The Peachtree Road Farmers Market is adding a full-blown pumpkin patch to its usual Saturday lineup this weekend, turning the Cathedral of St. Philip's Buckhead lot into a fall festival with hay bales, cornstalks, live music and more than 70 local vendors. The pumpkin patch and farmers market event runs October 17 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at 2744 Peachtree Road NW.
Event partner Tradition Trees is supplying the pumpkins, hay bales and cornstalks for the weekend, according to Secret Atlanta. The Chamblee-based vendor, which operates seasonal Christmas tree and pumpkin lots across metro Atlanta, has a location on Peachtree Road in Chamblee. For families headed to Buckhead, Acton Academy Buckhead will host a paint-a-pumpkin station, and the first 50 children who stop by get a free pumpkin to paint, donated by Tradition Trees.
Beyond the paint station, organizers have packed in a children's play area, playgrounds, a chef pop-up, live music and a free fall photo backdrop, along with the market's usual spread of local food and coffee. Parking is free onsite, with overflow spots available at the GBC parking garage next to Fellini's Pizza.
A Nonprofit Rooted in Buckhead's Cathedral
The market itself has deep roots in the neighborhood. Co-founded in 2007 by James Beard Award-winning chef Linton Hopkins and his wife Gina Hopkins in partnership with The Cathedral of St. Philip, the Peachtree Road Farmers Market has grown into Georgia's largest producer-only farmers market, as previously reported by Hoodline. Hopkins built strong community ties in Buckhead by launching the market alongside his former restaurant, Restaurant Eugene.
The market functions as a nonprofit community outreach program under the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status of The Cathedral of St. Philip, according to the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Cathedral leadership established the market as part of its broader community service mission in Buckhead. Under the market's official operating rules, all farm vendors must maintain either Certified Organic or Certified Naturally Grown status, while prepared food vendors are prohibited from using corn syrup, hydrogenated oils or artificial dyes — producer-only policies meant to ensure vendors grow or make everything they sell rather than reselling wholesale produce.
Feeding Neighbors Beyond the Market Stalls
Those standards extend into the market's food-access programs. Through Wholesome Wave Georgia's Fresh for Less program, the market matches SNAP/EBT spending dollar-for-dollar up to $50 per visit for local produce. Statewide, the same program has generated more than $6.36 million in local agricultural stimulus since 2009.
The market's Rescued Crops to Feed Our Neighbors initiative tackles food waste on the other end: organizers purchased $33,902 worth of unsold produce directly from participating farmers during the 2025 season, donating 20,328 pounds of fresh food to local food pantry Intown Cares. The program buys surplus crops from farmers at market close, giving growers sustainable revenue while feeding food-insecure Atlantans. It's not the market's first charitable push — a prior Farm to Table for Seniors in Need partnership with Meals on Wheels Atlanta, spearheaded by Saltyard chef Nick Leahy, a board member of both organizations, provided donated or reduced-price produce to Meals on Wheels Atlanta so seniors could have fresh fruits and vegetables, as detailed by Simply Buckhead.
Leadership and a Growing Vendor Roster
The market has been led since September 2009 by Executive Director Lauren Carey, who brought event planning and nonprofit management experience to scale the operation from 20 original vendors to more than 70 regular participants, according to VoyageATL. As part of ongoing operational requirements, prepared food vendors are also required to source seasonal ingredients directly from the market's participating local farmers, fostering a direct economic relationship between chefs and regional growers.
The pumpkin patch weekend is part of the market's seasonal calendar. The Peachtree Road Farmers Market's 2026 regular season runs from March 7 through December 19, making Saturday's pumpkin patch part of its regular season.
