The Vancouver Christmas Market returns to Jack Poole Plaza (downtown Vancouver at the Olympic Cauldron), lighting up the holiday season with a festive six-week schedule from November 12 to December 24. Now in its 12th year, the German-inspired Market is one of the largest traditional Christmas Markets in Vancouver.
Market visitors wander through the Tannenbaum Terrace to try German and European tasty eats and treats, sit together in the Alpen Haus, shop for hand crafted gifts in the Kaufmannsgasse (Merchant Alley), or grab a drink with friends at the Christmas Pyramid. Or take in the holiday atmosphere with a visit to the Walk-In Christmas Tree, experiencing 36,000 twinkling lights. The Vancouver Christmas Market offers the photo opportunity of the season!
“We are so excited to open the gates, once again, to the Vancouver Christmas Market at Jack Poole Plaza,” says Malte Kluetz, CEO and Founder. “This year, we’re delivering a festive feeling in a big way, with more lights, new vendors offering savoury and sweet treats, and lots of holiday activities for all ages. Last year, we saw families, friends, and people of all ages travel across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley to create new holiday traditions at the Vancouver Christmas Market.”
A favourite Market tradition, the HolidayLife Carousel presented by Interac, is back this year and is again free to ride. Visitors have the option to donate using Interac®️ Debit contactless payments to Make-A-Wish® Canada and Interac will match 100% of donations up to $50,000. “The holiday season is all about bringing people together in the spirit of giving, and we are proud to once again be a part of the Vancouver Christmas Market and the positive impact it has within the community,” said Daria Hill, Vice President, Marketing & Communications at Interac Corp. “We’re excited to sponsor the HolidayLife Carousel and encourage attendees to join us in raising funds on-site in support of Make-A-Wish Canada. We will be matching donations up to $50,000 to drive further impact.”
New 2022 Vancouver Christmas Market Experiences:
The Vancouver Christmas Market adds new holiday attractions for the 2022 season, including more sparkling lights, unique vendors, traditional décor and an AR experience connecting Market goers to classic European stories.
Sky Curtain of Lights – this year, the Market is blanketed by a chain of lights starting in the centre of the Market, spreading out to multiple vendor huts, featuring 440 light strings and 22,000 lights, creating the perfect winter night sky.
Eats & Treats – nothing says “the holidays” like feasting on tasty and delicious treats or shopping for handmade gifts at the Vancouver Christmas Market! The Market has added 24 new vendors from far and wide for visitors to enjoy.
Schwibbogen – a traditional decorative candle holder that’s used during the Christmas season and most famously displayed at the Striezelmarkt Dresden. At the Vancouver Christmas Market, the 12.6ft / 4 meters tall Schwibbogen is near the Market entrance for a delightful holiday photo opportunity.
AR Experience – the Vancouver Christmas Market has developed three special Instagram filters to try out at the Market that have a direct connection to traditional European stories, such as:
o The Snow Queen
o The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
o The Christmas Spider
Some of the new vendor huts for 2022 include:
• Das Soup Haus – serving soup dishes originating from right here in BC, Germany, and beyond
• Das Smoked Meat Haus – Montreal style smoked meat brisket
• Stollen Haus – “Das Stollenhaus” proudly offers a range of locally made Stollen
• Lumière – beautiful selection of hand-dipped cone candles from Denmark
• Toque – offers up a vast selection of hats, gloves and mittens for adults and children
• Gingerbread Haus – a perfect blend of spicy and sweet, gingerbread is the quintessential Christmas confection
• World Pilgrim Artisans – World Pilgrim Artisans is a social enterprise that partners with Indigenous Mayan Artisans in Guatemala who work beading, weaving, and wood carving, producing some of the finest pieces of art
• Indiarts Collective – offers unique, quality handmade products that support and share our artisans’ work and spreads awareness of each product’s history and significance
• Tundra Designs – a small, local woodworking company based out of North Vancouver
• Verity Pearl – Verity Pearl is about spreading love with beautiful, real freshwater pearls
• Luv the Grub – chutneys and spreads. In the four years since founding Luv The Grub, they’ve partnered with 8 local farms and produce markets to rescue over 19830 lbs of produce from the landfill
• Bread and Spiele – offering the finest European-style sourdough
• Mixologist Bartending Drink Bomb – which are like a bath bomb for your cocktail or mocktail, in over 50 flavours
• Knedla – first producers in North America to dedicate themselves to Knedla’s
“Each year, we know that more and more foodies attend the Vancouver Christmas Market to try new delicacies from across Europe,” says Denise Wegener, President of the Vancouver Christmas Market. “This year, we offer delicious and flavourful European holiday favourites like Austrian Gulasch, Dutch Poffertjes, Swiss Cheese Raclette and German Schnitzel and obviously the traditional Bratwurst. The Market also offers many options for those that follow Gluten-free, Vegetarian or Vegan diets.”