- Holiday markets are mini examples of the ideal city.
- Patrons enjoy shopping, activities, and socializing — all in a walkable space.
The hottest spot in town this time of year is the holiday market.
People all over the country are flocking to the temporary stalls and cottages to get their mulled wine, seasonal treats, and artisan crafts. Live music, light shows, and bustling, car-free paths transform many downtowns into Hallmark-style holiday villages.
The growing popularity of public markets — one of the most ancient forms of urbanism — is a reminder that people thrive in walkable cities with mixed-use development.
"People love when a lot of interesting, fun, delicious, and beautiful things are concentrated in the same place that we can easily navigate on foot," said Tayana Panova, a researcher who studies the built environment in a TikTok video. "It's human nature to like places like this because they're stimulating and entertaining, and they draw in a lot of people, which we as social creatures also love to be around."
Holiday markets also bring people outside during some of the coldest, darkest weeks of the year when downtown streets are emptier, and people are more isolated at home. They can be a great way to fight loneliness and seasonal depression while revitalizing struggling urban centers.
Cities should ideally bring people together to meet, collaborate, exchange goods and services, and live and work affordably and in harmony. Public holiday markets offer a microcosm of a functional, vibrant downtown with a healthy dose of good cheer. As malls, offices, and affordable third places continue their decline and people increasingly work, communicate, and play online, we're even more in need of dense, walkable, mixed-use urbanism to bring us together.
Tourists flock to temporary Christmas Markets that mirror an urbanism that’s a novelty in North America pic.twitter.com/Pg4BpOVzxY
— Hayden Clarkin (@the_transit_guy) December 17, 2023
Holiday markets, farmers' markets, makers' markets, and other fairs and festivals are also a boon to local economies. Much research has found that walkable, bikeable, and car-light places are better for business than car-dominated environments. People are likelier to stop and buy something in a friendly, inviting, and navigable place.
Small businesses and artisans use these markets to supercharge their busiest weeks of the year. The markets can act as an incubator, allowing sellers who don't yet have storefronts to test out their products, grow their customer base, and eventually scale their businesses.
Public markets, thanks mostly to a surge in new farmers' markets, are increasingly popular in the US. But holiday markets are still overlooked by many cities and towns, according to Ilana Preuss, the CEO of the consultancy Recast City and the author of "Recast Your City: How to Save Your Downtown with Small-Scale Manufacturing."
"In my experience working with dozens of smaller cities and counties across the nation, I have found that holiday markets and farmers' markets are not typically part of the local economic development strategy," Preuss wrote in Governing. "They are instead looked upon merely as fun occasions to brighten placemaking — one-off events not connected to local business development training, capital opportunities or retail space leasing."
But some elected officials know how beneficial holiday markets can be to local businesses and the health of their cities and towns. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan who's also running to represent her state in the US Senate, promoted downtown Detroit's holiday market on social media earlier this month.
Warming up with some hot cocoa at the holiday market in Downtown Detroit! pic.twitter.com/BdAdS5ez6u
— Elissa Slotkin (@ElissaSlotkin) December 15, 2023
Some cities, including in Slotkin's home state, have embraced permanent public markets beyond farmers' markets. Panova points out in her video that Muskegon, Michigan, and Berwyn, Illinois, have built year-round markets with simple structures resembling small cottages to house local businesses on vacant lots. The shopping districts are examples of how American downtowns can become more inviting and human-scale as they reinvent themselves in an age of remote work.