Vendors at the Bell Works market set up in the center of the atrium and along its sides. The organizer's 2026 instructions tell them to load in from the east side of 101 Crawfords Corner Road, at the Blue Lot and event parking area. Those tables go up every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., under a listing that promises "fresh, locally grown produce and unique handmade goods from your favorite local vendors."
The rest of the season is built around that same weekday slot. Halloween parties at Bar Bella, a children's trick-or-treat route through The Block, a monthly Saturday market, and an 11-date holiday market series all fit around Wednesday. The holiday markets finish on a Wednesday too: Dec. 23, two days before Christmas. If you live in Holmdel and want to know what's happening at the old Bell Labs building between now and the holidays, start with Wednesday and work out from there.
Halloween Week Lands on Thursday Through Saturday
Wednesday had the first costume event of the season. The Annual Dog Costume Pawrade ran on Oct. 21 at 3 p.m., during the weekly market, and Patch described it as kicking off "the Halloween spirit" with "four-legged fashion, and some seriously cute competition." After that, the evening events move to Bar Bella and the end of the week:
- Thursday, Oct. 22: Blondie Night at Bar Bella with DJ Chelli, 6 to 9 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 29, morning: Rooftop Yoga at Bar Bella with Fitness Factory, 8:30 to 10 a.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 29, evening: Disco After Dark: Halloween Party at Bar Bella, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., with signature cocktails, live music, dancing and the bar's annual costume contest.
- Friday, Oct. 30: Trick-or-Treating around The Block, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at participating shops during their business hours. Costumes are encouraged.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Boos + Barks Yappy Hour at Bar Bella, 5 to 8 p.m. The bar opens at 4 p.m. DJ Atom Worth plays Halloween classics alongside their music videos. Pets are invited, and pet costumes are encouraged but not required.
None of these event pages lists a ticket price, a registration step, or an age limit. If one of those details decides whether you go, check the Bell Works listing before you head over.
Bell Works scheduled the trick-or-treating for Friday daytime. The children's event runs during shop hours on the day before Halloween, which leaves Saturday evening to the pet crowd at Bar Bella. Each audience has its own slot, and none of them overlaps the Wednesday market.
Trick-or-Treating Covers More Doors This Year
The trick-or-treat route depends on how many shops are open on The Block, and this year there are more of them. In April, Patch reported that The Block at Bell Works had reached 100% occupancy after four openings.
| Business | What it is | Opened |
|---|---|---|
| StretchMed | One-on-one assisted stretching | January 2026 |
| Lolly's Nail Lounge | Non-toxic nail salon with waxing and facials | January 2026 |
| Milan's Children's Gift Market | Boutique for high-end toys, gifts and apparel, babies through tweens | March 2026 |
| Allure Jewelry & Watches | Family-owned jewelry and watch store | March 2026 |
Bell Works held grand openings for two of them. Allure Jewelry & Watches had its event on March 3 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Milan's Children's Gift Market held a party on March 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Two of the four matter again in November and December. A children's gift shop and a jewelry store now sit steps from an atrium that will hold a holiday market on 11 dates. Ralph Zucker, CEO of Inspired by Somerset Development, described the goal behind the full lease-up in his statement to Patch:
"From the beginning, our vision was to create a place where work, life and community come together seamlessly – and the demand we're seeing from retailers and tenants reinforces that people are looking for more than just space. They're looking for an experience."
November Keeps the Wednesday Pattern
When Halloween is over, the calendar goes back to the weekly market. FRESH Markets lists Bell Works Wednesday Farmers & Makers Markets on Nov. 4, 11, 18 and 25, each from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. That means a market the day before Thanksgiving, which is useful if you still need a pie or a hostess gift on Nov. 25.
One Saturday in November adds a weekend option. The monthly Bell Works FRESH Saturday Farmers & Makers Market is on Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. October's Saturday market was on Oct. 10. Patch's October roundup also listed live music from Kathleen Elle from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wednesday market that month. So the weekday market has also been a lunch-hour event. That fits a building where many people come for work during the week.
The Holiday Markets Add Weekends and Keep Wednesdays
Starting Thanksgiving weekend, the market changes format. The 2026 Bell Works Fresh Holiday Markets are billed as "the region's largest series of shopping events" and promise a curated collection of 75 local handmade artists and makers, open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Here is how the 11 dates fall by day of the week:
| Date | Day |
|---|---|
| Nov. 28 | Saturday |
| Nov. 29 | Sunday |
| Dec. 2 | Wednesday |
| Dec. 6 | Sunday |
| Dec. 9 | Wednesday |
| Dec. 12 | Saturday |
| Dec. 13 | Sunday |
| Dec. 16 | Wednesday |
| Dec. 19 | Saturday |
| Dec. 20 | Sunday |
| Dec. 23 | Wednesday |
Every December Wednesday until Christmas is on the list. Weekends get more dates overall, seven of the 11, but the Wednesday market never takes a week off. Its slot simply becomes part of the holiday series. The weekend of Dec. 5 and 6 is the only one in the series with a single market day, Sunday, Dec. 6.
The vendor list for each date is still filling in. As of mid-October, the Nov. 28 page showed 20 vendors participating out of a capacity of up to 79, in three categories: artisan or maker, food purveyor, and farmer. The 75-maker figure describes the whole series. Any single date's lineup may be smaller or different. If you're going for one specific vendor, check the page for that date before you choose a day.
None of the 2026 market listings mention an admission fee or a ticket for shoppers.
What's Still Missing From the December Calendar
For now, Bell Works' own Calendar of Happenings stops at the Boos + Barks Yappy Hour on Oct. 31. The December dates above come from FRESH Markets, the organizer, and Bell Works hasn't added its own programs for those weeks yet.
Last year shows what kinds of events have appeared before. On Dec. 14, 2025, Bell Works held Bell Works Fresh Photos with Santa from 1 to 3 p.m. Kids, families, friends and pets were welcome, and local vendors sold in the Main Atrium from noon to 4 p.m. That was a Sunday, and it was held alongside the market. Bell Works hasn't announced a 2026 version. If one is added, the weekend market dates in the table are where it would most likely fit, since last year's event shared the atrium with a market.
If you'd rather skip the weekend crowds, the Wednesday dates are the steady choice: the same 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours and the same atrium, every week from now through Dec. 23.
Bell Works' full Block and busy atrium are part of what makes Holmdel's daily routine work, and we follow those changes the same way we follow the market. For a read on how Holmdel's market is moving this season, the team at Sackman Realty can walk you through the numbers. Visit our Holmdel page or reach out to Get Started.
