The Dubuque Farmers Market is the oldest Farmers Market in the state of Iowa. It began in the 1840s in Flat Iron Park (the oldest platted city park in Iowa).

In 1858 the market moved inside the recently completed City Hall Building (modeled after Faneuil Hall in Boston). First floor was designed as a market and divided into small stalls, which were intended for anyone to display and sell products to the public. Windows, eleven feet high, were fabricated so farmers could back up their wagons to the window sills and unload their produce directly into the building.

It moved outside City Hall onto adjoining streets in December 1879.  In the 1970s the market took a brief hiatus because of declining attendance. Then, reinvigorated by encouraging arts and crafts vendors to join the local produce vendors, the market began attracting more visitors. Dubuque Main Street was assigned management of the Dubuque Farmers Market in the mid-1990s. Since then the market has grown dramatically, with 2018 ending with more than 128 registered vendors, the most recorded in more than 30+ years. A resurgence of interest in local foods has no doubt helped the market to grow to welcome between 2,000 & 3,000 visitors at the market, each Saturday, and as many as 5,000 on weekends such as Mothers’ Day & first corn.

Today, Dubuque Farmers Market features more than 125 vendors, representing over 10,000 acres in surrounding counties. Utilized space is expanding again in 2019. The wide variety of offerings include: certified organic and naturally and conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef, pastured pork, eggs from free-range chickens, fresh baked goods, confections, homemade pasta and sauces, cheeses, honey, herbs, fresh flowers, arts, crafts, and more. Chef and cooking demonstrations, seasonal produce events, along with music and educational activities, continue to make the Dubuque Farmers Market a popular Saturday morning destination.