Eating and Drinking at Boston's Holiday Markets, 2026

Holiday markets in Greater Boston are mostly about gifts, but a good share of the people who go are there for the cocoa. This is a rundown of what the markets have announced to eat and drink in 2026, with hours and admission, and a plain note where a market hasn’t said anything yet. We haven’t visited any of these, and we aren’t rating the food. We’re reading what the organizers posted.

Two are running now or about to: Snowport in the Seaport, which opened November 6, and the SoWa Christmas Market, opening Friday, November 20. Salem’s market is later, on December 20, and Notch Brewing’s German market in Salem is on December 6.

Snowport Holiday Market, Seaport

The sixth Snowport Holiday Market runs November 6 through December 27 at 100 Seaport Boulevard and is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The Seaport’s own page describes it as an open-air market with 130-plus makers, “more food than ever before” and custom cocktail bars.

Food vendors. Boston.com’s 2026 guide names Cheese Louise (grilled cheese), Cheese Wheel Pastas Boston (pasta made in cheese wheels), Dumpling Daughter (dumplings and baos), Lakon Paris (French pastries and plated desserts), Naughty Waffle (waffles) and Union Square Donuts. It calls its list partial and points to the Seaport website for the full roster. Other local news coverage of the 2026 season also mentions Eloti, Island Creek Oysters and The Truffleist, and says there are 17 food and beverage vendors in all. We could not find the complete vendor list on the official page, so treat the names as a starting point.

Drinks. The market has four holiday-themed bars. Boston.com names the Jingle Bar and the Dizzy Dreidel, and other coverage adds Betty’s Bar and the Blizzard Bar, each with a signature seasonal cocktail. No cocktail menus are posted that we could find. There is also a heated beer-garden-style tent and an apres-ski lodge area.

Hours. Through December 6: Monday to Thursday 3 to 8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. From December 7 to 27: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Hours can change, so check the Seaport’s page the day you go.

Admission. General admission is free. On Saturdays and Sundays the Seaport offers timed-entry reservations through its Insider app: $15 for adults, $7 for veterans and ages 6 to 17, and free for ages 5 and under, with $1 per ticket going to Boston Xchange.

Also in the Seaport. The Light Up Seaport tree lighting is December 4 at 6 p.m. at 85 Northern Avenue, the menorah lighting is December 10 at 6 p.m. at 60 Seaport Boulevard, and a Seaport Holiday Stroll is Saturday, December 12 from 1 to 4 p.m. with shop promotions and holiday treats. New Year’s Eve brings an ice sculpture stroll.

SoWa Christmas Market, South End

The 11th annual market, formerly the SoWa Winter Festival, is indoors and runs November 20 to December 27. It is closed Mondays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Hours in November. Opening night, Friday the 20th, is 4 to 9 p.m. Then Tuesday to Thursday 4 to 8 p.m., Friday 4 to 9, Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Black Friday, November 27, is 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. From December 1: Tuesday to Thursday 4 to 9 p.m., Friday 4 to 10, Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Christmas Eve 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is $10, and children 12 and under are free.

Food and drink vendors. The market’s page has a “Food & Drink” list of 18 names: Berry Sweets, Big Little Pies, Celes Confections, Chicken & Rice Guys, Crepe Shop, Eataly, Elite Dough Cookies, Lucy and Jane Matcha, Matilda, Moyzilla, Mexibites, Mr. Petisco, Native Colombian Food, Palak’s Chai Cart, Petite Sakura Bakery, Pieson’s Pizza, The Butcher’s Grill and Uncommon Ice Cream. The page doesn’t describe what each sells, so we won’t guess beyond the names.

A separate “Gourmet Gifts” list covers food you take home, such as Golden Rule Honey, Mount Cabot Maple, DaVinci Chocolatier, SRL Chocolatiers, The Chocolate Pan, Craic Sauce and Q’s Nuts, among others.

Drinks. The market’s tagline promises “specialty foods + cocktails,” and there is a “Wine, Beer & Spirits Tastings” section that links to its own schedule, but we could not find named bars or tasting vendors for 2026.

Salem Holiday Market, Old Town Hall

The Salem Holiday Market is Sunday, December 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. across two floors of Old Town Hall, with admission of $5 at the door. The organizer, New England Open Markets, lists 60-plus makers, artists and collectors, and its page does not mention food vendors. A past Salem tourism listing for an earlier edition named a local restaurant serving food on site, but that was a prior year, so we can’t say who will be there this year.

Notch Brewing’s German Holiday Market, Salem

This is the most specific food-and-drink list of any market here. Notch’s Salem taproom lists a German Holiday Market on Sunday, December 6, from noon to 5 p.m. The event description promises local artisans and makers, Krampus, fire spinning, lagerbier, Underberg hot cider, sausages, leberkase and warm jumbo soft pretzels. Admission isn’t mentioned on the page we read.

Other markets, and what isn’t posted

• Faneuil Hall tree lighting, Saturday, November 21. A free afternoon program from 2 to 6 p.m. in Quincy Market. The exact lighting time isn’t posted. Last year’s lit at 6 p.m.
• Medford Holiday Harvest Market, Sunday, November 22. A one-day holiday edition of the Medford Farmers Market outside City Hall, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The city’s listing is only a poster, so no vendors are named and no price is listed.
• Liberty Hotel Christmas Stroll, Beacon Hill. 2026 dates aren’t confirmed. A third-party calendar lists Sunday, December 13 from 1 to 6 p.m., based on last year’s Sunday, December 14 pattern.
• Harvard Square Holiday Fair and The Charles Hotel Winter Holiday Market, Cambridge. 2026 dates aren’t announced where we looked. Last year’s Harvard Square fair ran over two December weekends.
• Small business fairs in Woburn (listed for Nov. 28) and the Danvers YMCA (listed Nov. 21). Both dates come from a third-party craft-fair directory only, not from the organizers.

How to plan a food-first visit

If you want a real meal, Snowport and SoWa are the two with the most announced food. SoWa is indoors and Snowport is outdoors with a heated tent. We couldn’t find a payment policy for either. For something that is closer to the North Shore and has a named menu, Notch’s December 6 event is the one that tells you what you can eat.

Sources

• Snowport (Seaport Boston)bostonseaport.xyz
• Boston.com, Snowport 2026 guideboston.com
• SoWa Christmas Marketsowaboston.com
• New England Open Markets, Salem Holiday Marketnewenglandopenmarkets.com
• Notch Brewing, Salem eventsnotchbrewing.com
• Faneuil Hall Marketplace, 2026 tree lightingfaneuilhallmarketplace.com
• City of Medford, Holiday Harvest Marketmedfordma.org

Details such as dates, hours and prices come from the sources above and can change. Check with the organizer before you go.