FAQ

Masks are not mandatory at the Vancouver Christmas Market as all of our guests and staff members are fully vaccinated. Feel free to bring your mask with you to wear in the event that social distancing is not possible, but you are not obligated to wear a mask at the market

Season Pass holders do not need to book timeslots to enter the market. Simply show up on the day you would like to visit and join the next available timed entrance line. Please note Blackout Dates of December 18, 19 and 24 apply to Season Pass holders.

Children 6 and under are allowed into the market for free! When booking your tickets, make sure to book a Child’s ticket for the same time slot as your own ticket. The ticket will be booked and added to your cart free of charge.

The market is located in the heart of downtown at the Olympic Cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza: 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver BC, V6G 3E1. Hours + Location

The Vancouver Christmas Market will be open daily from November 13 to December 24 at Jack Poole Plaza.

Nov 13 – 18: open 4 pm to 9:30 pm
Nov 19 – Dec 23: open 11:30 am to 9:30 pm
Dec 24: open 11:30 am to 6:00 pm.

All Single Entry online ticket purchases in 2021 will be arranged through timeslot bookings to help manage the Market’s capacity. When purchasing Single Entry tickets online, you will be prompted to choose a 30-minute timeslot based on available dates and times. Guests must arrive on their chosen date within their timeslot to ensure smooth Market entry, but are welcome to stay as long as they like! Entrance is subject to event capacity.

The Vancouver Christmas Market is committed to creating a safe and compliant environment for all its guests. We will be abiding by the guidelines provided by Vancouver Coastal Health to ensure this year’s Market is safe, healthy and festive. These measures include mandatory vaccinations passport and ID checks at the gate.

For more information on specific COVID protocols, visit our COVID safety measures page.

The Vancouver Christmas Market is all about celebrating together. After a one year hiatus, we’re keen to ensure that we can re-convene comfortably and safely. Following the Vancouver Convention Centre policy and requests from our vendors, partners, and local area businesses, we are implementing mandatory COVID-19 vaccination passport checks at the gates for all visitors over the age of 12.

All guests visiting the Vancouver Christmas Market will have to show proof of double vaccination to gain entry.

Please have your vaccination passport and government-issued ID (over age 19) ready.

For more details about proof of vaccination and the BC Vaccine Card, please visit here.

The Vancouver Christmas Market is abiding by the guidelines provided by Provincial Health Officer (PHO) and Vancouver Coastal Health to ensure this year’s Market is safe, healthy and festive.

At this time, children under 12 years of age are not required to show a Vaccine Passport.

Visitors over 12 seeking exemptions should consult the official PHO documentation for information about which contraindications and deferrals are officially-accepted exemptions.

Yes, all Canadian and International residents over the age of 12 must present proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

The Vancouver Christmas Market is abiding by the guidelines provided by the Provincial Health Officer and Vancouver Coastal Health to ensure this year’s Market is safe, healthy and festive.

Out-of-town visitors can attend the Market this year if they satisfy the specific requirements:

Visitors from other provinces or territories must show an officially-recognized vaccine record, along with a valid government-issued photo ID. (People under 19 are exempt from showing ID.)

International visitors must show proof of vaccination used to enter Canada, along with their passport or official government-issued ID.

These are mandatory requirements as outlined by the BC Provincial Health Officer.

At this time, children under the age of 12 do not need to show a COVID-19 Vaccination Passport to enter the 2021 Christmas Market. Youth 12-19 years of age must present a valid Vaccine Passport, and do not need to present an ID to enter the Market.

Enjoy the market as often as you like! Our popular Season Pass is back in 2021, and available while supplies last. Season Pass holders can visit the Market during opening hours at any time, excluding Dec 18, 19 & 24.

Please note that Season Passes are non-transferable, and government-issued ID must be presented upon arrival.

Unfortunately, our Season Passes for this year are almost sold out, so we’re unable to provide an upgrade.

If you are entering with a child under 7, they are welcome to come in with you free of charge. If you are entering with someone 7 years of age or older, they’ll be required to either show their own Season Pass or purchase a ticket of their own (this can be done either online or at the Box Office).

We suggest purchasing your tickets online to avoid longer wait times at the gate and to ensure your visiting group can enter the Market at the same planned time.

Season Pass tickets must match the name and valid Government ID of the ticket holder. If you have already purchased a season pass for someone else under your name, get in contact here to have the name changed.

The name on General Admission tickets does not need to match the name of the ticket holder. This means you can buy a ticket for your friend under your name and they will be able to enter the market with their photo ID and proof of double vaccination.

Your ticket can be changed to any other date/time that The Vancouver Christmas Market still has tickets available. Please note there is a service fee charged for each exchange. If you have an account created, simply log onto your Showpass account to exchange your tickets and visit the invoices tab here. Exchanges are permitted up to 2 hours before the start of your reserved time slot of your existing tickets. If you have checked out as a guest and you would like to exchange your tickets, go to your order confirmation email and click the “connect purchase” button. Connecting the purchase will prompt you to login to an existing account or to set an account up, it must be the same email as used to purchase. From there, go to invoices then you can proceed to exchange for a new date or time. You cannot exchange tickets for a time slot that has started, so be sure to make changes in advance! You must exchange your entire order, you cannot select certain tickets in your order to exchange, and you cannot initiate two exchanges at the same time. You will have 1 hour to use the temporary exchange credits. If not used within the hour then the exchange credits expire, and the tickets are left untouched.
You can only use exchange credits for orders of equal or greater value. If you have a complimentary, transferred or free ticket you cannot initiate a ticket exchange. There are no refunds.For more info on exchanges and connecting your tickets to a Showpass account please see the following articles:
How to Exchange Tickets.
Connecting Your Tickets to Your Showpass Account.

