A new Christmas market officially kicked off in North Vancouver late last week, with thousands of people already taking in the holiday spirit.
The Shipyards Christmas Market opened Friday, Nov. 29, and John van Rij, founder of Parfait Productions Inc., is happy to see it busy.
“We were nervous, we opened at 4 o’clock [Friday] and … we weren’t sure if people were interested and if they received the marketing we had,” van Rij said. His questions were soon answered. “The interest over the last weekend was enormous.”
A tree lighting celebration held on Saturday with City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan helped boost attendance, van Rij said.
More than 90 vendors are participating in the European-inspired festival, van Rij said, ranging from a cranberry farm and bakery shops to pet food. Businesses are rotating through every three to four days.
There are also food trucks for people to check out, such as malt wine and apple cider, maple syrup from Squamish, and hot chocolate vendors. A German grill has been a big hit so far, he said.
Aside from the market, there is also entertainment, including a stage for choirs and dance troupes, as well as an area for smaller groups and busker-style performances. People can also take photos with the famed Santa and Mrs. Claus.
The free market was created basically out of frustration, van Rij said, due to high costs in entertainment generally and not many holiday markets in the Lower Mainland.
“If you want to go to a hockey game, another Christmas market, a concert – you’re paying a lot of money and for a lot of people, that’s not affordable anymore,” he said. “So we wanted to come up with a market that was free.... We wanted to make sure that it was accessible for everybody, it was inclusive.”
The market depends on sponsorships, van Rij said, adding that he hopes to see it run for the next 10 years.
The Shipyards Christmas Market is open daily until Dec. 24. Van Rij said people can sign up for a newsletter that will send them a schedule of performances and Santa Claus photos at 6 a.m. daily.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative. [email protected]
