Association moves it to Hope Street Lots 4 and 8, on Hope Street between Evelyn and Villa. The association's listing for these move dates ties them to 49ers home-game Sundays.
The whole downtown holiday season works this way. None of it has a dedicated venue. A commuter lot, a converted street, a civic plaza and a city block under utility work each do double duty, so the schedule depends on who else needs the space that day. Once you see which uses overlap, the next seven weeks are easy to plan.
Two Sundays on Hope Street
The relocation has happened before this fall. The association's 2026 move dates started with Sept. 20, Sept. 27 and Oct. 4, and the most recent was Sunday, Nov. 8. From here through the end of the year, two remain:
- Sunday, Nov. 29: Hope Street Lots 4 and 8, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 13: same lots, same hours
The hours stay the same, and the association's page also says "no entry before 9 a.m." The Hope Street lots sit one block off Castro, closer to the center of downtown than the station lot. On both of those Sundays, the market can easily turn into a longer downtown morning, because each one falls on the same day as a Nutcracker matinee at the other end of Castro, covered below.
Mercy Street Is Still a Work Zone This Week
The second piece of shared ground is the block behind City Hall. Mountain View Voice reported that PG&E work on Mercy Street between Bryant Street and Shoreline Boulevard runs from Oct. 19 through Nov. 20. It brings intermittent road closures, lost on-street parking and noise from open trenching.
The work supports Corso, a housing development going up at Bryant and Mercy, across the street from City Hall. The 1.5-acre site used to be public parking Lot 12. Its 120 affordable apartments are expected to open in early 2028.
For anyone driving to the library or a show this month, the garage detail matters most. The City Hall and Mountain View Public Library garages stay open, but you enter from the Franklin/Shoreline side and exit toward Castro Street. At times Mercy runs one way, with the Corso side closed. The work is scheduled to end on Nov. 20. That's also the date of the next Makers Market, so the evening the trenching is set to wrap up, downtown has its busiest Friday of the month.
The 500 Block Carries the Heaviest Load
Civic Center at 500 Castro St. is the busiest stretch of downtown for the rest of the year. The Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, City Hall Plaza and Civic Center Plaza all share it, and their schedules overlap. Here is what's set there from Thanksgiving weekend on:
| Date | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Pacific Ballet Academy's 35th Annual "Nutcracker," sensory-friendly Act II | 2 p.m. | MVCPA |
| Fri., Nov. 27 to Sun., Nov. 29 | Pacific Ballet Academy's "Nutcracker," full performances | Nov. 27 at 6 p.m.; Nov. 28 at 1 and 6 p.m.; Nov. 29 at 1 p.m. | MVCPA |
| Thu., Dec. 3 to Sun., Dec. 6 | Smuin's "The Christmas Ballet" | Dec. 3–4 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 5 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. | MVCPA |
| Mon., Dec. 7 | Community Tree Lighting Celebration | 5:30 to 8 p.m. | Civic Center Plaza |
| Fri., Dec. 11 to Sun., Dec. 13 | Western Ballet's "The Nutcracker" | Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.; Dec. 12 at 1 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 13 at 1 p.m. | MVCPA |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | GISSV German Holiday Market | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. | City Hall Plaza |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Peninsula Youth Theatre's "The Night Before Christmas" | 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. | MVCPA |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir's South Bay Holiday Gospel Concert | 7:30 p.m. | MVCPA |
Performance dates and ticketing are on the MVCPA ticket site. The city's tree lighting page describes a free evening with festive music, crafts, sweet treats and the lighting of the community tree.
The table shows a pile-up from Dec. 11 to 13. On Saturday, Dec. 12, the German Holiday Market fills City Hall Plaza from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It's free, and it goes ahead rain or shine. The theater next door has four performances that same day: two Peninsula Youth Theatre shows and two Western Ballet Nutcrackers. Vendors on the market's 2026 list include Dittmer's Gourmet Meats & Wurst-Haus, Das Bierhauz, German Guys, Angelicakes and California's Crêpe, along with many local craft sellers. The next morning, the farmers' market is on Hope Street and Western Ballet has its final matinee at 1 p.m. With the Mercy Street garage pattern and the relocated market both in play, the walk between the two is short, but parking downtown is tight that weekend.
