A former industrial site transformed into a sustainable farmers market, community hub, and nature park. Saturday morning market is packed with local produce, baked goods, and artisan goods.
Neighbourhood: Don Valley · Address: 550 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON · Hours: Mon–Sun 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Price Range: Free · Phone: (416) 596-7670 · Editorial status: Not yet verified
You can stock up on local produce while wandering restored heritage buildings set against scenic hiking trails. There's real grit here: old kilns mix with green spaces and Toronto skyline views.
Evergreen Brick Works is the only place in Toronto where you can shop a bustling farmer’s market, explore abandoned industrial relics, and hit ravine trails—all in one stop. The combo of sustainability programming and preserved factory ruins makes it more interesting than typical markets or parks.
Here's a place that perfectly captures Toronto's ability to repurpose its industrial past into something beautiful. The Don Valley Brick Works — a former brick manufacturing complex that ran from 1889 to 1984 and supplied the clay bricks for many of the city's Victorian-era buildings — sat abandoned for years before being reimagined as Evergreen Brick Works, a sustainability hub and cultural space embedded in the Don Valley ravine system.
The Saturday morning farmers market is the main draw and one of Toronto's best. From spring through fall (and in reduced form through winter), over 70 vendors set up inside the heritage brick kilns and in the outdoor yards, selling Ontario produce, artisan cheese, freshly baked bread, smoked meats, jams, honey, seedlings, and prepared foods from across the city's culinary cultures. The quality is high and the atmosphere — exposed brick walls, soaring industrial ceilings, the Don Valley ravine visible through the open doors — is unlike any other market in the city.
The surrounding trail network connects directly into the Don Valley system, one of Toronto's most underused natural assets. You can hike north along the river, see the Brick Works' heritage pond (a restored wetland that attracts over 170 bird species), and connect to trails extending many kilometres through the valley without once returning to street level.
The Brick Works runs free community programs, the famous Artisan Market, and seasonal events including the Harvest Festival, winter market, and outdoor film screenings. Getting there requires either a short bike ride from Broadview subway station (the trail route is beautiful) or a $3 shuttle bus from Broadview on weekends.
The Evergreen Brick Works Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings from approximately 8am–1pm. It operates year-round, though the winter market (November–April) is smaller. The main market season (May–October) has 70+ vendors. Arrive before 10am for the best selection of bread and specialty items that sell out early.
Entry to Evergreen Brick Works is free. The farmers market is free to browse; you pay only for what you buy. Some special events (concerts, art exhibitions) have ticket prices. The surrounding Don Valley trails are always free to access.
The most pleasant route is to take the subway to Broadview Station (Line 2) and either rent a Bike Share Toronto bike (the trail route along the valley is beautiful and flat) or take the free shuttle bus that runs on weekday mornings and Saturday market days from the Broadview Station exit. The shuttle takes about 5 minutes. Parking is available on site but limited and fills up early on Saturday market mornings.
The Don Valley trail network behind the Brick Works connects to kilometres of hiking and cycling paths through the ravine. The heritage wetland pond on the property is a bird-watching hotspot with 170+ recorded species. The buildings themselves — preserved Victorian-era brick kilns and industrial structures — are architecturally fascinating. Ongoing programming includes community gardens, sustainability workshops, and the seasonal Artisan Market with craft vendors.
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