For two Saturdays this month, Oct. 10 and Oct. 24, the Queen Creek Family Market leaves its usual spot at Schnepf Farms. It sets up at 22301 S. Ellsworth Loop instead, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with free admission and free parking. All month, the farm on Rittenhouse Road runs the Pumpkin & Chili Party every Wednesday through Sunday. General admission is listed at $28.95 a person.
So the free outing and the paid one sit at different ends of town for most of October. Weekend plans for the month are easier once you know which events sit on which corridor and what each one costs.
The market's October address
The Queen Creek Chamber's notice keeps it short: "PLEASE NOTE: This market will not be at Schnepf Farms. See flyer for details." It gives the dates as Oct. 10 and 24 at 22301 S. Ellsworth Loop and calls the market pet friendly, with no entry fee. The market's own calendar shows the same two dates and the same address. That calendar's header still says every market is held at Schnepf Farms, 24810 S. Rittenhouse Rd, so a quick look at the top of the page could send you to the wrong place.
The market has been running since 2017. It describes itself as having more than 100 local vendors and meeting two days a month, with food trucks, local bakers and face painting for kids. Neither the Chamber nor the market says why the October dates moved. What the calendar does show is that the November markets go back to Schnepf Farms.
One mapping detail is worth checking before you leave. The Visit Queen Creek calendar lists the Oct. 10 market at 22300 S. Summers Place, while the organizer and the Chamber list 22301 S. Ellsworth Loop. Both addresses point to the same corner near Ellsworth Loop and Aldecoa Drive, so the organizer's own directions link is the safest pin to use.
That corner already has a Friday night event
The address matters because it's the same block where the Queen Creek Feastival sets up. Visit Queen Creek lists the Feastival for Friday, Oct. 9, 5:30 to 9 p.m., at 22300 S. Summers Place. That's at Ellsworth Loop and Aldecoa Drive, between the QT and the Queen Creek Fire Department, with food trucks. The listing gives no admission price, so plan on paying truck by truck.
So Friday, Oct. 9 and Saturday, Oct. 10 make a back-to-back weekend on one corner. You get food trucks Friday night, then the market the next morning, roughly where you parked the night before.
The Town of Queen Creek describes Ellsworth Loop as the western edge of the downtown core. It names Aldecoa Drive and Summers Place as downtown connector streets. For these two Saturdays, the market moves from a farm on the town's southeast side into the middle of the street grid the Town has been building as its downtown.
What the farm costs this month
Schnepf Farms' Pumpkin & Chili Party is a bigger event this year, and its price is easiest to judge against the free market. At the listed $28.95 per person, with children 2 and under free, a family of two adults and two older kids spends $115.80 before buying any food. Admission covers the attractions, photo spots and shows, including pig races, a dog show and a BMX show. Food, pumpkins from the patch and the train ride cost extra.
That ticket price page has no year on it, so confirm the total at checkout.
AZFamily reported on Oct. 2 that the farm added five rides and attractions this year:
- The Peach Pit
- The Schnepf Giant Slide, 100 feet long, for riders at least 42 inches tall
- The Barnyard Stampede, a roller coaster imported from Italy
- The Barnstormers and the Farmers Daughter Coffee Cup Twirl, two classic amusement rides
The same report describes another new ride, The Drop, which has a 40-foot drop. It also covers 10 polka-dot pumpkin displays, from three to seven feet tall, designed by a Japanese artist. New this year, a food passport lets you sample five items at stands marked with a pumpkin logo. A hop-on, hop-off train stops at the bakery, the ride area and the hayride. The chili is made by Olga, who has worked at the farm for 20 years, from a Schnepf family recipe.
Two practical details change the math. First, tickets are booked for a specific date, and switching to another date costs a fee. Second, the farm lists $15 tickets for military and veterans, police and firefighters, plus a $15 senior ticket on Fridays for ages 65 and up. These discounted tickets have to be bought onsite. The event runs Wednesday 4 to 9 p.m., Thursday noon to 9, Friday noon to 10, Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 10 to 9.
The rest of October, sorted by cost
The paid events cluster on the farm side of town and the free ones mostly sit elsewhere. Here is October in date order:
| Date | Event | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 9 | Queen Creek Feastival, 5:30 to 9 p.m. | 22300 S. Summers Place | No admission listed; trucks charge for food |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Queen Creek Family Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 22301 S. Ellsworth Loop | Free admission and parking |
| Wed., Oct. 14 | Pizza Date Night, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Queen Creek Olive Mill, 25062 S. Meridian Rd | $95 per ticket plus tax |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | October Sangria Social | Queen Creek Olive Mill | No price listed |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Dog-O-Ween | Langley Gateway Estates Park | Free entry |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Queen Creek Family Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 22301 S. Ellsworth Loop | Free admission and parking |
| Fri. to Sat., Oct. 30 to 31 | Horseshoe Harvest Hangout | Horseshoe Park & Equestrian Centre, 20464 E. Riggs Rd | Free grounds; arena ticketed; $20/day parking |
The Olive Mill's Pizza Date Night is a hands-on, three-course pizza-making class. The Sangria Social, held at the same Meridian Road address, features four seasonal sangria flavors with food and live music.
At Horseshoe Park, the festival grounds are free. The rodeo and concert in the main arena need a ticket, and parking is $20 a day. The Town's calendar said arena tickets would be available soon. The organizer's 2026 arena page now says they're on sale, so go by the organizer's page.
Oct. 17 is the dog-friendly Saturday
Mid-month, there's no market, but Oct. 17 is built around dogs. Dog-O-Ween at Langley Gateway Estates Park is free, with dog photos, vendors, raffles and a costume contest.
Queen Creek's newest dog park is near the market's October location. Founders' Park Dog Park opened March 21 at 22407 S. Ellsworth Road. It has separate areas for large dogs and timid dogs and is open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Family Market welcomes pets too, so a dog owner could spend Oct. 10, 17 and 24 almost entirely at free events.
When the market goes back to the farm
On Saturday, Nov. 14, the Family Market returns to Schnepf Farms with a Turkey & Pie Raffle. The next market is Nov. 28, also at the farm. That's the end of the downtown stretch.
By then, there will be a new stop on the Ellsworth Loop side of town. Barnes & Noble is coming to Queen Creek Marketplace at 21398 S. Ellsworth Loop Road. KTAR reported on Oct. 1 that the store's grand opening is set for Nov. 11. JINYA Ramen Bar, Aubergine Kitchen and LaserAway are scheduled for early 2027, and LongHorn Steakhouse for spring 2027. Postino's first Queen Creek location, at The Switchyard, was announced in August to open "later this year" (according to In Business Phoenix). It will have 107 indoor seats and an 86-seat patio. That opening date hasn't been confirmed.
Until then, Oct. 10 and Oct. 24 are the two Saturdays when the Family Market sets up at 22301 S. Ellsworth Loop from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with free admission and free parking.
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