Four of Madrona's fall calendars end within about 30 hours of each other this year. The farmers market's last Friday is October 30. Both galleries on 34th Avenue close their October shows on October 31. That same Saturday afternoon, the business district holds its trick-or-treat. All of it happens within a few blocks, and none of it repeats until spring or next fall.
So the last weekend of October is the busiest stretch on Madrona's 2026 calendar. It is also the first fall in a while when 34th Avenue has two galleries, a newer tea cafe and a coffee shop on the way, which gives you enough to fill that weekend without leaving the neighborhood.
The weekend, hour by hour
Here is how the overlapping hours line up, using each organizer's published schedule.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 30, noon–5 p.m. | Dirkse/Prim Gallery open, Mya Kerner show | 1108 B 34th Ave |
| Fri, Oct 30, noon–5 p.m. | Spectrum Fine Art open, Melissa Messer show | 1411 34th Ave |
| Fri, Oct 30, 3–7 p.m. | Final 2026 Central District Farmers Market | 1126 Martin Luther King Jr. Way |
| Sat, Oct 31, noon–5 p.m. | Last day of both gallery shows | 34th Ave |
| Sat, Oct 31, 4–6 p.m. | Madrona Business District trick-or-treat | 34th Ave |
Friday has a two-hour window, from 3 to 5, when both galleries and the market are open at once. On Saturday, the trick-or-treat starts an hour before the galleries close. If you plan to see both shows before they come down, you have Friday or Saturday afternoon to do it. Spectrum is also open Thursdays, so October 29 is one more option for that gallery.
The market's last Friday, under its newer name
If your calendar still says "Madrona Farmers Market," it's out of date. The market now goes by the Central District Farmers Market. The operator says the broader name reflects that it serves Madrona, Cherry Hill, Madison Valley and nearby areas. The location is the same as before: the Madrona Grocery Outlet lot at MLK Way and E. Union Street, 1126 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The market runs Fridays from 3 to 7 p.m., and the season that started May 15 ends October 30.
The 7 p.m. close matters on that last Friday. The galleries on 34th close at 5, so the order that works is galleries first, market second, then dinner on 34th.
Two galleries on one street
The bigger change on 34th Avenue in 2026 is that it now has two galleries instead of one.
Spectrum Fine Art, at 1411 34th Avenue, is the established one. Its current show of work by Melissa Messer runs September 24 through October 31, 2026. The gallery is open Thursday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m., or by appointment.
Dirkse/Prim Gallery, at 1108 B 34th Avenue, is new this year. Interior designer Michelle Dirkse and artist Jeremy Prim founded it, and the first exhibition opened with a reception on April 24, 2026. KING 5 covered the opening as a new gallery bringing a fresh perspective to Madrona. Its October show, Mya Kerner's In the Light of Endings, runs October 2 through 31, with an opening reception Friday, October 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. Regular hours are Friday and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. You can also visit by appointment, or by chance if someone happens to be in.
That gives October two dates on the street, not one. The month opens with Dirkse/Prim's Friday-evening reception on October 2 and closes on October 31, when both shows come down on the same day. Dirkse/Prim has its next show scheduled already: Tess Michalik's Rococo Puffs runs November 6 through 28, with an opening reception November 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. If you miss October, the next first-Friday reception is five weeks away.
The 34th and Spring corner keeps changing
Walk north toward E. Spring Street and the street has changed in another way. Yoka Tea opened in 2025 in the former Madrona home of Cupcake Royale. That was the original Cupcake Royale, which Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reported was closing in late 2024. CHS describes Yoka as a Filipino- and Korean-inspired specialty cafe and drink shop, co-founded by Marcellus Beza and Amy Park, with shelves of curated Asian pantry goods and treats. A Ballard location is in the works.
Across the intersection, Casa Ella is taking shape in new construction on the northeast corner. In a September 2026 cafe roundup, CHS said 34th and Spring is "shaping up as an east of Capitol Hill cafe hot spot." Casa Ella plans to focus on the flavors of Colombia and small-batch imported beans. On Casa Ella's own site, founder Daniela Bursztyn says the beans are 100% Colombian.
Casa Ella hasn't announced an opening date, and as of late September, nobody had published pop-up dates either. CHS suggests watching for pop-ups as the cafe gets ready to open. So the corner should be busier before Halloween, but nothing confirms it will be open by then.
Where to sit down between stops
Since the gallery hours, market hours and trick-or-treat window run back to back, you'll probably want a meal in the middle. These places on the corridor have current hours or ordering on their own sites. None of those pages carries a date, so check the day you go, especially on Halloween.
- Mr West Cafe Bar, 1136 34th Ave, lists daily hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., which works for coffee before the galleries open.
- Madrona Arms, 1138 34th Ave, serves lunch daily and has indoor and outdoor seating. It is also where the Madrona Neighborhood Association holds its November bake sale.
- Café Soleil, 1400 34th Ave, serves Ethiopian dinners and American-style breakfast and brunch, a few doors from Spectrum.
- Bottlehouse, 1416 34th Ave, opens daily at 3 p.m. and has a daily happy hour, a good fit for the Friday gap between the galleries closing and dinner.
- Red Cow, 1423 34th Ave, takes reservations and online orders and runs weekly specials.
- Vendemmia, 1126 34th Ave, serves dinner, has a happy hour and takes reservations.
- Madrona Wine Merchants, 1127 34th Ave, posted on September 25 inviting customers in for wine discounts.
If you're used to booking at the last minute, think about reserving for Friday the 30th. A market closing day, open galleries and the night before Halloween all land on the same evening.
Saturday, and what comes after
The Madrona Neighborhood Association's trick-or-treat runs Saturday, October 31, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the business district. Shops and restaurants hand out candy and treats to trick-or-treaters of all ages. Because it starts at 4, the last hour of the gallery shows overlaps the first hour of costumes on the sidewalk. If you'd rather see the art in a quiet room, go Saturday before 4 or on Friday.
After that weekend, the calendar gets much quieter. The market is done until next season, the October shows are down, and the next date on the street is Dirkse/Prim's November 6 reception. Then on November 25, the day before Thanksgiving, the Madrona Neighborhood Association holds its Thanksgiving Pie and Bake Sale in front of Madrona Arms. The time is still to be announced, and the money goes toward the neighborhood's tree lights.
For more on how Madrona's public spaces have been changing this year, our earlier post on the playfield and the beach covers the parks side, and the Madrona neighborhood page has the bigger picture.
At Exact Home Team, we keep a running calendar of what's opening and closing in the neighborhoods we work in. If you hear when Casa Ella's first pop-up will be before we do, please tell us. And if you're wondering how a busier 34th Avenue might affect your own plans, we're happy to talk it through over coffee at whichever corner you like. Let's Get Started.
