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Saturday in the Cowichan Valley starts at the Duncan Farmers’ Market, and the Cowichan Tasting Passport Tour gives you five more reasons to stick around. Most stops are a short walk from the farmers’ market and covers local food, sustainable shopping, independent retail, and art. Save a little gas for the last one: a steam train ride through the forest just outside of town.
Don’t forget to download the BC Farmers’ Market Trail app before you go. Checking in at select stops unlocks exclusive discounts available only to Passport visitors!
One of BC’s oldest and largest farmers’ markets, the Duncan Farmers’ Market runs rain or shine every Saturday morning in the heart of downtown. More than 100 vendors set up in the market square at Craig and Ingram Streets, selling everything from fresh produce, fruit, honey, eggs, cheese, meat, and seafood to baked goods, plants, wine, spirits, and handcrafted goods. It’s the kind of market where you plan to browse for twenty minutes and end up staying for two hours. Come hungry, come with a bag, and plan for a proper Saturday morning.
Open Saturdays, 9am to 2pm.
Island Bagel and Bannock
A short walk from the Duncan Farmers’ Market, Island Bagel and Bannock is a local favourite serving fresh-baked bagels, warm bannock, and fry bread alongside breakfast sandwiches, salads, dessert squares, and flavoured cream cheeses. Round it out with a hot or iced espresso drink and you have a full morning meal covered. This is an easy first stop after the market, or a mid-tour bite to keep you going.
Tasting Passport App offer: Check in on the app on farmers’ market day (Saturday) to receive one free baked bannock or fry bread with purchase!
plentiFILL Refillery and Sustainable Living
A few blocks from the farmers’ market on Kenneth Street, plentiFILL is a refillery and sustainable living shop focused on Canadian-made products for home and body. Bring your own containers or pick one up in store, and refill everything from dish soap to shampoo to cleaning supplies. It is a practical stop with a feel-good factor, and a great place to restock the pantry without the plastic.
Tasting Passport App offer: Check in on the app on farmers’ market day (Saturday) for 10% off refills.
The Red Balloon Toyshop
Right on Craig Street near the farmers’ market, The Red Balloon Toyshop carries toys, puzzles, and games for all ages. It is the kind of independent toy store that is increasingly rare, stocked with thoughtful options and a genuine sense of fun. Worth a stop whether you are shopping for a kid in your life or just want to browse something that is not a screen.
Cowichan Public Art Gallery
Located on Ingram Street, the Cowichan Public Art Gallery fills two floors with national artworks and rotating exhibitions. Outside, an outdoor sculpture garden and carving symposium add to the experience. The gallery is also a genuinely welcoming spot to slow down, with shaded seating for families, children, nursing mothers, and dogs. From late May through September, the Art in the Alley series brings local artisans onto the property, and in late July you can catch live Shakespearean plays performed outdoors. Come for the art and stay longer than you planned.
BC Forest Discovery Centre
The one stop that requires a short drive, the BC Forest Discovery Centre is worth every minute of the trip. Located on Drinkwater Road just outside Duncan, this 40-hectare site is home to more than 5,000 forest history artifacts, heritage buildings, interactive exhibits, and nearly two kilometres of wheelchair-accessible trails. The centrepiece is the restored steam locomotive that carries passengers 2.4 kilometres over the Somenos Marsh Trestle and through the surrounding forest. It is a genuine family highlight and one of the more unique attractions on Vancouver Island.
Passport offer: Check in on the app on farmers’ market day (Saturday) to receive buy one get one free child admission. Buy one child admission and receive a second child admission free. Valid through September 20, 2026.
Get out there and enjoy the Cowichan Tasting Passport Tour! Download the BC Farmers’ Market Trail App to unlock exclusive discounts available only to Tasting Passport app visitors.