Hell, Yeah! It's Holiday Market Season, Betches!
Photo via West Coast Craft
Merchants make it easy for you to open your wallet during the holidays. Instead of forcing you to hop from store to store (or site to site) to find unique gifts for everyone on your shopping list, they huddle together at maker markets for a one-stop shopping experience. It's like going to a mall, except a million times better.
Market season is ramping up, and if you don't schedule your favorites on your calendar now, you'll wind up missing them. We've rounded up eight of the best SF holiday markets below—organized by date—to help you plan your shopping strategy.
Renegade Craft Fair, November 15-16 (11am-5pm). Renegade returns to Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion with a celebration of all things handmade. Find one-of-a-kind gifts for friends and family, discover more than 200 independent makers from around the country, and enjoy a memorable holiday weekend of local food vendors, seasonal cocktails, DJ sets, DIY workshops, photo ops, and more.
West Coast Craft, November 23-24 (10am–6pm). WCC is a juried exhibition of artist and designer craftspeople inspired by the mood and aesthetics of the West Coast lifestyle. One of the great things about this event is so many of the best indie stores and brands in the city will set up shop for it. So you could drive around town for Arno, Ali Golden, Future Glory, and Yonder Shop...or you could save time, gas, and parking fees by visiting them all at WCC.
SFEtsy Indie Holiday Emporium, November 30 (12 pm-6 pm) and December 1 (11am -5pm). This is SFEtsy's seventh year bringing Etsy to life in San Francisco: more than 150 local artisans and small batch food vendors are expected to participate. The event will be at Pier 27 on The Embarcadero.
TreasureFest Snovember, November 23-24, (10 am-4 pm). The TreasureFest flea market is going to be extra in November, making 10 tons of snow for each day get shoppers in the winter-giving spirit. (Because nothing says “holiday” like sledding on manmade snow!) More than 400 vendors show up monthly for the event, so it’s a great place to shop for your vintage-loving friends and family. And, it’s the very last Treasure Fest on Treasure Island (500 Ave N, San Francisco), according to the organizers.
Junior League Holiday Faire, November 20, (5-9 pm). The League will be hosting its Holiday Faire on Wednesday, November 20th, 2018 at The Italian Athletic Club in North Beach. The festive market will feature nearly 30 local artisans, merchants, makers and artists, along with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Tickets start at $30, and 15% of all merch sales during the market will go back to the League to support volunteer efforts within the community.
Zero Waste and Plastic Free Holiday Market, December 8, (10am-5 pm). Goods Holding Company, a zero waste and plastic free company in the Bay Area, is hosting its second market at Fort Mason in the beautiful Firehouse (2 Marina Boulevard). The Holiday Market will feature 20+ local vendors selling eco friendly gifts and items to help you live more plastic free.
Heath Ceramics Make Good Market, December 14-15 (10am–5pm Saturday, 10am–3pm Sunday). Step inside Heath's factory (2900 18th Street) and meet over 25 of the ceramics brand's designer and maker friends—including Rockyt favorites Aplat, Aesthetic Union, and Jacob May. While you shop for gifts, prepare to see a show and tell of the making process: from woodworking and leather painting to candy-making, ceramic throwing and sewing. Tartine Manufactory and a handful of Heath's favorite food vendors will gather with nibbles ready to gift. The market is free and open to the public.
Head West Holiday, Saturday, December 14 and Saturday, December 21 (11 am–5 pm) Head West is hosting not one, but two special holiday markets in the East Bay for you last-minute shoppers. The first, featuring more than 75 merchants, will be at 2505 Monarch Street in Alameda and the second, with more than 60 merchants, on 9th Street between Broadway and Washington in Old Oakland.
Know of a holiday market that should be on the list? Email us at rockytstyle@gmail.com.