Holiday shopping season is coming up, and Los Angeles has its own lineup of craft fairs, holiday markets, and pop-up events to look forward to. If you’ve attended these events in past years, you probably have a favorite or two. Maybe you want to try somewhere new this year. Maybe you’re stressing over the one person on your list who is always hard to shop for.
I’ve put together a guide to some of Los Angeles’s holiday shopping events, including what you’ll find at each one and the details worth checking before you go.
Swiss Winter Village at the Santa Monica Pier
📍 Event Deck, Santa Monica Pier, 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, CA 90401
📅 Daily through Sunday, January 3, 2027, several weeks
🕛 Hours vary by day. Check before you go.
🎟️ Adults $12.90, kids 4 to 12 $8.90, and $10.90 for seniors, students, military and Santa Monica residents. Kids 3 and under are free.
Swiss Winter Village is new to the Santa Monica Pier this year, a Swiss-themed holiday village with more than 60 artisan chalets and an ice rink by the ocean. The city approved it this summer, with plans to favor Santa Monica businesses and save a rotating booth for first-time local creators.
The artisan chalets sell gifts, crafts and design pieces, and about 30 food chalets serve Swiss sweets and mulled wine. Vendors haven’t been named yet, but it’s the one to pick for an evening out with family or friends, with some shopping along the way.
It’s cashless and the pier parking deck is closed during the event, so park at the Civic Center Garage or take the Metro E Line.
Makers Market at Craft Contemporary
📍 Craft Contemporary, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036
📅 Friday, December 4 through Sunday, December 6, 2026, one weekend
🕛 Friday preview night 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
🎟️ Preview night is $25, or $20 for members. Saturday is included with $12 museum admission, and Sunday is pay what you wish.
Craft Contemporary, the craft and design museum on Museum Row, holds its winter Makers Market with one-of-a-kind work from LA-based makers. It’s a curated market with music and hands-on workshops, and it moves into the galleries if it rains.
You’ll find ceramics, jewelry, homewares, prints, candles and clothing, from makers like BX Ceramics, Haus of Clay, Grumpy Chocolatier and Rachel Pally. It’s the place for the design lover on your list, or a host gift they won’t find anywhere else.
Buy preview night tickets ahead if you want first pick. Sunday is the cheapest day to go.
Venice Winter Fest
📍 Venice Blvd in downtown Mar Vista, between Centinela Ave and Grand View Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
📅 Saturday, December 5, 2026, one day only
🕛 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
🎟️ Free with an RSVP on Eventbrite
Venice Winter Fest takes over Venice Boulevard in Mar Vista for a big holiday street fair built around shopping small. It draws around 300 vendors, with Santa photos, live music stages and family activities.
Small businesses, local artists and makers sell gifts of every kind, with food booths along the way. With that many vendors, it’s a good place to get through a long list in one day, and the kids’ activities make it easy to bring the family.
Check the event page for parking and entry details before you go.
The Makers Hive Market at Santa Monica Place
📍 Center Court, Santa Monica Place, 395 Santa Monica Pl, Santa Monica, CA 90401
📅 Sunday, December 13, 2026, one day only
🕛 Noon to 5 p.m.
🎟️ Free
The Makers Hive Market sets up once a month in Center Court at Santa Monica Place, and the December market lands right in the middle of holiday shopping. It’s a smaller, curated pop-up with more than 35 local makers and small businesses, plus live music.
Look for handmade goods, art and vintage finds. It’s pet-friendly and family-friendly, and a good stop for stocking stuffers and small gifts for coworkers.
Check the event page for parking and entry details before you go.
Nightmare Before Christmas: A Dark Holiday Market
📍 Tarzana Community & Cultural Center, 19130 Ventura Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91356
📅 Saturday, December 19, 2026, one day only
🕛 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
🎟️ Free, with an optional donation when you reserve
This Nightmare Before Christmas market in Tarzana is inspired by the movie, with a Christmas Town side, a Halloween Town side and carnival games. Donations made when you reserve are split among the artists and vendors, and costumes are encouraged.
Vendors sell art, handmade goods, collectibles, vintage and alternative fashion. It’s the pick for the person on your list who would rather get something strange than something sparkly, and it’s open to all ages.
Parking is free, and the first 50 people through the door get a keepsake.
Keep Your Holiday Shopping Close to Home
One of the things I appreciate about living and working in Los Angeles is having independent businesses and local makers to support throughout the year. Holiday markets give us another reason to visit familiar places, discover something new, and put our money back into the community.
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