Nov. 29 follows the same pattern on a smaller scale. The market is on Hope Street, and Pacific Ballet Academy's last Nutcracker starts at 1 p.m.
The Closed Street Is What Makes the Friday Markets Work
Back up Castro, the 300 block hosts the city's Makers Market, which needs the street itself. Two dates are left this fall, both Fridays from 3 to 8 p.m.:
- Friday, Nov. 20
- Friday, Dec. 18
The city's Makers Market page says the fall series includes more than 50 vendors, and the vendor roster for fall 2026 is closed. On Dec. 18, the market's last hour overlaps with the 7:30 p.m. gospel concert two blocks south at the MVCPA. That gives the evening a natural route, starting on the 300 block and ending at Civic Center.
A street market every month fits here because Castro is no longer a through street. The city closed three blocks, from California Street to West Evelyn Avenue, to cars during the pandemic. Mountain View Voice notes that the city has since taken steps to make the closure permanent, including center-street striping and decorative fencing around seating areas. The council set up the pedestrian mall segments by ordinance in 2022.
The mall will look the same this December as it did last December. In March, the City Council voted 6-0 to approve a design concept for 21-foot-wide central crosswalks, new pedestrian signals and traffic signal upgrades at the Villa and Dana intersections. The city's capital projects page, last updated September 2026, lists the project at 65% design, still in the design phase, with completion in fall 2028. Until then, a person walking down the middle of Castro still has to step over to a sidewalk to cross at Villa and at Dana. On a Makers Market Friday, plan on that sidewalk detour at both corners.
What's Newer on the Blocks Between
Walking from the Evelyn end toward Civic Center, these are the changes along Castro since spring:
- Bloom & Vine, 110 Castro St. This full-service restaurant from the team behind Mian Sichuan Noodle took over the former Johnny & Sanny's space. It soft-opened June 4 and held its grand opening June 12, according to Palo Alto Online.
- Ry's Poke Shack, inside Ava's Downtown Market at 340 Castro St. It made its Bay Area debut Sept. 3. In September, Mountain View Voice listed its hours as daily from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. It's on the Makers Market block, so it works as a stop on either Friday.
- 25 West Gallery, 384 Castro St. It opened in August with an exhibit by Iranian artist Mohsen Keiany. Mountain View Voice reported plans for monthly exhibits and community art classes.
- TleafGreen, 790 Castro St. This fast-casual Burmese concept is going into the former Amici's East Coast Pizzeria space. Amici's moved to San Antonio Road after 24 years on Castro. Mountain View Voice reported an expected opening in December or January, and it will be the only Burmese restaurant in Mountain View. The team behind it also runs Burma Bay Cafe in Fremont, Burma! Burma! in Dublin and Burma 2 in Walnut Creek. Its menu centers on salads and hot dishes such as mint jalapeño chicken.
TleafGreen sits on the 700 block, close to Civic Center, so it's on the way for anyone heading to a show.
The Library Fills the Quieter Evenings
The Mountain View Public Library is next to City Hall, across the same Mercy Street work zone, and its event calendar covers the nights the plaza is quiet:
- Sunday, Nov. 15: Coloring for Adults, 1:30 to 3 p.m., 1st Floor Program Room
- Tuesday, Nov. 17: Sewing with FabMo: Owl Doorstops, 6 to 8 p.m., 2nd Floor Program Room
- Tuesday, Dec. 15: Winter Dance Party, 6:30 p.m., 1st Floor Program Room
- Thursday, Dec. 17: Seasonal Senses, a festive sensory playtime for toddlers and preschoolers, 11 a.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 19: Fratello Marionettes: The North Pole Review, 3 to 4 p.m.
The two November programs fall while the Mercy Street work is still scheduled, so use the Franklin/Shoreline garage entrance for those. By the December dates, the work is set to be finished.
For more on everyday downtown life, see our earlier piece on everyday life near Castro Street, our Shoreline fall concert guide, and the Mountain View neighborhood page.
If you're weighing a home within walking distance of Castro Street, Aaron Buntin can go over how the market Sundays, Makers Market Fridays and Civic Center show nights affect parking and foot traffic on the blocks you're looking at. Start Your South Bay Home Search with us.