Early Bird hours are 11:30 am – 2:00 pm, from Monday – Friday until December 17. Early Bird tickets are available at a discounted rate of $7.99 online or $9 at the gate.

If you would like to enter the Market on more than one occasion, we suggest purchasing a Season Pass, as you do not need to book a timeslot for any return visits whenever you like, subject to blackout dates (Dec 18, 19 & 24).

The Holly & Jolly Combo will be available online for $69.99 and $75.00 at the gate. Our best value at the market, our Holly & Jolly combo includes Two Season Passes, Two Traditional Beverages, Two 2021 Vancouver Christmas Market Mugs, One Surprise Gift Bag (pick up at Info Hut).

Yes, but we do recommend buying tickets online because you can book your timeslot, save on admission prices, and skip the Box Office line. Visit our tickets page for more details on pricing and timeslot booking.

We offer a special group rate for Christmas parties and holiday gatherings for parties of 20 or more. All tickets must be pre-purchased. Please fill out our group bookings form with the details of your event, and we will put together a custom package for your celebration during Market hours.

Of course! Share the season with your friends. We recommend purchasing a Season Pass on our website as they are not limited to a specific date or time. Please remember to include the recipient’s name when purchasing their ticket, as the name of the attendee will need to match the name on the ticket. You can also buy someone a Single Entry Ticket. Be sure to find out when they want to visit the Market, as you’ll have to select their date and timeslot.

Please check our COVID-19 protocols before purchasing any tickets.

The Vancouver Christmas Market and Circle Craft Christmas Market are two different events. The outdoor Vancouver Christmas Market operates at Jack Poole Plaza (at the Olympic Cauldron) from November 13 to December 24, and includes food and drink, live entertainment, and 80+ artisan huts. Circle Craft is hosted inside the Convention Centre for a single weekend.

The Vancouver Christmas Market’s triumphant return to Jack Poole Plaza will feature over 30 new vendors, an extended seating section in our Alpine Lounge and the return of 2019 ticket pricing! We will also be suspending the Kinder Kraft Igloo and the Wunderbar to ensure the best health and safety practices across the Market. Finally, we are opening for an extra week this season and implementing timeslot booking to help keep the flow of traffic smooth and comfortable for all our guests.

The Alpine Lounge space has been extended to 3,800 square feet to ensure more distance between visitors and more coverage from unfavourable weather conditions. As we make room for a more spacious, safer Market this year, Käthe Wohlfahrt will not participate as a vendor this year. However, we hope to see them again next year!

No, the Market is not open on Christmas Day. But don’t worry – we’re open until 6pm on December 24th to make sure you get all your holiday cheer (and shopping) in before then!

Yes, you can enjoy daily entertainment on our Flying Stage this year. Be sure to check our social media for regular updates on who’s performing.

Absolutely! We recommend having a look at our Vendors Page to see which vendors offer vegetarian and vegan options at the Market this year.

Please use our contact form to get in touch. Be sure to include the name, email address and phone number you used to purchase your tickets.

Though we encourage our patrons to go cashless, our Box Office accepts cash, credit and debit. We do have ATM machines available within the Market for your convenience.

Most of our merchandise vendors offer credit/debit card payment.

For your convenience, we have a couple ATMs located inside the Market.

We cannot allow any outside alcoholic beverages to enter the Market. You are welcome to purchase alcoholic drinks including Glühwein, traditional Bavarian beers, and more at various locations throughout the Market. Please note: two pieces of ID will be required – one government issued photo ID plus a second ID (e.g. credit card).

Peak hours at the Market are weekday evenings from 5pm onwards and all day Friday to Sunday. Please note that the Market is at its busiest the final week before Christmas.

To ensure you have the Vancouver Christmas Market experience you desire, you can skip the Box Office line and pre-purchase your tickets online.

Yes you can! Just get a re-entry stamp from security before exiting, or show your Season Pass to re-enter. Please keep in mind re-entry stamps are only valid for same-day re-entry. Re-entry on a different day is only possible with a Season Pass upgrade. You can upgrade your Single-Day Pass to a Season Pass on-site at the Box Office or Info Hut on the first day of your visit.

Children must be two years or older and no shorter than 36 inches (or 91 centimetres) to ride the Carousel.

Service animals are permitted. Due to food and liquor licensing, dogs or other pets are not allowed in the Market area.

We do, however, have a pet vendor at the Market – so you can treat your best friend to a little gift when you get home.

Yes, free stroller parking is available at the market. Please note that no attendant will monitor the stroller parking.

There are multiple benches throughout the market. Visitors are also welcome to find seating in the heated Alpine Lounge and the Winterdeck area.

Yes! Jack Poole Plaza is considered a fully accessible venue – and Vancouver Christmas Market implements additional measures to make it even more accessible. There are wheelchair accessible toilets on site.

Please bring your Registered Caregiver Card and show it to our staff person at the gate. If there is more than one caregiver who would like complimentary admission when visiting with clients, please have them bring their card as well.

We strongly suggest your client pre-book their visit to avoid having to bypass the Box Office and ensure smooth Market entry. As a caregiver, you will not need to pre-book – you can just show your Registered Caregiver Card.

Visitors can enjoy Glühwein (mulled wine), beer, or cider purchased within the Market throughout the entire Market area. Guests who would like to drink alcohol must provide two pieces of identification to show they are over the age of 19. We cannot serve any alcohol to guests without proof of age.

No. The Market is a non-smoking facility. This includes vaping, cannabis, and e-cigarettes. If you wish to smoke, we kindly ask that you get a re-entry stamp at the exit, leave the Market, and join us after you are finished.

We’re sorry you’ve lost something! Contact us here or at the Info Hut on site at the market.