Austin’s holiday markets and art bazaars, 2026.
Austin’s holiday art bazaars: Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, Dec. 12 to 21 at Palmer Events Center, and Blue Genie, daily Nov. 13 to Dec. 24.
Austin’s holiday market season runs from November 13, when the Blue Genie Art Bazaar opens on Airport Boulevard for six straight weeks, through Christmas Eve. The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar fills the Palmer Events Center for ten days starting December 12, and three weekend markets fill in around them: the German Christmas Market downtown on December 5, the free Holiday Vibe Market on December 5 and 6, and Markets for Makers on December 12 and 13. Every date, hour, and price here comes from the organizer’s own page, checked October 30, 2026, and the side-by-side after the list sorts them by free or ticketed, indoors or out, and open daily or one weekend only.
For lunch between the booths, subscribe free and the Austin cheap eats directory unlocks in this browser: spots where a meal runs about ten dollars or less, ranked and filterable by cuisine and neighborhood. Then an email from Carissa on Thursday mornings.
The two art bazaars
- Palmer Events Center · Dec. 12 to 21 · $15 plus tax, under 12 free01
Armadillo Christmas Bazaar
An Austin tradition since 1976, born at the Armadillo World Headquarters and now held at the Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road. This year it runs ten days, December 12 to 21, with nearly 200 artists and two to three bands a day on its own stage. Hours change by day: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on most days, and until 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 12, and Friday through Sunday, December 18 to 20. A one-day ticket is $15 plus tax for any single day, with same-day re-entry on a wristband, and kids under 12 get in free without one. The box office and the food and drink counters take cards only, though most artists take cash and there is an ATM on site. The Palmer garage charges $12 a car, and pets stay home: service animals only. For The Nutcracker, the Trail of Lights, and the rest of December’s events, see the guide to Christmas events in Austin.
- Airport Blvd. · daily, Nov. 13 to Dec. 24 · no ticket listed02
Blue Genie Art Bazaar
The long-haul option, and the one that fits a weeknight: Blue Genie opens November 13 and runs every day through Christmas Eve, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., closing at 6 p.m. on December 24, and it is open on Thanksgiving. This year it is at 6100 Airport Boulevard, in the building it calls the Blue Genie Big Top. From Airport, turn west onto Denson and then south onto Dillard Circle, where the entrance faces. It runs as a storefront: artists stock their own booths, and a commission comes out of sales. Its pages list no ticket and no admission price, and shoppers go in first come, first served, with a short wait if the store is at capacity. Parking in its lot and along Dillard Circle is free, the building is wheelchair accessible, cards are preferred and cash is accepted, and Tuesday mornings bring free donuts and coffee while they last.
December weekend markets
- Downtown, E. 10th St. · Sat., Dec. 5 · $8 online, $10 at the door03
German Christmas Market at the German Free School
One day only, set up as a traditional German Christmas market. The German-Texan Heritage Society, a nonprofit, holds its 31st annual market on Saturday, December 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the German Free School, 507 E. 10th St., a schoolhouse from 1857. The draw is the decorations it imports, nutcrackers, Christmas pyramids, smokers, and Schwibbogen, many from Germany’s Erzgebirge region, plus Glühwein, German food, and activities for kids. Tickets are $8 online in advance or $10 at the door, and children under 12 are free. Dress for the weather: the society calls it primarily an outdoor event, spread across the school’s grounds and terraced gardens, with stairs. Members get earlier shopping days, and the society says many of the decorations sell out quickly.
- The full list
For lunch between the booths, subscribe free and the Austin cheap eats directory unlocks in this browser: spots where a meal runs about ten dollars or less, ranked and filterable by cuisine and neighborhood. Then an email from Carissa on Thursday mornings.
- East Austin, Distribution Hall · Dec. 5 and 6 · free04
Holiday Vibe Market
The free one. Vibe Artisan Markets brings more than 110 artisans and makers each day to Distribution Hall, 1500 E. 4th St., on Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is free to attend and mostly indoors, with a cocktail bar, an espresso bar, and vinyl DJ sets, and well-behaved pets are welcome. Parking is on the neighborhood streets around the hall, some of it free, so read the signs before you leave the car. It falls on the same Saturday as the German market, so December 5 can cover both.
- East Austin, Fair Market · Dec. 12 and 13 · $6 to $1605
Holiday Makers Market (Markets for Makers)
A weekend of more than 100 independent makers from Texas and beyond at Fair Market, 1100 E. 5th St., on Saturday and Sunday, December 12 and 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are priced by when you arrive: $12 after 11 a.m., $10 after 1 p.m., and $8 after 3 p.m. on Saturday, with the late Sunday ticket at $6, or $16 for an all-weekend pass that adds a 10 a.m. first-picks hour on Saturday. Every ticket includes a tote bag and the DIY stations, kids under 12 are free, and leashed pets are welcome. Door sales are card only. The venue has no attendee lot, and the organizer points to the East Austin Hotel garage at 1108 E. 6th St. and the pay lot at 1121 E. 7th St. It shares opening weekend with Armadillo.
