Severna Park's holiday shopping season happens over three Saturdays in November, and each one adds more than the last. November 7 has one craft fair and a farmhouse museum. November 14 adds a bigger church market with a white elephant sale. November 21 has two events with overlapping hours, ponies, a petting zoo and Santa. All of it sits along Benfield Road, Ritchie Highway and Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard. Since September, the route has also had two new places to stop for coffee.
The schedule is worth knowing ahead of time because the busiest day comes last, and the best stretch of it is only two hours long.
Before the bazaars, the farmers market wraps up
The first Saturday after this post goes up is October 31. A vendor booking page for the Severna Park Farmers Market gives the season as April 25 to October 31, though it doesn't list a year. The 2026 season did open on April 25, and the market runs Saturdays, rain or shine, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Park & Ride where Ritchie Highway meets Jones Station Road, according to Severna Park Voice's season-opening report. Check with the market about its last 2026 date before planning around October 31.
If the Park & Ride lot is empty in November, the Anne Arundel County Farmers Market at Riva Road and Harry S. Truman Parkway in Annapolis has a Saturday season that runs through December 31, 7 a.m. to noon. It also lists Sunday hours of 9 a.m. to noon.
Ending the farmers market leaves Saturday mornings open, and the church bazaars start the next weekend.
November 7: a craft fair and an open farmhouse
The season starts small. American Heritage Girls is hosting a Craft/Vendor Fair at Severna Park Baptist Church, 506 Benfield Road, on Saturday, November 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Severna Park Voice reported. The announcement says Tatay's Apron will sell food on site.
Kinder Farmhouse Museum is open to the public the same day, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., per the Friends of Kinder Farm Park calendar. The fair opens two hours earlier and closes an hour sooner, so a morning at Benfield Road and an early afternoon at the farmhouse fit together without rushing.
This is also the quietest of the three Saturdays, with one vendor fair, one museum and one food vendor. It's the easiest day to shop before the bigger crowds later in the month.
November 14: the Christmas Mart
A week later, the scale goes up a step, a few doors down the same road. St. Martin's-in-the-Field Episcopal Church holds its Christmas Mart on Saturday, November 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 375 Benfield Road.
The church's listing covers more than the November 7 fair:
- Handmade gifts
- Baked goods
- Warm food
- A white elephant sale
- Home decor
The church asks visitors to bring a nonperishable food item for SPAN, and proceeds go to St. Martin's community and outreach projects. If your pantry has extra cans, put them in the car the night before.
The hours match the November 7 fair exactly, 9 to 2. That stays true for the first two Saturdays, and November 21 is the first time the schedule gets more complicated.
November 21: two events, one overlap
The last Saturday before Thanksgiving week is the busiest day of the season, and the schedule takes some planning.
The Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church Holiday Bazaar runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 611 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard, with free entry. The listing promises holiday treasures, themed baskets to bid on, sweet treats, a visit with Santa and a hot lunch, and all proceeds go to missions the church supports.
St. John the Evangelist holds its sixth Advent Market Celebration the same day, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The parish is at 689 Ritchie Highway. According to the parish, food trucks, handmade crafters, artists and religious items will be set up on Larsen Field and in the school auditorium. Advent wreath kits and finished wreaths that families pre-ordered will be picked up and assembled inside. At 11 a.m., ponies arrive on Larsen Field for free rides, with donations welcome, and a petting zoo opens. St. Nicholas will be outside, and parents can take photos with him for a donation.
So both events run between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Here's how the day lays out:
- 9 a.m. Woods Holiday Bazaar opens. This is the only window with Woods to yourself.
- 11 a.m. St. John's Advent Market opens, and the ponies and petting zoo start on Larsen Field.
- 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Both events are open. Woods is serving its hot lunch while St. John's food trucks are running.
- 1 p.m. Woods closes. Basket bids and last bazaar purchases need to be done by then.
- 4 p.m. St. John's market winds down.
The order is clear even if you only plan loosely. Start at Woods, since it closes first and the baskets are an auction. Then go to St. John for the afternoon, when the ponies and petting zoo keep going after the Woods doors close. A family with young children can see Santa at Woods in the morning and St. Nicholas at St. John after lunch.
The Deep Creek Lighted Boat Parade could stretch the day further. Severna Park Voice's 2026 community events preview said the parade would likely be held in mid-to-late November and pointed readers to its Facebook page for details. Check that page for the date before building an evening around it.
Where the coffee comes from
Both new cafes are on the Ritchie Highway part of this route, and both opened in September, just ahead of the season.
Y'ollk Bakery at 489 Ritchie Highway, Suite 101, celebrated its grand opening in September after what Severna Park Voice called a lengthy buildout. Co-owners Marie Cris Garay and Basaran "Bas" Mulgan, originally from the Philippines and Turkey, bake with French technique and Filipino and Turkish flavors. The menu includes macarons, cake pops, cinnamon rolls, brioche donuts, biscuits, sandwiches and a full espresso menu.
Two items are the ones to seek out. Ube, a subtly sweet purple yam, is paired with coconut in rolls and donuts. Tombul is a Maryland-made spread the owners created from Turkish hazelnuts and cocoa, and it goes into several of their pastries. The Voice reported that everything is made from scratch in small batches, pastries are baked fresh each day, and nothing is frozen.
Garay explained the name to the Voice:
"I wanted to (open) in Severna Park because we don't have a local bakery – like, artisan, where you make everything from scratch, intentional."
The name combines egg yolks, a basic of baking, with "y'all," a nod to the bakery being for everyone. The timing matters most for this route. Y'ollk is on a temporary schedule, Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It opens at the same hour as the November 7 fair, the Christmas Mart and the Woods bazaar. On November 21, you can pick up a pastry box to take to St. John's before the bakery closes at 3. Garay also told the Voice she plans to buy produce from the Severna Park farmers market, which ties the bakery to the market that closes for the season just as the bazaars begin.
Toastique opened at 580 Ritchie Highway, Suite K, in Park Plaza and held its ribbon cutting with the Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce on September 18. Severna Park Voice describes it as a casual spot serving healthy food for busy, active schedules. It's the second area location for franchise owners Allyson and Mo Jishi, who opened the Annapolis Toastique in 2024. Check Toastique's website for hours before you count on it for an early start.
The season at a glance
- Saturday, October 31: likely the Severna Park Farmers Market's last Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon, at Ritchie Highway and Jones Station Road. Confirm with the market.
- Saturday, November 7: AHG Craft/Vendor Fair, 506 Benfield Road, 9 to 2, and Kinder Farmhouse Museum, 11 to 3.
- Saturday, November 14: St. Martin's Christmas Mart, 375 Benfield Road, 9 to 2. Bring a can for SPAN.
- Saturday, November 21: Woods Holiday Bazaar, 611 Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard, 9 to 1, and St. John's Advent Market, 689 Ritchie Highway, 11 to 4.
- Wednesday through Sunday: Y'ollk Bakery, 489 Ritchie Highway, 9 to 3.
If one of these markets is on your calendar this month, I'd love to hear which one is your family's tradition, and which Y'ollk pastry was worth the stop. Send me a note anytime at Colleen Smith. Let's Connect.
