Christmas markets · Los Angeles, CA
Christmas markets in Los Angeles
Los Angeles has no single German-style Christmas market; the nearest is Christmas Market OC in Huntington Beach (Nov 15, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027). In the city itself, Christmas shopping means December Sundays at Merry Melrose and Smorg for the Holidays, free Jackalope art fairs in Old Pasadena (Nov 14–15) and Burbank (Dec 12–13), and Enchant at Santa Anita Park (Nov 20 – Dec 27, tickets from $29).
10 markets · checked October 2026
🧒 With kids
- Westfield Century City Christmas Market · Century City
- A Victorian Holiday at the Arboretum · Arcadia
- Downtown Burbank Winter Arts Festival · Burbank
- Enchant LA Shopping Village · Arcadia
- Christmas Market OC · Huntington Beach (Orange County)
- Christmas Market & Tree Lighting, Old Towne Orange · Orange (Orange County)
✨ Date night
- Merry Melrose · Fairfax
- Jackalope Holiday Art Fair, Old Pasadena · Pasadena
- Holiday Thursdays and Tree Lighting, Third Street Promenade · Santa Monica
🎉 With friends
- Smorg for the Holidays · Arts District
Christmas village
IllustrationChristmas village · Century City
Westfield Century City Christmas Market
The mall's Holiday Village: The Market of local shops, a Town Square with a clocktower, Santa's mailbox, a life-size steam engine with costumed performers, Santa's Bungalow and Blitzen's Bar.
🧒 With kids✨ Date nightWhat's there
- The Market of local shops
- Town Square with clocktower and Santa's mailbox
- Reindeer Railway steam engine with costumed villagers
- Santa's Bungalow and Mrs. Claus' Bakery (reserve)
- Blitzen's Bar
A festive mall village rather than a real market — good with small kids who want Santa.
- Last season
- Nov 22 – Dec 28, 2025 (Holiday Village)
- Entry
- Free to walk in; Santa's Bungalow by reservation
Worth knowing
- Book Santa's Bungalow ahead at weekends
IllustrationChristmas village · Arcadia
Enchant LA Shopping Village
Part of Enchant at Santa Anita Park: a shopping village and photo moments, included with General Admission, beside the World's Largest Christmas Light Maze, Santa visits and live entertainment.
🧒 With kids✨ Date nightWhat's there
- Shopping village and photo moments (included with General Admission)
- World's Largest Christmas Light Maze, with a light-up dance floor
- Visits with Santa, live entertainment and caroling
- Paid add-ons: ice skating, snow slide, Ferris wheel, carousel, train, s'mores pit
The shopping village is part of a big ticketed light attraction — go for the whole evening, not just to shop.
- 2026
- Nov 20 – Dec 27, 2026
- Last season
- Late Nov – Dec 28, 2025
- Cost
- Timed tickets from $29; add-ons and parking are extra; no refunds
Getting there and parking
- Parking is sold as an add-on when you book — buy it with the ticket
Worth knowing
- Prices change with date and time, so pick a weekday slot for lower prices
- Hours are not listed on the booking page — check your ticket's entry time (enchantchristmas.com, October 2026)
Weekend market
IllustrationWeekend market · Fairfax
Merry Melrose
Every December Sunday the Melrose Trading Post flea market turns festive: 260-plus artists, makers and vintage dealers, live music, a Santa photo booth and gift workshops.
🎉 With friends✨ Date nightWhat's there
- 260+ artists, makers and vintage dealers
- Live music and carolers
- Rock 'n' Roll Santa photo booth
- Gift-making workshops
LA's best December Sunday market — go early for the vintage.