The five markets side by side, checked October 30, 2026
Every cell restates the organizer’s own page as read on October 30, 2026. Times are Austin time.
Blue Genie is the only one open every day for six weeks, and the Holiday Vibe Market is the only one its organizer calls free to attend. Armadillo is the ten-day ticketed one, and the German market is the one to dress for the weather.
Austin holiday markets for 2026, checked October 30, 2026. Times are Austin time. Market Dates Hours Admission Indoor or outdoor Where Armadillo Christmas Bazaar Daily, December 12 to 21 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; until 9:30 p.m. on December 12 and December 18 to 20 $15 plus tax for one day; under 12 free Not stated Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road Blue Genie Art Bazaar Daily, November 13 to December 24, Thanksgiving included 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on December 24 No ticket or admission price listed Inside its building 6100 Airport Blvd., entrance on Dillard Circle German Christmas Market Saturday, December 5 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $8 online in advance, $10 at the door; under 12 free Primarily outdoors, with stairs German Free School, 507 E. 10th St. Holiday Vibe Market Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free Mostly indoors Distribution Hall, 1500 E. 4th St. Markets for Makers Saturday and Sunday, December 12 and 13 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $6 to $16, by day and arrival time; under 12 free Not stated Fair Market, 1100 E. 5th St. For a weeknight, Blue Genie is open until 10 every night of its run except December 24, when it closes at 6, and Armadillo is open until at least 8 every night from December 12 to 21. For a single weekend, December 5 holds the German market and the first day of the Vibe market, and December 12 holds Armadillo’s opening day and the Markets for Makers weekend.
With kids: Armadillo, the German market, and Markets for Makers all let children under 12 in free. With a dog: Armadillo and Blue Genie allow service animals only, Markets for Makers allows leashed pets, and the Vibe market welcomes well-behaved ones.
Sources: each market’s own site and ticket page, read October 30, 2026.
What we considered and didn’t include
The things we passed on are part of the value. Documented for editorial discipline.
- Cherrywood Art FairIts organizer’s site returned an error on October 30, 2026 and lists no 2026 date, so there is nothing confirmed to send anyone to.
- Trail of LightsZilker Park’s December light trail is the season’s other big outing, but it is a light show rather than a market, so it sits outside this page.
- Suburban holiday marketsAny market in Round Rock, Bee Cave, Dripping Springs, or another suburb is outside Austin city limits, which is where this page stops.
Common questions
- When is the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar 2026?
- December 12 to 21, 2026, at the Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road. It is open every day of that run, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on most days and until 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 12, and Friday through Sunday, December 18 to 20. A VIP first-look hour opens the doors at 10 a.m. on December 12.
- How much is admission to the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar?
- A one-day ticket is $15 plus tax, good for any single day of the run, and children under 12 get in free without a ticket. A season ticket for all ten days is $75 plus tax and is sold only through December 12, and the VIP first look is $25 plus tax. Tickets are sold on the bazaar’s own site or at the cashless box office inside the Palmer Events Center, at the same price.
- Where is the Blue Genie Art Bazaar this year?
- At 6100 Airport Boulevard, in the building it calls the Blue Genie Big Top, with the entrance on Dillard Circle. It is open every day from November 13 to December 24, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., closing at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Parking in its lot and along Dillard Circle is free.
- Is there a German Christmas market in Austin?
- Yes, for one day. The German-Texan Heritage Society’s 31st annual market is Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the German Free School, 507 E. 10th St., with imported German decorations, Glühwein, and German food. Tickets are $8 online in advance or $10 at the door, and children under 12 are free.
- Are Austin’s holiday markets indoors?
- Some are. Blue Genie lets shoppers inside its building on Airport Boulevard, and the Holiday Vibe Market at Distribution Hall is mostly indoors. The German Christmas Market is primarily outdoors, across the German Free School’s grounds and gardens, so dress for the weather. Armadillo’s pages name the Palmer Events Center as its venue without saying indoor or outdoor, and the Markets for Makers page does not say either way.
- Which Austin holiday markets are free?
- The Holiday Vibe Market, December 5 and 6 at Distribution Hall, is free to attend, and Blue Genie lists no ticket or admission price. Armadillo ($15 plus tax), the German Christmas Market ($8 online, $10 at the door), and Markets for Makers ($6 to $16) charge, and all three let children under 12 in free.
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