Saturday Markets, Thursday Night Produce, and a Community Festival Coming This Fall — Three Reasons To Get Out in Rydal and Abington Right Now

Think Rydal is just a quiet suburb with a beautiful train station and not much else? Here is what is happening right now. The Glenside Farmers Market is in its late-summer prime with heirloom tomatoes so ripe they practically split in your hand. A brand-new Thursday evening market just launched in Jenkintown, giving you a mid-week reason to stock up on local honey and just-picked greens. And Abington Fest, the township's big three-day community celebration, is six weeks away and shaping up to be the best one yet. Let us get into it.

Whether you have lived on the same block for thirty years or you pulled into town last month, this is the season when Rydal and Abington Township really show off. Late summer here means long evenings, farmers loading up tables with the best produce of the year, and a calendar full of reasons to cross paths with your neighbors.

🎬 Vlog direction: Hand-held walking shot through the Glenside Farmers Market, canvas bags full of late-summer produce, wooden crates stacked with purple eggplants and ruby-red heirloom tomatoes, a baker pulling crusty sourdough loaves from a linen-lined basket, golden August light diffused through the market canopy, the SEPTA station clock visible at the end of the block. Text overlay: "SATURDAYS 9-1 — GLENSIDE FARMERS MARKET THROUGH NOV 22."

01 Glenside Farmers Market: Peak Season Is Here

If you have not been to the Glenside Farmers Market in the last few weeks, you are missing the best stretch of the season. It runs every Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at 49 West Glenside Avenue, right next to the Glenside Regional Rail Station, and it keeps going all the way through November 22.

Right now, late August is the sweet spot. The farms are at peak production, and the tables are stacked with everything that makes summer taste like summer. Heirloom tomatoes in every color you can name, sweet corn that is still warm from the field, peaches that need a napkin, and basil that smells like a kitchen garden the moment you walk past it. The flower vendors have sunflowers and zinnias that look like they were painted. The sourdough baker sells out fast, so if you want a crusty loaf for Sunday morning toast, get there before 10:00.

What makes this market special is the setting. It is right in the heart of Glenside's business district, with the historic train station as a backdrop and the SEPTA platform just steps away. On a Saturday morning, the street fills up with neighbors running into each other, kids with sticky fingers from the free samples, and the kind of small-town energy that makes you feel like you belong somewhere.

From Rydal, it is a five-minute drive or a pleasant fifteen-minute walk from the Meadowbrook station area. Bring a canvas bag, grab a coffee from the cafe across the street, and make it your weekend ritual. The market runs rain or shine, and parking is free in the municipal lot behind Glenside Avenue.

🎬 Vlog direction: Slow gliding shot along Greenwood Avenue in Jenkintown on a Thursday evening, the library parking lot transformed into a lively market with white tents and string lights overhead, a musician playing acoustic guitar under a large shade tree, shoppers carrying bags of fresh greens and jars of local honey, golden late-afternoon light through the leaves. Text overlay: "THURSDAYS 3-7 — JENKINTOWN FARMERS MARKET — GREENWOOD AVE."

02 Jenkintown Farmers Market: A Brand-New Thursday Tradition

If Saturdays do not work for you, there is a brand-new option on the other side of town. The Jenkintown Farmers Market launched its inaugural season this year at the Jenkintown Library parking lot at 703 Greenwood Avenue, and it runs Thursdays from 3:00 to 7:00 PM. It is a completely different vibe from the Saturday market, and that is exactly the point.

Where the Glenside market is all about Saturday-morning energy, the Jenkintown market feels like a Thursday evening neighborhood gathering. The sun is lower in the sky, the temperature starts dropping, and the whole thing has a relaxed, after-work pace. The vendors are a mix of familiar growers and new faces. You will find fresh produce, local honey, baked goods, and farm-fresh eggs. A musician usually sets up under the big tree by the library entrance, and there is a real sense that this market is just getting started and will only grow as the season goes on.

The Jenkintown market also accepts SNAP and has a matching program through Philly Food Bucks, making fresh produce more accessible for everyone. It runs through the growing season, so you have plenty of Thursday evenings left to make it part of your weekly routine.

From Rydal, the library is about a six-minute drive down Old York Road. There is parking in the library lot and on surrounding streets. Swing by after work, grab some produce for dinner, and stay for the music. It is the kind of low-key, feel-good community moment that makes the suburbs feel like home.

🎬 Vlog direction: Wide establishing shot of Roychester Park on a Friday evening, a large inflatable movie screen glowing against the dusk sky, families spread out on blankets and folding chairs with popcorn and blankets, the last orange light fading through the trees. Then cut to Roslyn Park in the crisp morning with kids lined up for a fun-run, bib numbers pinned to their shirts. Then cut to Crestmont Park with hay bales, craft tables, and a community band under a pavilion. Text overlay: "OCT 2-4 — ABINGTON FEST — ROYCHESTER, ROSLYN & CRESTMONT PARKS."

03 Abington Fest 2026: A Three-Day Community Celebration

Mark the weekend of October 2 through 4 on your calendar right now. Abington Fest 2026 is the township's signature community event, and this year it stretches across three days and three parks, with something for every age group.

The festivities kick off on Friday, October 2, at 7:00 PM with a family movie night under the stars at Roychester Park. Bring a blanket and some snacks, settle in on the lawn as the sun goes down, and watch a family-friendly film projected on a big screen in the middle of the park. It is the kind of simple, classic community event that reminds you why small-town traditions matter.

Saturday, October 3, is the big day. The morning starts early at Roslyn Park with a Kids' Dash at 8:00 AM and a 5K run at 8:30 AM for everyone else. Both courses wind through the neighborhood streets, and the energy is always high with local families cheering from the sidelines. Then from 12:00 to 3:00 PM, the action moves to Crestmont Park for the Fall Festival — think craft vendors, food trucks, live music, kids' activities, and a community tent where you can learn about local organizations and civic groups. Sunday, October 4, rounds it out with additional community programming.

All events are free and open to the public. Roychester Park, Roslyn Park, and Crestmont Park are all within a ten-minute drive from Rydal, so pick the day that works best for you or make a weekend of it. The full schedule will post on the Abington Township website (abingtonpa.gov) as the date gets closer.

This is the kind of weekend that makes you glad you live here. A Friday night movie on the grass, a Saturday morning run through tree-lined streets, an afternoon festival with neighbors you have not seen all summer. Abington Fest is the community calendar highlight of the fall, and it is just six weeks away.