Ambleside Holiday Market

The Ambleside Holiday Market was a great place to find artisan products and Christmas gift ideas in West Vancouver in November and December.

The market happened not far from Ambleside Beach and at around the same time as the Dundarave Festival of Lights in 2021. It ran for about a month and a half and featured food, crafts, clothing and more.

The Dundarave Festival of Lights is a free event. It features Christmas tree displays every day and special events on the last three or four Saturdays leading up to December 25th. The Ambleside Holiday Market, meanwhile, ran on weekends between early November and just before Christmas.

Note: The Ambleside Holiday Market is NOT happening in 2022.

The Ambleside Holiday Artisan Market

The Ambleside Holiday Market operated for its first year in 2020. It was located on Marine Drive in West Vancouver between 13th Street and 14th Street. The venue is just a block away from the popular Ambleside Park, hence its name.

The market took place in a covered area at Grosvenor Ambleside Galleria. The venue’s address is 1355 Bellevue Avenue (but it’s a large open space with one side also on Marine Drive).

In 2021 the market ran from November 6th until December 19th. It was open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. There was live music at the market on the last two weekends of the season, but also on some other days too.

This market was close to where the Ambleside Farmers Market takes place from May until the end of October. However, it’s not the same market. It’s also in a different location and has different vendors.

Ambleside Christmas Market Vendor

What to Expect from the Christmas Market

The Ambleside Holiday Market was an outdoor market in a covered area, so rain wasn’t a problem. It was a really nice market and in a great location. The waterfront nearby is beautiful!

There were around 100 different artisan participants for the 2021 season, although not all of them were there every week. On a typical day there were about three dozen vendor stalls, and always somewhere between about 20 and 40. As a result, there was always a good amount of variety on hand.

Some of the vendors sell all different kinds of food and drink, from exotic grocery items to snacks, desserts, coffee, wine and more. There are also a number of home decor options like candles, blankets and doormats. As well, there are clothing vendors, soap and other body care products, and often stalls with treats and products for pets.

All of the vendors at the Ambleside Holiday Market are local. This means that you’re supporting people and small businesses from the Lower Mainland with your shopping dollars.

On the final two weekends of the 2021 season there was live music at the market. There was sometimes a musician on other days too. All the artists were from BC. Below is the schedule fro, the final two weekends of last year’s Christmas season.

Saturday, December 11th – Barry Wilson
Sunday, December 12th – Jana Seal
Saturday, December 18th – Sue Breton
Sunday, December 19th – Barry Wilson

Toffee Vendor at Ambleside Market

Ambleside Holiday Market Video

To give you an idea of what to expect at the market, check out the following video. It was taken on a quieter than average day. There were just 20 or so vendors when we filmed this video, which was much fewer than average. Normally there are between about 30 and 40 vendors.

As you’ll see in this video, the market offers a wide range of products. Some vendors even offer samples. The tuna crackers featured in this video, for example, were delicious!

The Dundarave Festival of Lights

An event that takes place close by the Ambleside Holiday Market is the Dundarave Festival of Lights. It’s a fun winter festival with special events on the four Saturdays leading up to Christmas. On 2021 those dates were November 27th, and December 4th, 11th and 18th.

Outside of those days, the festival is open for the public to enjoy daily from late November until the end of December. It’s just quieter on the non-Saturdays. The sights to see include lots of Christmas trees decorated by local organizations and residents.

Most of the festival’s trees are at Dundarave Beach but some are near Ambleside Park as well, both at Millennium Park and Grosvenor Ambleside (the latter of which is where the market takes place).

If you visit the holiday market, it’s worth checking out the Dundarave Festival of Lights as well, especially if on one of the above Saturdays!