Markham's fall events calendar kicks into gear this weekend, headlined by the Markham Museum's annual AppleFest on Saturday — 25 acres of cider making, artisan vendors, historical demonstrations, and family activities. The Main Street Markham Farmers' Market runs its regular Saturday morning slot, the city holds its September Curbside Giveaway Day, and Sunday morning belongs to the Markham-Unionville Terry Fox Run in Unionville. With Main Street Unionville's summer music series now wrapped for the season, the neighbourhood settles into a quieter rhythm — good for a gallery visit, a trail walk, or a patio dinner between the weekend's bigger draws.
Markham Museum's 25-acre heritage site turns over entirely to AppleFest for the day — the museum's working cider mill runs for one day only, pressing fresh cider that guests can sample and take home. Beyond the cider making, expect a vendor market of hand-crafted goods from local small businesses, live entertainment from School of Rock Markham, the Don Valley North Trolley trackless train, an inflatable and games area, face painting, mini-golf, and heritage craft workshops in the blacksmith shop, print shop, and textile studio. A pottery workshop add-on runs at 10:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:00 PM for anyone who wants to bring home something they made themselves.
The Main Street Markham Farmers' Market keeps its regular Saturday slot going into fall, with its full season roster of growers, honey producers, bakers, and artisans plus live entertainment on the market grounds. It's an easy way to open the day before heading out to AppleFest — free to browse, with plenty of early-fall produce on offer.
Markham's September Curbside Giveaway Day runs city-wide on Saturday — residents set out gently used items marked "FREE" at the curb for neighbours to browse and take, no money changing hands. It's a low-key way to declutter before fall, and a genuinely good source for furniture, books, and household goods if you're settling into a new place in the area. Anything not claimed needs to be brought back in by evening.
The Markham-Unionville Terry Fox Run returns Sunday morning, a local tradition dating back to 1982 that has raised more than $1.7 million for cancer research to date. Walk, run, wheel, blade, or bring the stroller — the route is open to all ages and paces, with registration from 8:30 AM at the Old Unionville Library Community Centre. There's no entry fee, and all proceeds go directly to cancer research through the Terry Fox Foundation.
More Things to Do in Markham This Weekend
The gallery's current exhibition continues Tuesday through Sunday, 10 AM–5 PM, free to enter — an easy stop if a shower passes through, or a quiet counterpoint to a day at AppleFest.
Free
The Toogood Pond loop and connecting Rouge Valley Trail system are especially good this weekend with the cooler, drier air — a flat, paved loop suited to all ages and abilities.
Free
The pick-your-own pumpkin patch and corn maze opened September 18, so this is the first full weekend to head out for early-season pumpkins alongside the farm market's produce and baked goods.
Market Free
The Pan Am Centre's Olympic 50m pool and fitness centre run standard drop-in hours — a good option to round out a busy weekend or work off some of that fresh AppleFest cider.
Drop-In Fee
Where to Eat on Main Street Unionville
Between an AppleFest morning, a market stop, and a Sunday run, Main Street Unionville's short, walkable strip remains one of Markham's best-concentrated dining stretches — heritage houses turned restaurants, extended patios, and a genuine range of cuisine within a ten-minute walk end to end.
A neighbourhood-scale dining room known for its brunch — think Aloha fried chicken burgers and Koji chicken on polenta — plus a seasonal dinner menu, craft beer and cocktail list. Open through the weekend for brunch, lunch, and dinner.
One of Unionville's more polished dining rooms, with attentive service and a menu built for a slower, sit-down evening — a good choice if you want to make Saturday or Sunday dinner an occasion.
A converted heritage house serving modern Italian classics — house-made pastas, wood-fired pizza, and a Grilled Seafood Platter worth planning dinner around.
Traditional and contemporary Indian dishes — Butter Chicken, Lamb Rogan Josh, and a strong vegetarian selection — with a lovely front patio for cool September evenings.
