One Lawn, One Saturday: How to Plan Delray's October 24 at Old School Square

The Delray Beach GreenMarket opens its 31st winter season on Saturday, October 24, at Old School Square. On the same day and the same campus, you'll also find the Witches of Delray ride, the Delray Beach Orchid Society's annual sale, Kidsfest and the Halloween Parade. The fall calendar puts these events on separate listings, but they share one address at 51 N. Swinton Avenue. Five events overlap there between breakfast and late afternoon. Each one has its own crowd, so the time you arrive changes the day.

Here is how the day stacks up, using the published hours:

Seen in one table, the day falls into three windows. Before 11 a.m. it is a market morning. From 11 to 2, the market, the orchid sale, Kidsfest and trick-or-treating all run at once. After the parade arrives, the campus belongs mostly to Halloween.

Before 11, the market has the morning to itself

The GreenMarket opens at 9 a.m. The Delray Beach CRA says more than 70 local growers, makers and food vendors will set up for the season. The CRA started the market in 1996 and runs it in two seasons a year. The October opener begins the winter half, which carries through late May. The Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority places the stalls on the front grounds of the Square along E. Atlantic Avenue. That stretch is also where the day's Halloween traffic will gather later.

The CRA's list of what to expect covers locally grown produce, grass-fed beef, fresh-caught seafood, just-picked citrus and tropical fruit, farm fresh eggs, artisan cheese and jams, baked goods, cut flowers and plants. Live music plays through the morning. There is also a food area where vendors cook on site, with seating for anyone who wants to stay and eat. SNAP benefits are accepted. Shoppers swipe their card at the EBT booth first and get tokens to spend at eligible stalls.

The early hours have one other event. The Witches of Delray ride leaves City Hall at 8 a.m. with a police escort and ends at Old School Square by 11. The ride wraps up with an awards presentation on the Square and raises money for the Achievement Centers for Children & Families. If you shop the market between 9 and about 10:30, you'll catch the riders arriving in costume on decorated bikes. Kidsfest and the avenue closure haven't started yet at that hour.

Late morning, the orchids open and Atlantic Avenue closes

At 10 a.m., the Delray Beach Orchid Society opens its 36th annual Orchids on the Square sale in the Vintage Gym. Admission is $5. Inside, you'll find orchid displays, vendors selling plants and supplies, and raffles that include a "Night on the Town" prize. Because it's indoors, it runs on a different clock from everything outside. The sale stays open until 5 p.m., three hours after the market packs up.

From 11 a.m., the campus fills with families. Kidsfest runs 11 to 3 on the Square, with games, bounce houses, live entertainment and food. At about the same time, Atlantic Avenue closes to cars for Trick-or-Treating on the Avenue. Participating merchants along Atlantic and Pineapple Grove hand out treats. The DDA's listing sets trick-or-treating from Swinton to Federal starting at 11 a.m. The City calendar and Boca Post both list an 11:30 start. Every source agrees it ends at 1 p.m.

For a market regular, that closure is what changes the morning. Before 11, you can carry a bag of produce down Atlantic like any other Saturday. After 11, the avenue between Swinton and Federal is a walking route full of costumed children. Most of what you can still reach by car is on the side streets.

At 1 p.m., the parade comes to the Square

The Halloween Parade, sponsored by the Delray Beach Rotary Club, needs no registration and costs nothing to join. Anyone in costume can line up at Atlantic Avenue and NE 5th Avenue at 1 p.m. and walk west to Kidsfest at Old School Square. The parade is one of Delray's oldest traditions, but the event listings disagree on which year this is, so we've left the number out.

When the parade arrives, the GreenMarket has about an hour left before it closes at 2. Kidsfest goes on until 3, and the Vintage Gym stays open until 5. If you walk over after lunch for the orchids, expect the parade crowd to be finishing up outside.

Sunday belongs to the orchids

The orchid sale is the only one of the five events that runs a second day. It is open Sunday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the same $5 admission. None of Saturday's Halloween events are on the Sunday schedule. If orchids are your main reason to go, Sunday gets you the same Vintage Gym displays without Saturday's crowds.

Getting there without fighting the closure

The downtown garages publish fixed rates. Here is what's listed:

• Old School Square Garage, 95 NE 1st Avenue, $1.50 per hour
• Robert Federspiel Garage, 22 SE 1st Avenue, $1.50 per hour
• 3rd Ave Lot, 380 NE 3rd Avenue, free with no time limit
• Freebee, free on-demand rides covering most of the area east of I-95 to A1A and from Gulfstream Boulevard to SW 10th Street, with Saturday service from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Freebee starts at 11, two hours after the market opens. If you want to shop at 9 a.m., you'll need to walk, bike or drive. The free ride is an option for getting home later, or for an afternoon visit to the orchids and the parade.

The DDA's announcement says Atlantic Avenue will close for trick-or-treating, but it gives no setup time, reopening time or detour route. The City posts weekly traffic advisories on its social channels every Thursday, so October 22 is the date to watch. The CRA also says it will post any GreenMarket closure for a citywide event on the market's webpage and social media, so check there before heading out. The DDA office takes event questions at 561-243-1077.

What follows on the same lawn

October 24 starts a season that stays on the Square. The GreenMarket returns every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through May 22, 2027. On November 7 and 8, the Cornell Art Museum holds Art on the Square, its juried fine-art show at the Old School Square Amphitheatre, with about 100 artists expected. On Tuesday, December 1, Old School Square holds its holiday kickoff and lights the 100-foot Christmas tree, with ice skating, a carousel and mini golf on the grounds. Inside the Creative Arts School at the same address, "Art in Practice" is on view through January 2, 2027, with more than 50 works by more than 30 local artists.

For downtown residents, a home within walking distance of 51 N. Swinton Avenue puts every one of these dates on foot, starting with the 9 a.m. opener. At Hall Luxury Homes Group, we know Delray's downtown buildings block by block, including how long the walk to the Square takes from each lobby. If you're weighing a residence close to Old School Square, request a Concierge Consultation and we'll go through the options with you.