If you live in Vancouver and think about Christmas, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the Vancouver Christmas Market. An event that started 13 years ago and has slowly but surely become a tradition in the local community.
Inspired by centuries-old traditions from Germany, Vancouver's Christmas Market is an ode to traditional Christmas markets. The market appears throughout Germany's most beautiful towns, where they gather artisans and entertainers of all kinds in just one place to celebrate their culture and Christmas at the same time. With this in mind, in this market, you'll find things that you won't find easily anywhere in Vancouver! As they bring together vendors that represent that same European root. The result of that? A feast for all your senses!!
What can you find in this market?
Tasty Goodies
Authentic German-style Pretzels (freshly baked! It’s a must try), Churros from Spain, cheese from Switzerland, delicious English sausage… and the list goes on and on!!!
Something to Drink
Some of the things you can find include traditional German ciders, hot chocolate, all the teas that you can think of, European wines and beers, and of course the signature drink of the whole market, the German mulled wine!! Which is a must try in our opinion 😉
Shop
Being a Christmas market, you can find all kinds of Christmas-related handmade products. From beautiful Christmas ornaments to funny ugly sweaters, knitted scarves, and many other Christmas-related products. But what about things beyond the theme? Well of course you can find more things to look at, such as handmade jewelry, lamps, and greeting cards, amongst other things.
Vancouver’s Christmas Market perfectly reflects what most people think Christmas is about: family, community, joy, unity, delicious food, and that magical sense that you cannot explain but that this time of the year has! (And lights… tooooons of lights!)
So what are you waiting for!? Vancouver Christmas Market is located on Jack Poole Plaza, right in Downtown Vancouver, and it will be there until December 24th. As for their schedule, it is as follows:
Nov 16 – Dec 23: open 11:00 am to 9:30 pm (Fri-Sa open until 10:00 pm)
Dec 24: open 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. (last day for you to go)
The tickets are only $19.99 per person.
Some tips from Thrivve:
❄️ TIP #1: Plan well for your visit. The market is beautiful and, as we mentioned before, it has become a tradition for locals. Hence, it tends to be crowded. The shops that get the bigger lines? FOOD. You can expect to be between 15 min to 25 min waiting for your order, so our suggestion is - Order your food first! Once you have it in hand, you will have the opportunity to eat it on the go while you explore the rest of the market 😉
❄️ TIP #2: The earlier you go, the fewer people; on the contrary, if you stay until they close, the fewer people as well. So, if you are looking for a moment to take those Instagram-worthy pictures, then that is your moment to shine.
❄️ TIP #3: If you are thinking about going multiple times to the market then the season pass might be for you! It would be cheaper than buying single tickets every time and it will give you the opportunity to taste plenty of different dishes every time you go.
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