Where do you buy cranberry jelly, local honey and a hand-thrown mug in Cedar once the farmers market tents come down? This Sunday, October 25, is the last regular Sunday of the Cedar Farmers Market's 2026 season, which has run 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every week since May 10 at Woodbank School, 1984 Woobank Road. Three and a half weeks later, the Cedar & Yellow Point Artisans open their Country Christmas Tour across 15 host locations. The tour fills the same role for the holidays, spread over driveways, barns and home studios across Cedar and Yellow Point.
Taken together, the two events show how local shopping works south of Nanaimo. The season doesn't end at Halloween. For the holidays it moves from one field to many properties, and the tour's mix of farmers and makers looks a lot like the market did when it started.
Thirty Seasons, Starting at the Crow & Gate
The market marked its 30th anniversary this year. When the season opened in May, executive director Kate Poirier told NanaimoNewsNOW where it started:
"This started 30 years ago at the Crow & Gate Pub with just a handful of farmers and the Cedar Women's Institute, and now we've gone from six vendors back then to 175 different businesses that participate through our six-month season."
Six vendors grew to 175 businesses over a season. On opening day this year, NanaimoNewsNOW reported about 120 vendors on the former Woodbank Elementary School fields and up to 3,500 expected shoppers over the four hours. Poirier told the outlet that about 20 to 25 of that weekend's businesses came from the Cedar-Yellow Point area itself, along with "a lot of food producers and artisans."
That is the part that carries over into winter. The market has grown into a mid-Island draw, and it still has a strong Cedar-Yellow Point base of food producers and makers. The Christmas tour takes shoppers to that kind of local producer at home.
Poirier also explained why the market invests in seating. "We think it's really important to have some destination for people to go to and connect with others and be allowed to loiter, actually, it's encouraged," she told NanaimoNewsNOW, pointing to the chairs, tents and shade organizers have added over the years. The studio tour offers a different kind of lingering. Each stop is someone's own property, so you get a few minutes with the maker instead of a seat in a shared field.
The Weeks Between the Market and the Tour
The gap between seasons is shorter than it looks. Here is how the next two months line up:
- Through October 31. McNab's Corn Maze & Produce Farm at 4613 Yellow Point Road is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tourism Nanaimo lists maze-and-hayride admission at $9 for adults, $6 for children and $30 for families, with hayride-only tickets at $2.50.
- Sunday, October 25. The last regular Sunday of the Cedar Farmers Market season, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with reserved shopping from 9:30 to 10 a.m. Organizers told NanaimoNewsNOW that the half-hour is for shoppers who need a quieter environment.
- Mid-November. Market organizers have described a special Christmas-themed market in mid-November. Watch the market's website for the exact date and location.
- November 19 to 22 and November 26 to 29. The Cedar & Yellow Point Artisans' Country Christmas Tour, with all locations open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13. The tour's bonus weekend, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
McNab's sits on Yellow Point Road, the same road as two of the tour's farm stops. Through October 31 it keeps the farm-gate habit going in the same part of the area where the tour opens in November.
