Vancouver Christmas Market returns for 13th year with new features
Attendees can check out new and returning vendors and participate in fun activities
The 13th annual Vancouver Christmas Market returns to Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver with new and returning vendors like Transylvanian Traditions. (Suneet Gill)
The annual Vancouver Christmas Market is back at Jack Poole Plaza in Vancouver until Dec. 24 with more shopping opportunities and activities.
The 13th annual German-style pop-up market has 18 new participating food and merchandise huts along with 76 returning businesses.
“We have quite a number of really exciting new vendors, and I hope people check them out,” says Malte Kluetz, the founder and CEO of the market.
“I want to highlight one artist. She has brought in some very unique art that I really find exciting and unique. So look for her, it’s called the ‘Art Haus.’”
Another new hut this year is the “Belamy Leder Haus,” where a husband-and-wife team sell handcrafted leather goods.
Co-owner Simona Puscas found a leather crafter was missing from the market after not spotting one last year, so the duo decided the venue would be a good platform for them to share the old ways of making things.
“I hope people understand the hard work that goes into every product, and they can see that even though everything is made by hand, it’s still affordable, and they can still achieve the quality and fashion in it,” Puscas says.
“We make our own designs, so we can play with them every year, every season. I think people can find a present for themself or for somebody else. Anybody in their family can get … high-quality leather from us.”
Beyond merchandise, Kluetz says the market has unique food vendors with tasty products, like knedla, which are eastern European dumplings.
Cookies and cream, Nutella, and apple pie are among the sweet fillings available for the potato-based dumplings, says Bojana Drakulic of the Knedla hut.
“[The market is] a great opportunity, where people can see your product for the first time, can taste it, and hopefully they can come back like they did,” Drakulic says. “This is our second time here. Last year was our first time, and it was great.”
Transylvanian Traditions has also returned with a hut at the market and is selling chimney cakes, which are Hungarian desserts. Vendor Johann Buschkamp says he enjoys selling the cakes, which come in cinnamon sugar, almond, coconut, and walnut toppings with fillings like lemon.
“It’s very important these Hungarian traditions [exist] here in Vancouver as well, and it’s very nice that we have it here,” he adds.
This year’s market also offers new special events, including free photos with St. Nick, karaoke nights, and Christmas trivia. There will also be live entertainment from different local performers. Interested attendees can view an online schedule to find out which days different activities and performances are offered.
Thousands of added lights to new and existing decor will also be featured at the market, along with returning attractions like a carousel, a walk-in Christmas tree, and a light-up tunnel, also known as “Lovers Lane.”
Tickets can be purchased online, with adult general admission costing $19.99 plus fees. Season pass for the market offers unlimited access starting at $38.74. The family season passes start at $107.95.
Kluetz says he hopes attendees will leave the market in a happier mood.
“It’s a little unusual to do an outdoor market in winter, but the last 13 years have shown people really accept it, as it is a tradition in Europe, and they come here and enjoy [it],” Kluetz says.
For more information about the market, visit www.vancouverchristmasmarket.com/.
