Life is crazy busy right now. I feel so completely overwhelmed and frustrated that I didn’t start preparing for my financial year end and the holidays in November!
When I woke up this Sunday I was determined I would get into the Christmas spirit. The kids and I went to church, enjoyed a Christmas Pageant and then went for a fun (but very muddy) hike. I have always wanted to see the Distillery Christmas Market in Toronto. I have seen beautiful instagram shots posted and loved the idea of being outside surrounded by lights and cobble stone streets. Of course I waited until the last day of the market to actually visit.
I convinced my husband that we should go and that if we went around dinner time the strollers would likely be gone so how crowded could it be? After finally finding Parking ($15) we walked up to the gates and were about to walk in when we were told that the line (which I saw and thought was for a concert) was over there (pointing way down the street). A five minute walk later and we were in line. It took 20 minutes to wait (with our two kids in tow). I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t take that long to get in but admit I was expecting this to be like a rock concert. It would have been nice to have performers working the line to keep us in good spirits.
I really enjoyed walking around and taking some photos. There were carolers and holiday music playing, along with live music on a stage which was really nice. My husband, kids and I got corned beef sandwiches and poutine. Strolling was fun but again very packed. I would definitely go back but probably not with my kids or husband – as they weren’t in love with the experience but at least were good sports for me. My five year old loved the massive lit Christmas Tree so it was worth the family memory for that alone.
Important FYI’s:
- Street parking is near impossible – go find the huge lot – $15.00 for the day. When leaving, give your parking ticket to the next person as a way of paying it forward 🙂 – that’s what we did
- Be prepared to be packed in – daytime or evening – this is a popular marketing
- Lines for food are deep – don’t come starving
- Saturdays are extremely busy at the Christmas Market
- We advise you to go early on Saturday mornings or another day of the week to avoid large crowds and to allow the Christmas Market to create a magical ?experience for you.
The Distillery Historic District is Open 7 Days a Week.
Visit www.thedistillerydistrict.com for more details.
Hospitality Lounges
Tuesday to Friday……………………….5pm to Close
Saturday and Sunday…………………12noon to Close
Reviews:
“One of the World’s 10 Best Holiday Markets.
– Fodor’s Travel
“One of the Top 10 Christmas Markets.”
– Jetlegs
“GOLD Award for the best event.”
– ICSC Awards
“It’s the most wonderful Market of the year.”
– USA Today’s 10best.com
“One of the Top 10 Christmas Markets to get
you into the holiday spirit.”
– Mashable
What is a Christmas Market?
A Christmas market is a street market which celebrates the traditional sights, sounds and scents of Christmas and is staged during the weeks leading up to Christmas. These markets originated in Germany, beginning in the early 1400’s, and are now being held in countries all over the world.
“Curious about the Upside Down Christmas Trees?
Glad you went Leigh! It's been on my to-do list since forever.
Good to know about how crowded it gets. I used to live in Munich and it was a magical time, going from gluhwein stand to gluhwein stand to stay warm. Too bad it doesn't go on longer.
Merry Christmas to you and yours! Best wishes for a fabulous 2015!
It was super busy Patti but I had a lot of fun!