Fifteen Stops, Listed by Road
The tour is self-guided. The organizers post a downloadable 2026 map on the Christmas Tour page, and you plan your own route. Many of the addresses carry a Ladysmith or Nanaimo mailing label, but the stops are spread through Cedar and Yellow Point. Here they are, grouped by mailing label as the tour lists them:
| Stop | Address | What the tour lists |
|---|---|---|
| JoVic Pottery | 4781 Shell Beach Rd, Ladysmith | Vic Duffhues's functional and decorative stoneware, Josée Duffhues's abstract paintings |
| Oyster Bay Art Studio | 4831 Brenton Page Rd, Ladysmith | Gourd art, mosaics, photography, crochet, cards |
| Ladybug's Mew | 13095 Prospect Dr, Ladysmith | Handcrafted gifts, soaps, jams, berries, vegetables |
| C & G Pottery | 5001 Aho Rd, Ladysmith | Pottery and ceramics, with guest artist FIRA Glassworks and its fused-glass ornaments |
| Yellow Point Farms | 4756 Yellow Point Rd, Ladysmith | Farm store, petting farm, wool goods, goat-milk soap, produce, preserves |
| Yellow Point Cranberries | 4532 Yellow Point Rd, Ladysmith | Cranberry products, jams, jellies, baked goods, gift baskets |
| Connie Delcourt-Mixed Media | 3480 Eggleton Rd, Ladysmith | Acrylic art, woodwork, driftwood, clay works, beach décor |
| Yellow Point Alpacas | 3597 Juriet Rd, Ladysmith | Alpaca gift items |
| Claudia Lohmann Studio Gallery | 3095 DeCourcy Dr, Ladysmith | Abstract paintings on wood and furniture, prints, cards, with guest gold and silversmith Karin Schieber |
| Blue Tractor Farm | 3133 Cedar Rd, Ladysmith | Farm store and nursery goods, with guest artist Central Island Craftworks |
| Ted Jolda Gallery | 3140 Decourcy Dr, Nanaimo | Ted Jolda's glass work |
| Champagne Hill Botanicals | 2083 Furn Rd, Nanaimo | Wildcrafted herbal products, botanical skin care, teas, salts, copper jewelry |
| Fredrich's Honey | 2081 Lazy Susan Dr, Nanaimo | Honey and bee products |
| Hepburn Cottage & Studio | 1940 Burchell Rd, Nanaimo | Lauren's paintings, holiday goods, fabric art, vintage items |
| Bigleaf Woodworks | 2194 Akenhead Rd, Nanaimo | Locally sourced charcuterie boards, crib boards, coasters |
The table makes a few route choices easier. Claudia Lohmann's studio at 3095 DeCourcy Drive and Ted Jolda's gallery at 3140 Decourcy Drive are on the same road. Yellow Point Farms and Yellow Point Cranberries both have Yellow Point Road addresses, as does McNab's. Champagne Hill Botanicals and Fredrich's Honey are at 2083 Furn Road and 2081 Lazy Susan Drive.
Why the Farm Stops Belong on a Craft Tour
The organizers describe the tour as a chance to visit "Cedar & Yellow Point artists, crafters, and farmers." Of the 15 stops, about half sell something grown, raised or gathered on site or nearby. That covers cranberries at Yellow Point Cranberries, goat-milk soap and wool at Yellow Point Farms, honey at Fredrich's, berries and vegetables at Ladybug's Mew, nursery stock at Blue Tractor Farm, alpaca goods at Yellow Point Alpacas and wildcrafted herbal products at Champagne Hill Botanicals.
That balance matches how the farmers market began. Poirier's description of its first season at the Crow & Gate was a handful of farmers and the Cedar Women's Institute, which means food growers and home producers side by side. Thirty years later, the market draws vendors from across the mid-Island. The Christmas tour keeps that original mix but stays tied to the properties where the goods are made. In one afternoon you can go from JoVic Pottery on Shell Beach Road to Yellow Point Cranberries on Yellow Point Road.
Several stops add guest makers. FIRA Glassworks shows at C & G Pottery, Karin Schieber at Claudia Lohmann's studio and Central Island Craftworks at Blue Tractor Farm. The 15 host addresses therefore represent more than 15 makers.
A Long-Running Tour, Slightly Smaller This Year
The tour is older than the market. In November 2025, the Nanaimo News Bulletin reported that year's event was the 37th annual tour, with 17 stops. The 2026 lineup has 15 host locations, two fewer than last year, spread over two November weekends plus a December bonus weekend.
The December 12 and 13 weekend works well for anyone who misses both November weekends or wants a second trip for items they saw on the first. It runs on the same 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours as the main tour.
For a local household, the calendar is simple. Shop the market one last time this Sunday, take the kids through McNab's maze before October 31, and download the tour map before November 19. Then pick a road, starting with DeCourcy Drive or Yellow Point Road.
At Charlie Parker Team, we follow the people and places that keep Cedar and Yellow Point running year-round, from the Woobank Road market field to the farm stands on Yellow Point Road. If you'd like local perspective on the south end, in any season, we're glad to talk. Contact Us.