How to Plan Your Weekend
Saturday morning: Farmers' Market for a snack, then a scan of the neighbourhood's Curbside Giveaway finds on the way home.
Saturday afternoon: AppleFest at Markham Museum — cider making, the trackless train, and the inflatable and games area.
Sunday: The Terry Fox Run as a family, then a quiet afternoon at Toogood Pond.
Saturday: Arrive at Markham Museum early for the 10:30 AM pottery workshop slot, then spend the rest of the day working through the vendor market, cider mill, and heritage craft workshops before it wraps at 5 PM.
Saturday evening: Dinner on Main Street Unionville to close out the day.
Sunday morning: Register for the Terry Fox Run at 8:30 AM at the Old Unionville Library Community Centre and complete the route with family or friends.
Sunday afternoon: A stop at the Varley Art Gallery, then a relaxed brunch or lunch on Main Street.
Saturday: Farmers' Market, then the Varley Art Gallery's current exhibition, then dinner at Il Postino or Ambiyan.
Sunday: A walk around Toogood Pond, followed by brunch at NextDoor Restaurant before the week resets.
What This Weekend Says About Living in Markham
A weekend anchored by a 25-acre museum festival, a decades-old fundraising run, a weekly farmers' market, and a city-run giveaway day says something specific about a community: its civic institutions are active and well attended, not maintained for show. AppleFest and the Terry Fox Run both depend on the same volunteers and organizers coming back year after year, and both have been running long enough to have real histories attached to them — AppleFest through its 40th edition, the Terry Fox Run through more than four decades of local fundraising. That continuity is the kind of thing a single visit doesn't fully convey but a resident feels every fall.
It's also a useful comparison point against newer development further from an established core: a museum with 25 acres of programmed heritage grounds, a Main Street strip that supports a genuine restaurant scene, and a trail network that doesn't need a special occasion to be worth visiting — all within a few minutes of each other. That density of civic and everyday options, built up over years, is part of what distinguishes an established Markham neighbourhood from a newer community still filling in.
Markham This Weekend — Frequently Asked Questions
The main draws are AppleFest at Markham Museum on Saturday, the Main Street Markham Farmers' Market and city-wide Curbside Giveaway Day, both Saturday, and the Markham-Unionville Terry Fox Run on Sunday morning. The Varley Art Gallery, Toogood Pond, and Main Street Unionville's restaurant strip round out the weekend.
No — AppleFest requires a ticket. Admission is $14 for adults (19–54), $12 for older adults, $11 for youth (4–18), and free for children under 3. A pottery workshop add-on is available for $35 and includes admission plus a scheduled workshop slot.
Sunday, September 20, 2026, with registration from 8:30 AM at the Old Unionville Library Community Centre, 15 Library Lane. It's free to participate, and all proceeds support cancer research through the Terry Fox Foundation.
Yes. Entry to the market is free every Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM through Thanksgiving — you only spend on what you buy from vendors.
Residents place gently used items they no longer want at the curb, clearly marked "FREE," between 7 AM and 7 PM on Saturday, September 19. Anyone can browse and take marked items at no cost; anything unclaimed is brought back inside by the resident at the end of the day.
Mild and mostly dry — around 21°C on Friday with a light chance of showers, a cooler 17°C on Saturday with partly cloudy skies, and a milder 20°C on Sunday with roughly a 15% chance of showers.
If a weekend at AppleFest or the Terry Fox Run has you thinking seriously about a move to Markham, Michael provides the financial analysis that makes the evaluation rigorous — a complete all-in cost model, mortgage qualification analysis, and property tax comparison at no charge. Licence #4784577.
Whether this weekend takes you to Markham Museum, the Terry Fox Run route in Unionville, or a Saturday morning at the Farmers' Market, Neeraj can connect that experience to the specific communities and streets closest to the life you're experiencing right now. The conversation is worth having while the city is in front of you.