Starving Foodie: 15 Ontario Holiday Markets to visit in December

DECEMBER HOLIDAY MARKETS IN ONTARIO

Because I don't celebrate the Holidays with family I have created my own way to celebrate the season with friends and in the events I organize at my workplace.

I also love Holiday Fairs and Markets, with their sparkly lights and lots of pretty things and treats.

There are good and bad things to each market. Some have no parking. Some are really hard to get to. Some are only outside so they can be tricky on extreme winter days. Some charge excessive entry fees and jack up their prices on goods just to increase the short window of time for profits and costs to set up these markets. You can literally just go and walk around for free or drop a whole lot of money for a big Holiday experience.

Although it's not on this list, this year I tried to create a Holiday Market experience at my office to raise money for United Way. In a couple of hours we raised about $280. I was hoping to raise a bit more because I made most of the items at the market and have a lot left. It was a lot of work but I wanted to see if everyone would enjoy the experience of shopping for gifts at the office.

I have a lot of time off this December and I am not going away but a lot of my friends won't be around or will be busy so I am going to try and go to a few of the markets listed below. It will depend on the weather, public transit which isn't reliable anymore, and the energy it takes to hike over to some of these locations.

I hit my first actual Market on Sunday. I went to the Holiday Fair in the Square. It was originally held at Nathan Phillips Square and is now at Mel Lastman Square so it's the closest to me so that's why I started with that one. I wasn't there very long because I found the lineups for the Coca Cola Santa and your face on a can of Coke to be way too long. There was also a fairlife activation that also had a very long line. I didn't purchase any food. There wasn't anything that stood out as far as food vendors except that Japadog had a booth there. They have a lot of jewelry vendors and handmade stuff. Not as much Christmas-themed stuff and I think that's because of the demographics in the area. If I was with friends I might have sat by the fire pits for a while to chat. There was a new Maze but there was a fee to do it and it just looked like a lighted fence that looked more like a jail than a Holiday maze. Not sure how well that will go over. There were loads of trees around and selfie opportunities with the trees and the Polar Bears and Santa and the Grinch. I didn't take any selfies but took photos of the Grinch and Santa.

From what I witnessed on Sunday there is a demand for things to do in North York and in the City that are free and family-friendly but I think even the amount of markets we have can't accommodate the amount of people in this city starved for some excitement.

I am hoping to check out the Well Next and at some point during a weekday go to the Distillery when it's less busy.

Here's a list of some of the Markets I would like to attend or will attempt to attend this December.

15 HOLIDAY MARKETS - December 2024

1. Distillery Winter Village

When: November 13, 2024 – January 5
Where: 51 Gristmill Lane, Toronto

2. Holiday Fair in the Square

When: December 6 – 23, 2024
Where: Mel Lastman Square – 5100 Yonge St, Toronto

3. The Winter Market

When: Every Sunday in December
Where: Evergreen Brick Works – 550 Bayview Ave, Toronto

4. Holiday Hills

When: November 15 – December 29, 2024
Where: Stackt Market – 28 Bathurst St, Toronto

5. Toronto Botanical Garden Holiday Market

When: November 22–24, 2024, and December 13–15, 2024
Where: Toronto Botanical Garden – 777 Lawrence Ave E, Toronto

6. Festive Nights At The Village

When: December 7, 14, 21 2024
Where: Black Creek Pioneer Village – 1000 Murray Ross Pkwy, Toronto

7. Casa Loma’s Holiday Lights and Christmas at the Castle

When: December 5, 2024 – January 4, 2025
Where: Casa Loma – 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto

8. Gay Lea Shortbread Village - The Well Toronto

When: December 5 – 22, 2024
Wednesdays and Thursdays: 2 – 8 p.m.
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays: 12 – 8 p.m.
Where: The Well – 486 Front St. West (lower level), Toronto

Winter Market - St. Lawrence Market

December 5 - 23 | Market St. | Thursdays through Sundays | FREE

Thurs & Fri: 12PM to 7PM
Sat & Sun: 10AM to 5PM
Mon Dec 23: 10AM to 4PM

Outside of Toronto

9. Elora Christmas Market - Ontario's Spectacular Holiday Destination

Nov 21- Dec 29, 2024

(*market chalets and fire tables open Thurs Nov 21, Thurs Nov 28, and every Fri, Sat & Sun from 11am-7pm until Dec 29 2024v 21 – Dec 29, 2024

Enter the 'Hallway Of Lights' on Mill Street West (across from the pedestrian bridge)

10. Pingle’s Farm Market Christmas Fest

Dates: Weekends between December 2–17, 2024, from 9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Location: 805 Taunton Road, Hampton

11. Christmas Market at Niemi Family Farm 2024

Dates: Fridays and Saturdays between November 15–December 21, 2024, from 12:00-8:00 p.m.