What time does Promenade at Bonita Bay open on a Saturday? This Saturday, October 3, it depends on who you ask. The shopping center's posted hours say 10 a.m. The Local Roots market in the parking lot says 8.
The gap lasts all of October. The market goes back to its weekly schedule on the first Saturday of the month, but the center stays on summer hours until November 1. For five Saturdays, October 3 through October 31, the busiest stretch of the morning on South Bay Drive happens mostly before the storefronts unlock.
Two Calendars, One Parking Lot
The City of Bonita Springs lists the market every Saturday from October 3, 2026, through May 29, 2027, from 8 a.m. to noon, at Promenade at Bonita Bay. The center runs its summer schedule from May 1 through October 31: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sundays. Season hours start November 1: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Here's how an October Saturday morning lines up:
| Time | What's open |
|---|---|
| 8 a.m. | Local Roots market in the parking lot |
| 9 a.m. | Market, plus Yonutz in Suite 162 |
| 10 a.m. | Market, Yonutz and the center's retail hours |
| Noon | Market closes; shops stay open until 6 p.m. |
| 7 p.m. | Live music at The Center Bar |
The first two hours belong almost entirely to the market. The shops' posted hours overlap with it for only two of its four hours. The schedules don't line up because they come from two different places. The market follows the seasonal migration that shapes Southwest Florida's winter. The center's hours follow the calendar.
What the First Hour Is For
The local newsletter Bonita Beat put it plainly in its September 29 market preview: "This is the market locals mean when they say 'the Saturday market.'" Bonita Beat calls it a true green market, with produce, cut flowers, plants, seafood, honey, baked goods, and breakfast or lunch you can eat on the spot. Vendors in past seasons have included Twelve Seasons Farm, Irene's Produce, Joe's Fresh Catch, Stamper Cheese, Heritage Honey and Mr. Fun Guy mushrooms. That list describes past seasons. It isn't a confirmed 2026–27 lineup, so check the market's own channels before you go looking for a particular stall.
The early start explains the newsletter's timing tip. The good tomatoes and bread go first, so plan to arrive by 8:30. For October, that means the best produce is usually sold well before a single boutique opens. The 8 a.m. hour is for groceries. Browsing the shops is a 10 a.m. activity.
Parking follows the same logic. The market sets up in the Promenade parking lot, and the same preview suggests looping around to the back lot if the front is full. Market shoppers have the plaza mostly to themselves until the shops open at 10, when the two crowds share it.
Two details didn't turn up in a current source. The research found no confirmed pet policy for this market. Local Roots labels its Fort Myers market pet-friendly, but that doesn't establish the rule at the Promenade. Local Roots' own page for the Bonita Springs Farmers Market lists hours and plaza parking. If you're bringing a dog, ask at the market first.
Why This Lot Has Its Own Clock
The market's independent schedule goes back more than a decade. In June 2016, The News-Press reported that Local Roots had held a Saturday farmers market at the Promenade for the previous three years. The Bonita Springs Lions Club had run the Saturday market there before that, until the center's new owner decided not to renew the Lions Club's lease in 2012. The News-Press account describes Local Roots as a for-profit operator run by two Lee County residents.
That makes the Saturday market part of a regional network rather than a Promenade event. Bonita Beat describes Local Roots as running nine weekly markets across Lee County. Its Coconut Point market closed April 30 and was set to return in October. The operator's network also includes Sanibel, Babcock Ranch, Boca Grande, Captiva, Lakes Park, Gateway and downtown Fort Myers. Local Roots sets the Bonita Saturday schedule for the whole network, which is why it opens a month before the shopping center switches to season hours.
The Lions Club didn't leave the market business. It runs a farmers-and-makers market by Riverside Park at 10441 Childers Street in downtown Bonita Springs, Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., October through April. Proceeds support the club's vision and scholarship programs. As of September 29, the club hadn't posted its 2026 opening date. Between the two, Bonita Springs has a weekday market downtown and a Saturday market by the Bonita Bay gate.
The One Shop That Opens Early
This year, one storefront at the Promenade has moved its hours toward the market's. Yonutz Donuts and Ice Cream opened at 26795 S. Bay Drive, Suite 162, and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The shop opened August 24, according to the feature the Promenade posted with its release. Its signature is the SMASHED Donut, a warm, hot-pressed donut filled with ice cream and finished with toppings. The menu also has big and mini donuts and SMASHED Milkshakes. The franchise has more than 100,000 TikTok followers and a 2023 Dessert Wars National Championship.
"Yonutz is more than just a place to grab dessert, it's an experience. We want this to be a spot where families and friends can come together, have fun and enjoy something truly unique." — owner Ted Fitzpatrick
Yonutz's 9 a.m. opening falls inside the market's hours, so it's the one indoor stop open alongside the stalls before 10 for the rest of October. Its 9 p.m. close also outlasts the center's summer 6 p.m. close by three hours. Yonutz's own hours, rather than the center's posted schedule, decide when it's open.
The rest of the dining lineup in the Promenade directory includes The Center Bar, DeRomo's, Molino's Ristorante and Roy's Restaurant, alongside boutiques, specialty retail, salons, galleries and offices. The other recent addition is Abodeable Home, which opened November 28, 2025.
Where the Day Picks Back Up
When the market packs up at noon, the plaza quiets down until evening, when The Center Bar at 26811 South Bay Drive, Unit 128, picks things up again. Florida Weekly's listings for opening weekend show three acts in a row:
- Thursday, October 1: Paul Adolli at 6 p.m.
- Friday, October 2: Simply Fi at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, October 3: Grand Slam at 7 p.m.
That puts the 8 a.m. market opening and the 7 p.m. music start on the same day.
October has one more scheduling quirk. Events Bonita lists the Fall Arts and Crafts Fair at the Promenade for Sunday, October 18, from noon to 4 p.m., with local artists, crafts and vendors inside the plaza. It falls on a Sunday two weeks before the center's posted Sunday hours resume November 1. The fair's noon start matches the Sunday opening time on the center's season schedule, which runs noon to 5, but individual storefronts may keep their summer schedules that day. Check with any specific shop before planning around it.
November brings the schedules closer together. From November 1, the shops close at 7 instead of 6 and reopen on Sundays. The first Saturday after the change, November 7, also brings the Bonita Bay Car Show at Bonita Bay Marina from 9 a.m. to noon, according to the Bonita Bay Community Association's August newsletter. The car show runs within the market's hours that morning, so plan the order of stops accordingly. The market keeps its 8 a.m. start through the end of May 2027.
The rhythm of a neighborhood shows up in details like a Saturday market that opens before the shops. At The Dellatore Real Estate Company, we pay attention to those details because our clients and neighbors around Bonita Bay live by them. If you're thinking about what your home near the Promenade is worth this season, we'd be glad to put together a free home valuation.
