Instead of trudging through malls, visit these festive Sydney Christmas markets for all your gifting needs
If the thought of joining the hoards at a shopping mall in December gives you full body chills, save yourself the bother and add these quaint Chrissie markets to your hit list. From arts and design treasure troves to European-inspired food markets, these Christmas shopping pop-ups have all the yuletide goods you need to make the silly season really special.
This year, you’ll find a magical weekly market popping up in Martin Place every Thursday to Saturday in December, foodie fiestas going down at Carriageworks, and a celebration of ceramics popping up in a light-filled studio in Sydney's Inner East offering super-affordable (and beautiful) ceramics.
Regardless of your holiday budget, it’s worth hitting at least one market for your annual dose of festive cheer (if only for the fondue).
As the silly season continues, we expect more markets to be announced across the city – we'll keep you posted here as soon as we hear more. Merry shopping.
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Sydney foodies, this one’s for you. The Good Food and Wine Show is doing what it does best, but with a touch of festive seasoning. The Sydney edition is taking over Carriageworks from Friday, November 22 until Sunday, November 24, so you can get ahead on your Christmas foraging. Expect more than 150 stalls from the best producers across Australia, plus live cooking demos from big-name chefs, and a whole lot of delicious treats. Come hungry.
If the idea of a chilly European-style Christmas market really gets your gears going, then boy, do we have the thing for you. From Friday, December 13 to Friday, December 22, the organisers of the epic Bastille Festival are throwing a gloriously European night festival – complete with live jazz, falling snow and a whole lot of cheese and wine.
This village-style event will bring together over 20 artisans and producers local to the Woollahra area – each bringing their own range of appropriately bougie Christmas treats to the table. Housed on the top floor of the Woollahra Hotel, shoppers at this one-evening-only market will be soundtracked by live music by the Arthur Washington Quintet, and kept hydrated with festive cocktails aplenty. It’s all going down from 4pm on Thursday, November 28.
Sydney's largest eco-friendly ceramic studio, ClayGround, is playing host to its Biannual Handmade Ceramic Market – bringing more than 200 talented local artists together for a day of ceramics demos, live music, tasty treats and (naturally) a whole heap of pretty pots. The sprawling, light-flooded studio will become a treasure trove of handmade delights – from delicate sculptures to perfectly-imperfect plates. It's all going down at ClayGround's Rosebery studio on Sunday, November 24 – from 10am until 4pm. Entry is free, but you’ll need to register over here.
If the almost-Christmas mad-dash to buy Christmas presents isn't your bag, you might be keen to start your gift finding mish in November – and you can do that at the ‘Sydney Made Art & Design Markets’, which are back in a big way for 2024. This market is all about peddling art and design treasures hand-made by Sydney locals in the beautiful Town Hall. This one-day-only mega market with live music will run from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, November 23, and will be showcasing the curated wares of more than 76 makers and designers from all across Sydney.
Que the jingle bells for your office commute: the beloved annual Martin Place Christmas Markets are back for 2024, kicking off on Thursday, November 28 with a super-festive four-day pop-up market illuminated by a magical twinkling light canopy. The merry CBD markets will then be held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in December leading up to Christmas (AKA the biggest day in Mariah Carey’s calendar) – so you can get gifts for your loved ones and support small businesses at the same time. How’s that for Christmas cheer?
You’ll find the Christmas markets in the pedestrian boulevard of Martin Place in the heart of the city – just above the huge Martin Place metro station.
For a Polish take on the Euro Christmas market experience, beeline for the Polish Club Ashfield on Sunday, December 1 – you’ll find the always-friendly space transformed into a bustling community market with goodies galore. Among the 25 stall holders, you’ll find candle makers, ceramicists and Polish designers. To keep you fuelled while you shop, European cooks will be on site serving up pillowy pierogi (dumplings stuffed with white cheese or meat), kielbasa (Polish sausages) and pączki (giant doughnuts filled with jam), plus a whole heap of ciasto (cakes). You can learn more over here.
The ever-popular Carriageworks Farmers Markets is putting on a special Christmas edition on Saturday, 21 December – with more than 100 stalls, extended trading hours (8am to 3pm) and live music. Expect merry additions to the usual farm-fresh produce, and Christmas favourites such as hocks of ham, puddings, and hyper-festive fruitcakes.
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