Holiday Markets near Austin

Austin's holiday market season peaks in the middle of December, when the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar opens at the Palmer Events Center. You don't have to wait for it, though. The Blue Genie Art Bazaar is open every day from mid-November, the East Austin warehouse markets take the first two December weekends, and the small towns around the city (Bastrop, Wimberley, Johnson City) hold their own markets with lights to see afterward.

November and Thanksgiving weekend

The Blue Genie Art Bazaar on Airport Boulevard opens on November 13 and stays open every day until Christmas Eve, 10 am to 10 pm. That makes it the easy choice for a weeknight or a last-minute gift. On Thanksgiving weekend, Johnson City opens its lights with a holiday market on November 27–28. Bastrop's Wassail Fest on Saturday, November 28, has downtown shops serving their own wassail from 3 to 7 pm.

First weekend of December

The Holiday Vibe Market at Distribution Hall on East 4th Street is free and mostly indoors, with more than 110 artisans on December 5–6. The same Saturday, December 5, is the last Wimberley Market Days of the year, 7 am to 4 pm.

Mid-December

The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar runs December 12–21: about 200 artists, live bands every day, $15 for any one day and free for kids 12 and under. On its opening weekend, Markets for Makers brings more than 100 makers to Fair Market in East Austin (December 12–13). Out of town that Saturday, the 'Tis the Season market on Nutty Brown Road sets 30-plus handmade vendors among the trees, and Bastrop holds Merry on Main, with Santa, cookie decorating and a petting zoo.