The Best Holiday Markets and Pop-Up Shops in Philadelphia This Year

When it comes to spreading the Philly love, more is more. Fun themed presents and gift boxes are a great way to support local businesses and give the gift of Brotherly Love. Joy Box, the collaboration between Triple Bottom Brewing Company, Lil Pop Shop and other purveyors, delivers local flavors to most Greater Philadelphia addresses. New releases from Resting Gift Face will put a little bit of Philly flair and grit on the tree, and Midtown Village’s Open House continues its popular gift box series with presents for every age and stage. And in lieu of the annual Made at Bok holiday market, the South Philadelphia makerspace has introduced BOK in a Box — two gift options full of treats from the building’s small businesses.

This historic, whimsical greenspace in Southwest Philadelphia is a holiday treasure, made even better by the small businesses and purveyors selling their goods on the online market. In addition to its annual plant and wreath sale, the online winter market from Bartram’s Garden is full of presents that are tough to find anywhere else, including homemade bodycare items, nature photographs, exquisitely designed notecards and children’s books from a Philadelphia author. Can’t choose just one? Themed gift packages will please just about everyone on your list.

Typically a weekend-long holiday affair, the Clover Market goes virtual for 2020, offering wares from more than 60 local vendors. Vintage fashion; handmade accessory bags in stylish prints; delicate necklaces and chunky bangles; candles to freshen up the home office and more fabulous finds are on the virtual market. Bonus: Get free shipping on all orders.

More than 50 artists sell their works as part of this virtual experience from the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show. The iconic outdoor annual event has hosted pop-ups and workshops online this year, and the new holiday gallery — open through mid-December — has price points for both budding and experienced collectors.

The good news about New Kensington Community Development Corporation’s holiday market moving online this year is that shoppers have an entire month to support local businesses. The virtual market, which usually just pops up for Small Business Saturday, arranges gifts by category and maker so buyers can easily shop from their favorite stores and artists, or browse for items like prints, jewelry, housewares and more.

Fleisher Art Memorial hosts its holiday market online this year. Curated by designer, illustrator and muralist Lauren Cat West, the market showcases handmade prints, jewelry, ceramics, apparel and more goods by more than 30 Philly makers and artists. Shoppers can browse online for home decor, jewelry, plants, fashion and more, and arrange for curbside pickup or local delivery. Note that curbside orders must be picked up the week of December 14, 2020.

Find that perfect something for that perfect someone at the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market, back for another season at Dilworth Park. Shop from dozens of local artisans, designers and small businesses from the Philly region. Through January 1, 2021, find handmade crafts, gifts and treats from vendors inside white, festively lit tents scattered throughout the park. Plus, there’s a dazzling carousel at the City Hall Courtyard. Find more shopping in nearby LOVE Park during Christmas Village in Philadelphia (see below).

The European wonderland that is Christmas Village in LOVE Park returns with glowing Herrnhut stars decorating the tops of the wooden booths of 60 different vendors (half the number from previous years). On offer: local and international gifts such as Käthe Wohlfahrt ornaments, three-dimensional house stars, wintry apparel and more. Additional vendors also set up on the north apron of City Hall and in the City Hall courtyard, where the Holiday Carousel sits. To keep visitors safe, the village has adopted a new socially distanced layout as well as a new separated food area. Bonus: Get a discount when you park at the LOVE Park Garage, located directly under Christmas Village.

Open daily

Byers’ Choice, the Bucks County-based creator of the famed Caroler figurines, maintains a year-round Christmas Museum and Creche Collection where shoppers can pick up ornaments, advent calendars and more.

Starts Tuesday, December 1

After pivoting to market-style offerings during COVID-19, Walnut Street Cafe adds a festive air to its pantry for the Walnut Street Holiday Market. Peppermint bark, cocktail kits and more pre-packaged holiday gifts are on the shelves, as are locally made ceramics and fresh winter greenery. Shoppers who swing by for a gift can also take advantage of outdoor dining on the winterized patio and drop off a gift for Toys for Tots.

December 2-23 (Wednesdays only)

Chestnut Hill’s Stag & Doe is a quintessential Philly holiday experience, and the tradition continues this year. On select December Wednesdays, the historic neighborhood brims with holiday magic as horse-drawn carriages ferry people up and down Germantown Avenue, a brass quartet plays festive music and shops stay open late to help guests find the perfect gift. Previously an evening experience, Stag & Doe takes place throughout the day this year to give visitors more socially distanced shopping opportunities. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for Santa.

Fifteen vendors take over empty storefronts in Northern Liberties for a neighborhood-wide shopping experience. Follow the heavenly smells of fresh bread, pasta and baked goods to the Gluten Lab pop up; admire the handcrafted calligraphy ornaments and housewares from Girl Holding a Pen; and pick up chemical-free soaps, body butters and lotions from SCB Naturals. Use the pop-up map to easily locate all the vendors participating in this holiday shopping spectacular.

The popular Holiday Critter Sale at the Brandywine River Museum of Art makes history this year with its first-ever online market. In addition to the museum’s on-site shop, the handcrafted ornaments made from all-natural materials are also available online for those shopping from home and from a distance. The environmentally friendly creations make great gifts and stocking stuffers. Most ornaments range in cost from $5 to $35, with specialty items from $50 to $250.

Scandanavian handmade items take center stage at the museum’s holiday market, which moves outdoors this year to South Philly’s hidden gem, FDR Park. Peruse wares from the American Swedish Historical Museum’s gift shop and stock up on wool items for the winter with merchandise from Tamarack Farm Gotlands in Lancaster. And you could preorder tasty treats like lingonberry preserves and fresh-baked limpa bread.

December 5-30 (select dates)

Gorgeous wood furniture, cozy scarves and quilted fabrics are part of the Fine Craft Sale and Christmas Market in Montgomery County at this institution dedicated to preserving Mennonite culture in Eastern Pennsylvania. This in-person market pops up on select December weekends, and offers a sampling of the wares online. Shoppers who prefer to browse from home can call in their orders and pick them up curbside.

Living history interpreters bring the story of Pottsgrove Manor to life at this special winter celebration. An 18th-century-style market offers a rare chance to explore the grounds of the home that once belonged to Pottstown’s founder, ironmaster John Potts.

Music and lights transform Suburban Square into a winter wonderland with an evening full of entertainment to delight holiday shoppers. An outdoor bar with seasonal drinks greets gift buyers between stores, as do bagpipe, violin and other performances. Plus, The Eric Jaffe — Philly’s 2018 Drag Queen of the Year — has plenty of tricks up their sleeve (and a ukelele performance to boot!).

Looking for a gift that says Philly?  Our mini gift-guides are full of presents that support the people powering Philly neighborhoods, independent stores, and Black- and Brown-owned businesses, which have been hit the hardest during the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ll find something for the hard-to-shop-for brother-in-law, already-has-everything supermom and that new neighbor whose name you’re pretty sure you remember. Start here for only-in-Philly gifts.

Sometimes the perfect gift finds you. Shoppers who aren’t quite sure what to get, or just enjoy the hunt, can hit Philadelphia’s trendiest commercial corridors and the main streets of the Countryside for some fresh air and good-old-fashioned holiday shopping. Rittenhouse Row is home to national and international retailers, Second and Third streets in Old City are a small business haven, and East Passyunk Avenue blends Italian-American heritage with contemporary style. Head out to the Countryside to stroll through charming Peddler’s Village or score deals at retail destinations like King of Prussia Mall.