For One Saturday, the Upper Valley Market Comes to The Canyons at Cimarron

Most weeks, the Upper Valley Artist & Farmers Market sets up in one place on one day. It runs every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Mesa Plaza lot at 7930 N. Mesa St., the same lot as Hobby Lobby. On Saturday, Nov. 28, the market moves for its 9th Annual Christmas Market. It runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Canyons at Cimarron, so it opens an hour earlier and stays two hours later than a normal Sunday.

That date is a good reason to plan the season around this one organizer. Between Thanksgiving weekend and Dec. 20, the market sets up in three places on five dates. The Canyons is the only one inside Cimarron, and it's the only one on a Saturday.

The Sunday baseline, and why Nov. 28 is different

Start with the regular schedule, since it explains the special dates. The organizer's November 2026 calendar lists Sunday markets on Nov. 8, 15, 22 and 29, all at Mesa Plaza. The two left in the month are Nov. 22 and Nov. 29.

Nov. 29 falls the day after the Christmas Market. That makes Thanksgiving weekend the one weekend this season with the market open on both days, in two different places:

• Saturday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: 9th Annual Christmas Market at The Canyons at Cimarron
• Sunday, Nov. 29, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Regular Sunday market at Mesa Plaza, 7930 N. Mesa St.

The Saturday market looks different from a normal Sunday. It's an outdoor event, and the organizer requires every vendor's 10x10 canopy to be all white or professionally branded, and decorated for Christmas. That rule is for vendors, not shoppers. Shoppers will see rows of white tents trimmed for the holiday instead of the usual mix of canopy colors. The event page also shows food truck spaces as sold out, so food trucks are booked for the day.

The anniversary count tracks back to a small start. The market's own blog dates its first market to Sept. 24, 2017, at The Substation, with 15 vendors. By its fourth anniversary, the same blog counted more than 135 vendors taking part each week. Nine Christmas markets later, the holiday edition still comes to a Cimarron shopping center for one day.

Where the Saturday market lands

The Canyons at Cimarron sits at Resler Drive and Paseo del Norte. When KTSM covered the project in July 2016, it described an open-air, walkable mix of retail, restaurants and offices. That open-air layout is why the center works for an all-day outdoor market. For anyone living in Cimarron, it's a short drive instead of a trip down Mesa Street.

The center also gives you somewhere to start or finish the day. Toastique, the gourmet toast, juice and coffee bar at The Canyons, reopened in March 2026, KVIA reported, under new owners Laura Alcantar, her husband Joey Paniagua and their son John. The menu includes gourmet toasts, acai bowls, smoothies, bottled juices and coffee drinks, made in-house with a focus on fresh, locally sourced ingredients. "Our goal is to just kind of pick up whatever (the previous owner) left off," John Paniagua told KVIA. With a 10 a.m. market start, a coffee and an acai bowl before the first lap of tents is an easy plan.

The rest of the route, in order

After Nov. 28, the market leaves Cimarron. The December dates follow a pattern, and one evening event nearby fits well with them.

Dec. 5 is the day to stack

The first Saturday in December is the one day this season when a daytime market and an evening holiday event fall on the same date.

During the day, the organizer's Dec. 5 listing at The Outlets moves the market indoors. Vendors set up in the hallway corridors of The Outlets, not in the parking lot. The vendor mix is narrower, too. The organizer doesn't allow drink vendors, food trucks, ice cream, fruit cups or metal jewelry at The Outlets dates. If a Sunday at Mesa Plaza usually means lunch from a truck, plan to eat somewhere else on Dec. 5 and again on Dec. 18.

That evening, Luminarias at Keystone opens at Keystone Heritage Park, 4200 Doniphan Dr. The park calls it a stroll through gardens lit by thousands of luminarias. Doors open at 6 p.m. and close at 9 p.m. on both Dec. 4 and Dec. 5. Entry is $5 for every adult and $2 for every child 12 and under. Musical entertainment and holiday refreshments come from the Ridgerunners 4-H Club. For a family of two adults and two young children, that's $14 at the gate. The Dec. 4 Friday night is the other choice for anyone who would rather keep Saturday free for shopping.

Back to the Sunday lot on Dec. 20

The organizer's December 2026 calendar lists a Dec. 20 market from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. That's a Sunday and the regular Sunday hours. ToDoElPaso's event calendar lists it as the Last Minute Christmas Market at Mesa Plaza, 7930 N. Mesa St., with local vendors, holiday shopping and food vendors. With food vendors back for that date, it's also the last easy lunch-and-errands Sunday before Christmas falls on the following Friday.

Put together, the special dates follow a clear progression. The Canyons gets the full holiday version: decorated white canopies and seven hours on a Saturday. The Outlets dates are indoor, with no food trucks or drinks. Dec. 20 brings everything back to the familiar Sunday lot, five days before Christmas.

For anyone in Cimarron, Nov. 28 is the day the market comes to them. If you want just one market date this season, choose Saturday at The Canyons. If you want two, add Dec. 5 at The Outlets and save the evening for the luminarias on Doniphan Drive.

The holidays often bring family home and get people talking about whether the house still fits. If that's come up for you, Derek & DJ can help you think it through without any pressure. We're two brothers working as one team. Call or text us for a free 15-minute market evaluation, and we'll walk you through what your home is worth before the new year.