University City's Holiday Calendar Comes Down to a Handful of Dates This Year
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
This is University City's first holiday season with all three anchors of Market at Olive open. Costco was already there. Dierbergs opened in May, and Target followed twelve days later. A Saturday morning that once meant driving out of town for groceries and gift wrap now stays on Olive Boulevard. The rest of the season still runs on short, fixed schedules. The farmers market at Heman Park has five Saturdays left. The Green Center in Kaufman Park has one fire festival and a three-day maker market. Two dates, November 7 and December 5, fit both the big stores and the small events into one day.
The stores are open every day. The local events are not, and planning the season mostly means getting the few local dates onto your calendar first.
Dierbergs opened its 28th store at 8680 Olive Blvd. on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Explore U City reported store hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily in its opening-date story. Dierbergs' own opening announcement says the store also houses Corner 17, a family-owned Chinese restaurant, so a grocery run can end with dinner.
Target opened at 8645 Olive Blvd. on May 17, according to the company's store-openings page. First Alert 4 covered the opening in a May 20 story. Store director Kaylee Higgins told the station the store is 149,000 square feet and the largest Target in the state, with a two-level garage so it needs less surface parking than its neighbors. The station described the whole Market at Olive development as 50 acres, with Costco, Dierbergs and Target as its three anchors.
In the same First Alert 4 report, Mayor Terry Crow said University City had almost always been a bedroom community, where residents went elsewhere for everyday shopping. Then he added:
"Now we're a destination."
For the holidays, that means wrapping paper, a turkey and a forgotten stocking stuffer are all available close to home on any day between now and New Year's. The rest of this calendar is the part with fixed dates.
The U City Farmers Market lists its 2026 Saturday season as April 11 through November 21, every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It sets up outdoors in Heman Park at 7210 Olive Blvd., near the Centennial Commons Rec-Plex and the U City pool, and parking is free. From this week, the five Saturdays left are October 24, October 31, November 7, November 14 and November 21.
The market's page lists vendors selling Missouri and Illinois farm products, including produce, cheeses, grass-fed beef, free-range eggs, poultry, pork and honey. It also lists Missouri rainbow trout, small-batch seafood, local baked goods, jams, nuts, coffee and chocolates, along with crafts, body care products and jewelry. The Wednesday evening market ran June 10 through September 30 and is over for the year.
Those five mornings are your chance to stock up on Thanksgiving trout, eggs and baked goods from Missouri and Illinois producers. The anchor stores up the road will still be open after November 21. The market won't be.
The first Saturday in November is one of two days this season that bring a Heman Park morning and an evening event together. The market runs 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. That night, The Green Center holds its Fall Fire Fest, with festivities starting at 5:30 p.m.
The Green Center sits in a corner of Kaufman Park at 8025 Blackberry Ave. It was founded in 1997 as a nature-and-art education site focused on outdoor education and restoring native habitat. The Fall Fire Fest page calls the event long-running and says it is held with the Aalim & Chuvani Bellydance troupes and Scheherazade Drums. A ticket covers live music, fire performers, a bonfire, two art exhibitions by local artists with a chance to meet some of them, and a kids' activity station. It also includes s'mores supplies and two complimentary adult beverages, with beer, wine and spiked hot chocolate on the list.
Tickets are sold through Eventbrite. You can also pay by cash or check at The Green Center, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Because it is a single ticketed night, buy ahead rather than counting on a walk-up.
The Green Center's 2026 Holiday Market runs November 18 to 20. That is Wednesday through Friday, the week before Thanksgiving. Makers sell cards, jewelry, pottery, prints and other handmade goods. The center says proceeds support the participating artists and its own education and habitat-restoration work.
Since it falls on weekdays, this is the one event this season that needs a lunch hour or an afternoon off. The center's online calendar marks the market days as "all day," so check the center's site or call before you go for 2026 hours.
The week ends with the market's last regular Saturday at Heman Park on November 21. A handmade gift from Kaufman Park on Thursday and a Saturday market run at Heman Park fit in the same week, before Thanksgiving takes over.
The first Saturday in December is the busiest day on the local calendar, and its events overlap by two hours. The farmers market returns to Heman Park for a Holiday Market on Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The same afternoon, the Delmar Loop holds its Holiday Cookie Crawl & Santa Take Over from noon to 5 p.m. The Loop's events page describes it as a crawl through Loop shops and a festive afternoon on Delmar.
One way to use the whole day:
The farmers market's online listing has shown more than one December date, so confirm December 5 with the market as the day gets closer.
The season's longest-running event is on Washington Avenue. At COCA, 6880 Washington Ave., the Millstone Gallery is showing Cbabi Bayoc's solo exhibition "Cbabi's Allstars" through December 20. COCA describes it as a celebration of children and self-expression, with themes of fashion, dance, music and friendship. The exhibition runs past the Fire Fest, the maker market and the December 5 events. Check COCA's site for gallery hours before you plan a visit.
COCA's holiday production of The Nutcracker plays December 11 to 13 at the Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA. Check COCA's calendar for performance times before buying seats. The Nutcracker weekend is the last fixed-date event on University City's local calendar this year, and the Allstars exhibition closes the following Sunday, December 20.
University City's holiday season looks different now that Olive Boulevard covers everyday shopping. At Susan Hurley Homes, we pay close attention to changes like Market at Olive and to the local places that make each part of University City what it is. If you'd like to talk about how this season's changes affect your own plans here, we'd be glad to help. Request a Complimentary Consultation.
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