Hello! Can you believe that it’s already almost the holidays again? Time flies by so quickly! I actually didn’t really realize that Christmas was only a month away until I was given the opportunity to go to the media preview of the annual Vancouver Christmas Market. At the event I was able to learn about all the elements of the market that is going to be new this year.
The Vancouver Christmas Market is on it’s 9th year of existence and is now over 55,000 square feet! Throughout the years, they’ve managed to not only grow in size but in the number of stalls they have available for the public to buy food, drinks and gifts at as well. They started off with about 35 stalls years ago and now they’re at over 80!
| Dates: | November 21 to December 24, 2018: 11:30am – 9:30pm December 24: Closed at 6pm |
| Ticket Prices: | Online Admissions: Adult $10, Seniors $9,Youth $5 (Add $5 for a Fast Pass and Season Pass) Gate Admissions: Adult $12, Seniors $11,Youth $5 (Children under 6 are Free) |
| Address: | Jack Poole Plaza – Home of the Olympic Cauldron (Vancouver Convention Centre West) 1055 Canada Place Vancouver, BC V6C 3G3 |
Let’s start with the entertainment. So what is there to see at the Christmas Market?
Christmas Pyramid
At the Christmas Pyramid, you can find The Gingerbread Men singing Christmas carols to bring up the holiday spirit. They sing “A cappella” and are a delight to watch.
Holly & Jolly, not to be confused with “The Gingerbread Men” are the Vancouver Christmas Market’s delightful gingerbread mascots. They can be found in the market ready for a photo opt with you.
Carousel
The carousel is another feature of the Vancouver Christmas Market. You can purchase tokens for a ride at the information booth at the entrance from Saturday – Thursdays but on Fridays there are Free Carousel rides so be sure to come on one of those days if you plan on going on one.
They didn’t forget about the kiddos because they have a new 4cats Craft Igloo for the kids to go into. Here they can fold origami trees and stars, draw pictures and colour.
Not to worry about forgetting to bring a camera with you for photos because they have a photo lab to do all that for you. Throughout the market there are numerous spots for you to take photos at so don’t miss out on this opportunity to get in those holiday photos.
Market shops
The Christmas market can be overwhelming to navigate if you haven’t been there before. They strategically put the gift shopping stalls along the outside edge and the food stalls in the middle so everything is easily accessible.
Each gift stall is festively it and you can find an assortment of German goods and Christmas specialties from elegant ornaments to ugly Christmas sweaters
Then right in the middle of the market is a giant brightly lit hollow Christmas tree. Why is it hollow? So you can go into it to take photos of course!
If you’re a fan of all things Christmas, head onto the back of the market for the most amazing ornament shopping experience of your life!
Next to the Christmas shop, there is the Alpine tent where you can have a meal or sit down with friends for a drink. It’s just an all round cozy place to be when it starts to get chilly.
Now that we’ve gone through all the new things for the kiddos, let’s move onto all the new elements for adults.
Love Tunnel
For all the love birds out there, they added in a “love tunnel” for you go go through.
But before you go through the tunnel, don’t forget to take the time to put a heart lock on the side and make a few promises! They added this new area because love locks have been so popular all over the world!
Of course it can’t be a love tunnel without your mistletoe so they have that for you right in the middle of it.
Christmas Pyramid
There is also the Christmas Pyramid located towards the centre of the market close to the Olympic Cauldron. This is where visitors can buy a hot beverage to enjoy. They serve ciders, hot chocolate and mulled wine (with rum).
If waiting in line deters you to from wanting to get a drink, not to worry because they will have people walking around with a backpack full of hot mulled wine to dispense to those who seek it. They spent the longest time trying to create the perfect backpack for this purpose and it definitely paid off!
I don’t have wine very often and last year I got the white wine version which I found to be a little sweeter. I like that they have more than one option available because if you like your mulled wine with rum, they offer that on their menu as well.
WUNDERbar
The WUNDERbar is a new bar they added in for adults to have drinks in. You can have mulled wine in here as well as an assortment of cocktails. I found this to be a nice way for people to still have a drink if they aren’t fans of wine.
Christmas Pyramid Glühwein (alcoholic)
In addition to their drinks, they also offer charcuterie at the new WunderBAR to snack on. More on what food you can find at the Christmas Market can be found on this post.
As if there wasn’t enough going on already, the Vancouver Christmas Market is offering a variety of special events for visitors this year.
