The Best Holiday Markets in Denver and Beyond

Who’s tired? Short days, long nights, sending and receiving (and hunting for stolen) packages, eating too much. You’re not alone if you haven’t quite caught the holiday spirit...which means it's high time to talk about the joy of giving.

Make a thoughtful list of people and possible presents, and when you’re done deliberating, thank your lucky stars that there are still so many local markets where you can shop without ever having to set foot in a big-box store or go online.
The lineup:


Christkindlmarket
Civic Center Park
Saturday, December 23, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
All things are merry and bright at Christkindlmarket, a German holiday market that will roll out adjacent to the Mile High Tree in Civic Center Park. Charming wooden stalls serve mugs of glühwein and plates of hearty European fare — think Bavarian pretzels, pierogi, schnitzel, speck and blinchiki crepes. Other vendors feature hand-painted ornaments, traditional beer steins and more giftable trinkets. Get your polka dancing on for the full experience. Get more details here.

Cherry Creek Holiday Market
Fillmore Plaza, Fillmore Street between First and Second avenues
Saturday, December 23, 11 to 9 p.m.; Sunday, December 24, noon to 3 p.m.
The fourth annual Cherry Creek Holiday Market will feature over fifty local vendors selling home decor, wellness products, accessories and artisan eats, plus beverages from top Colorado distiller the Family Jones and coffee pop-up Sustain & Able, among others. Purchase gifts from the eclectic selection and enjoy drinks and live entertainment in the Mistletoe Lounge.  Admission is free, and other Winter Wanderland experiences are happening throughout Cherry Creek North. Get the details here.

Christmas in the Rockies Craft & Gift Market
Aspen Grove, 7301 South Santa Fe Drive, #710, Littleton
Saturday, December 23, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, December 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
An offshoot of the Denver Farmers’ Market, Christmas in the Rockies returns to its indoor digs at Aspen Grove. As you might expect, this market is heavy on gourmet food items, such as fresh-baked bread, fruit jams, charcuterie and big blocks of fine cheese. But there’s also plenty of room given over to everything under the weak winter sun to keep a person warm until spring, including coats, capes, hats, gloves, socks, scarves and blankets.

Denver Makers Market Holiday Craft Market
Orchard Town Center, 14676 Town Center Drive, Westminster
Saturday, December 23, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, December 24, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Denver Makers Market and its army of artisans will brave the crowds at Orchard Town Center in Westminster right up until Christmas Eve, with a spread of Colorado-centric home decor, holiday decor, fresh jars of honey, vintage gifts and more. The shopping’s good, but take time to step outside the market to enjoy carriage rides, photos with Santa, a Winter Wonder Bar, selfie stations and other pastimes offered by the center.is market. Admission is free; find out more here.

Rogue Holiday Market
The Church Nightclub, 1160 Lincoln Street
Saturday, December 23, noon to 6 p.m.; free, RSVP at Humanitix
Ryan Dykstra’s Rogue Holiday Market goes down in a nightclub with merchandise that will appeal to your inner collector, and what could be better than that? It’s got everything — clothing, jewelry, records, sports collectibles, retro pop culture, wellness products, and maker and artisan goods — for everyone on your list. Entertainment is courtesy of DJ Ava Sparks and special guests, and admission is free.

Procrastinator’s Night Out
Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas Street, Aurora
Saturday, December 23, most retailers open until 8 p.m.
Stanley Marketplace just wants to please you. No one there will shame you for doing your Christmas shopping on December 23; instead, you’re invited to relax, have a bite and grip a cocktail to carry around with you while hitting the stores. We can’t guarantee that you won’t be bumping elbows with a jolly horde of last-minute shoppers, but at least there’s a chance you’ll get the job done and find something for everyone on your list.

Holiday Art Market 2023 (HART)
Foothills Art Center, 809 15th Street, Golden
Daily through December 30; Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
Besides being one of the best of its kind for nearly fifty years, the Foothills Art Center’s annual holiday market has a lot to celebrate in 2023. After a long closure of the galleries for construction and improvements, Foothills reopens just in time to set out the quality handmade goods — pottery, jewelry, glass, fiber, leather, metal, wood, food items, ornaments and greeting cards — that it reliably consigns for the market year after year. With the exception of December 24 and 25, the market is open daily through December 30. All you have to do is show up and shop. Find out more here.

Drawing Curiosity
neü folk gallery, Room 220, Evans School, 1115 Acoma Street
Through January 13 (open by appointment only at [email protected])
Max Kauffman and Brandon Opalka of neü folk gallery in the Evans School studio complex are mounting a large, twenty-artist group show, Drawing Curiosity, just a little over a week from Christmas. Kauffman says the show’s aim is to help viewers look at the art of drawing with a more critical eye, while also seeing how diverse the medium can be, easily surpassing the boundaries of making lines on paper with a pen and ink. Drawings make great gifts; all works are cash-and-carry.

What have we missed? Send information to [email protected].