- 2026
- Sundays in December 2026 (theme 'Holidays Around the World'); exact dates not yet published; the market's regular Sunday hours are 10 am–5 pm
- Last season
- Sundays Dec 7–28, 2025
- Cost
- $8 (free on two Sundays with a toy donation)
Getting there and parking
- Limited free valet (3 hours complimentary) via the Fairfax Ave & Clinton St entrance, 544 N Fairfax Ave
- Rideshare drop-off on Genesee Ave, just south of Melrose; street parking nearby is 2-hour limited
Worth knowing
- Sundays only; the 2025 toy-drive free days were the first two Sundays — watch the market's site for 2026 free days
- 2026 ticket price and exact December dates are not published (melrosetradingpost.org lists only 'December', October 2026)
IllustrationWeekend market · Arts District
Smorg for the Holidays
Smorgasburg's Sunday food market adds a holiday makers' aisle and guest vendors, plus photos with Santa and Rudolph.
🎉 With friendsWhat's there
- Smorgasburg food vendors
- Holiday makers' aisle
- Santa and Rudolph photos
Come for lunch, stay for a few gifts — a fun Sunday in the Arts District.
- 2026
- Sundays 10 am–4 pm (regular Smorgasburg hours); 2026 holiday-edition dates not yet published
- Last season
- Sundays, Nov 30 – Dec 21, 2025
- Cost
- Free entry; first two hours of parking free
Worth knowing
- Sundays only
- Illustration
Weekend market · Arcadia
A Victorian Holiday at the Arboretum
A Victorian Christmas on the lawn of the 1880s Queen Anne Cottage: Santa, dancers and carolers, hot cocoa and toddies and a marketplace of local makers.
🧒 With kids✨ Date nightWhat's there
- 1880s Queen Anne Cottage tours
- Santa, Victorian dancers and carolers
- Hot cocoa and toddies
- Local makers' marketplace
Charming and old-fashioned — a lovely family afternoon in the San Gabriel Valley.
- Last season
- Nov 29–30, Dec 6–7 and Dec 13–14, 2025, 10 am–3 pm
- Entry
- Garden admission (marketplace and lawn festivities included); Queen Anne Cottage tours were a separate ticket ($25 non-members, $10 members, 2025)
Getting there and parking
- Arboretum lot on Baldwin Ave
Worth knowing
- Three weekends only — buy tickets ahead; the 2025 cottage tours sold out
- The closing Sunday in 2025 featured a reading of A Christmas Carol (12–1 pm)
- 2026 dates and prices not published as of mid-October 2026 (arboretum.org)
- Illustration
Weekend market · Burbank
Downtown Burbank Winter Arts Festival
San Fernando Boulevard closes to cars for 200-plus hand-picked artisans from the Jackalope market, with live music and kids' ornament-making.
🎉 With friends🧒 With kidsWhat's there
- 200+ artisans curated by Jackalope
- Street closed to cars
- Live music, ornament-making and face painting
A big free street market — good for handmade gifts in the Valley.
- 2026
- Sat–Sun Dec 12–13, 2026, 11 am – 5 pm (free)
- Last season
- December 2025
- Cost
- Free
Getting there and parking
- City garages off San Fernando Blvd; for navigation use 200 N San Fernando Blvd (the fair runs from Magnolia to Angeleno)
Worth knowing
- Two days only, Saturday and Sunday, December 12–13, 2026 (organizer page, October 2026)
- Illustration
Weekend market · Pasadena
Jackalope Holiday Art Fair, Old Pasadena
A free two-day fair of independent artists and makers in Old Pasadena's Central Park — an early start to gift shopping rather than a Christmas market.
🎉 With friends✨ Date nightWhat's there
- Independent artists and makers (Jackalope-curated)
- Open-air in Central Park in Old Pasadena, with shops and restaurants around it
A good free Saturday for handmade gifts, with lunch in Old Pasadena — mid-November, so early for Christmas decorations.
