Los Angeles Christmas markets, handmade gifts and downtown skating

Dates, addresses and admission

The Things Between Holiday Market takes place from 4 to 6 December 2026, 10 am to 4 pm, on Dock Street at ROW DTLA, 767 S Alameda Street in Downtown Los Angeles. At Craft Contemporary, 5814 Wilshire Boulevard, the Makers Market opens with a preview on 4 December from 6 to 9 pm. The daytime market runs 5 and 6 December from 11 am to 5 pm. Preview admission is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. The market is included in Saturday’s $12 museum admission, while Sunday is pay what you wish. The Pershing Square ice rink, 532 S Olive Street, opens daily from 12 November to 3 January 2027. A session costs $23.32 including skate rental.

Downtown in the morning

The Dock Street stop begins among shops and stands selling gifts curated by Things Between and its guest brands. This market lasts three days. If the first weekend in December is your only chance to go, work around the 4 pm closing time before you book anything else. Two hours is enough to browse, choose something and take a break, provided you have allowed for the journey Downtown. If you are driving, use 777 S Alameda Street for the car park, which has a different street number from the market.

Stop by the Holiday Outpost on Friday 4 or Saturday 5 to personalise a gift. Along with wrapping and handmade cards, you can find embroidery, engraving and painted monograms. If you have a name or initials in mind, make this your first stop and ask about collection before you commit to going across town. On Sunday the market is open for browsing and ready-to-buy gifts. If your luggage is already full, a personal card can take up less room than a box while still bringing a little of the trip home with it.

The Makers Market on the Miracle Mile

At Craft Contemporary you can meet the people who made what you are buying. The vendor list includes local ceramicists, designers, artists and other makers. Take a little time to notice surfaces and colours that look much the same on a screen. If you are looking for a mug, see how it sits in your hand. If you find a piece of fabric, imagine where it will go at home. Questions about washing, wearing and packing are worth asking while the person who made the piece is standing in front of you.

The market is in the museum courtyard facing Wilshire Boulevard. In wet weather the vendors move into the galleries and workshop spaces. On Saturday and Sunday, there is a free drop-in workshop from 2 to 4 pm making three-dimensional paper snowflakes. If you are bringing children, build a little time in between shopping and the workshop to give everyone a break. For an evening visit, the Friday preview comes with music and refreshments and needs its own ticket. Saturday and Sunday use the museum’s daytime admission arrangements.

An hour on the ice at Pershing Square

The Downtown rink runs 60-minute sessions starting every hour and a half. Regular weekday hours are 3 to 10 pm, with weekends from noon to 10 pm. During 21 to 29 November and 21 December to 3 January, the rink opens from noon to 10 pm. Check the session availability before you go, and look at the calendar if you would like to choose an evening with a particular kind of music. Skate hire is part of standard admission. Gloves are $5, lockers $5.30 and skate helpers $6.30.

Leave time to change and put away whatever you bought at the market if this is your last stop. Friends who are coming along to watch can pick a meeting spot off the ice. An hour is plenty for children learning to skate, especially if they have already been out all afternoon. Pick a time when they will still have enough energy for a few turns, and bring an extra layer for anyone who will be standing still. People who would rather keep their shoes on can join the group for a meal or a walk after the session.

Two ways to spend the first weekend of December

On Saturday, start on Dock Street at 10 am and go to Craft Contemporary in the afternoon. Check the travel time from Alameda to Wilshire on the day. The two venues are in different neighbourhoods. If you want to join the 2 pm workshop, make it the fixed point of the afternoon and give yourself a buffer around it. If the ice rink is the bigger draw, keep Dock Street and Pershing Square together and give the museum its own outing on Sunday. Staying in one part of town for longer leaves time to browse and reduces the number of journeys.

For one evening, go to the Friday preview with a ticket or book a skating session on the date that suits you. For a morning visit, Dock Street opens first, while the Saturday and Sunday market on Wilshire starts at 11. By mid-December both markets in this itinerary have finished, but the rink is still part of the season. If you are visiting later in the month, use that distinction when you put the stops in your calendar. A later rink booking does not extend the dates of the stalls.

A bag, a gift and a way back

If you buy several things, keep them in a bag that closes and leave delicate items for the last stop, when you can take them straight to wherever you are staying. With a group, agree where to meet if someone wants to talk to a maker while the others walk on. Save street numbers in your phone, including a different parking address if you need it. A venue name can send you to the wrong side of a block. Give yourself half an hour at the end to sit down with a coffee, or to go back for the gift you are still thinking about.

When planning the trip, save the directions for the entrance as well as the car park if you are driving. If you are using public transport, allow for the walk at both ends and check your return after the last session. A little room in the schedule lets you stop for anything you discover along the way.