- 2026
- Sat–Sun Nov 14–15, 2026, 10 am–4 pm
- Last season
- Mid-November (annual)
- Cost
- Free
Getting there and parking
- Metro A Line (Gold) to Del Mar Station, about a two-minute walk
- Fishbecks lot at 150 S Raymond Ave is cash only; nearby garages and metered street parking also available
Worth knowing
- Two days only, 10 am–4 pm (organizer page, October 2026)
European-style market
IllustrationEuropean-style market · Huntington Beach (Orange County)
Christmas Market OC
The closest thing to a German-style Christmas market in Greater Los Angeles, about 35 miles south of downtown: an indoor European shopping village and a biergarten stage at Old World Village.
✨ Date night🎉 With friends🧒 With kidsWhat's there
- Biergarten Holiday Jazz Band on Fridays 7–10 pm (Nov 20, 27; Dec 4, 11, 18, 24 in 2026; Nov 27 5–8 pm, Dec 24 11 am–3 pm)
- Santa Meet & Greet in Festival Hall, Sat–Sun 2–5 pm (Nov 15, 28, 29; Dec 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20)
- Wiener Dog Races, Sundays 10 am–2 pm on Nov 15 and Dec 6
- Country Christmas on the Garden Stage Sundays 4–6 pm; Christmas With Elvis dinner show Wednesdays 6–9 pm
Go if you want German-style Christmas shopping and beer in Southern California — plan it around a Friday jazz night or a Sunday programme.
- 2026
- Nov 15, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027, open daily; weekend stage programme and Santa Meet & Greet on set dates
- Last season
- Nov 16 – Dec 28, 2025
- Cost
- Check the organizer; the restaurant's parking is stated as free
Getting there and parking
- Old World Village is at the 405 Fwy and Beach Blvd; the organizer says parking at Old World is free
- By car from Los Angeles — allow extra time on weekend afternoons on the 405
Worth knowing
- Open daily from Nov 15 to Jan 3 (2026–27); live programme only on the dates listed on christmasmarketoc.com
- Admission and general opening hours are not on the main page (October 2026) — contact info@oldworldhb.com or 714-895-8020
Holiday market
IllustrationHoliday market · Orange (Orange County)
Christmas Market & Tree Lighting, Old Towne Orange
A daytime market on the historic Plaza followed by the tree lighting in the evening, run by the nonprofit Orange Plaza Traditions.
🧒 With kids✨ Date nightWhat's there
- Market 10 am–6 pm on the Plaza
- Tree lighting at 5:15 pm
- Old Towne's antique shops and cafés around the circle
A charming one-day small-town Christmas market in Orange County, best combined with a stroll around the Plaza after dark.
- 2026
- Sun Dec 6, 2026: market 10 am–6 pm, tree lighting 5:15 pm
- Last season
- Early December (annual)
- Cost
- Not confirmed — check the organizer
Getting there and parking
- Street parking and city lots around the Plaza; arrive early on the day of the tree lighting
Worth knowing
- The date comes from a local real-estate firm's seasonal guide citing Orange Plaza Traditions; no official page opened for us — confirm before you go (October 2026)
- Illustration
Holiday market · Santa Monica
Holiday Thursdays and Tree Lighting, Third Street Promenade
Local vendors on the 1300 block of the Promenade on December Thursdays, plus a tree-lighting evening with a holiday market; the ice rink on 5th Street runs through January.
✨ Date night🎉 With friendsWhat's there
- Holiday Thursdays on the Promenade's 1300 block, 5–7 pm (2025)
- Tree lighting with a holiday market, 6–8 pm on Dec 4, 2025
- Ice at Santa Monica, 1324 5th St: open daily noon–10 pm in the 2025–26 season
A small, free after-work market that pairs well with skating and dinner in Downtown Santa Monica.
- Last season
- Thursdays Dec 4, 11 and 18, 2025, 5–7 pm
- Cost
- Free (skating is ticketed)
Getting there and parking
- Downtown Santa Monica public garages; Metro E Line terminus at 4th St & Colorado Ave is a few blocks away
Worth knowing
- 2026 dates were not published as of mid-October 2026 — the 2025 pattern was the first three Thursdays of December
- Santa Monica's Holiday Walk & Marketplace on Montana Ave was held Dec 6 in 2025