Halifax Christmas Market 2026: Evergreen Festival & Glow

Nearly everything sold in the chalets here was made in Nova Scotia, from small-batch rum to sparkling wine and hand-poured candles. The Halifax Christmas Market sits at the heart of the Evergreen Festival, so an evening here also means fire pits and a free festival train. Bring a proper scarf, because the wind off the harbour is part of the experience.

Halifax Christmas Market 2026

Evergreen Festival

Status: Confirmed
Evergreen Festival dates: 27th November to 20th December 2026
Last checked: October 2026

Update: Dates were announced in July. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified of changes.

Source: Verified via Discover Halifax.

Location and Times

Location: Halifax Waterfront
Opening times:
Monday to Wednesday: Closed
Thursday to Friday: 4pm to 9pm
Saturday: 11am to 9pm
Sunday: 11am to 7pm
Christmas Day: Closed

Travel and Accommodation

Recommended tour: The popular Citadel and Peggy’s Cove tour.
Public transport: Buses are available.
Parking: Please take public transport to help limit congestion. There is barrier-free parking on the waterfront area.
Where to stay: The Muir is a highly-rated and only short walk to the event.

Amenities and Attractions

Admission: Free.
Evergreen Bright: Lights walking trail from the waterfront to downtown.
Evergreen Stage: Live music from the Halifax Jazz Festival.
Cocoa Trail: Hot chocolate, tea, and egg nog.
Winter Sports Zone: Ball hockey, archery, and curling.
Mascot: Spruce the Gonk.

Dietary Options

Vegetarian: Yes, plenty of options.
Vegan: Yes, plenty of options, including Korean food.
Gluten-free: Limited. Ask individual vendors, but beware of cross-contamination.
Food specialities: Maple, gingerbread, and Mexican hot chocolate. Small batch spirits. Dipped cheesecake, and maple taffy.

Accessibility

Accessible: Yes.
Pet-friendly: Not recommended.

Convenient Hotels

When visiting, I suggest staying at the Muir Hotel on the Halifax Waterfront. It’s part of Queen’s Marque, which puts on its own festive menus and art installations during Evergreen, and the chalets are a short walk away. Glow Halifax is a bus ride out.

Read our Canadian Christmas Markets guide for more ideas on where to go this winter.

Visitor Feedback

What Visitors Loved

• People remember the fire pits, with families warming their hands between the chalets on clear, frosty nights.
• Locals who come back every year say there’s always a new Nova Scotian maker to discover, which keeps the market from feeling repetitive.
• The lights after dark win plenty of fans, especially the tunnel of lights and the Christmas tree built from red bicycles outside The Bicycle Thief restaurant.
• Glow Halifax gets praise for its photo-ready light displays and for keeping young children busy for a couple of hours.

Common Complaints

• The weather makes or breaks a visit. The wind off the harbour feels far colder than the thermometer suggests, and wet weekends have thinned the crowds in some years, so bring a windproof layer.
• Some Glow reviewers feel the tickets are expensive for what’s included, and older teens and adults find less to do than younger kids.
• Glow gets crowded at peak times, with queues building at the top of each hour as entry windows open. Weekdays in November are noticeably calmer.

Festival Location

Glow Halifax

Glow is the indoor alternative, with a new theme each year (this season it’s an Enchanted Forest of glowing mushroom houses and creatures). Alongside the light displays, Glowville offers inflatables and an arcade, a roller park and a winter market with around 15 stalls. It’s aimed squarely at families with younger children.

Dates and Information

Status: Confirmed
Glow dates: 19th November 2026 to 2nd January 2027
Location: Halifax Exhibition Centre
Opening times: 11am to 8pm
Christmas Day: Closed

Admission: Tickets must be purchased in advance.
Tickets: Available online from October.
Santa: Until 23rd December
Glowville: Kids Fun Zone and arcade games.
Entertainment: House band and singing Ice Princess.
Food specialities: Cheesecake, Nova Momo dumplings, specialty coffee and a licensed bar.

Additional Events

Christmas at the Forum

With over 45 years of history and more than 300 Atlantic makers, Christmas at the Forum is Eastern Canada’s most popular and longest-running craft show. Entry is by timed ticket, so you book a shopping window rather than just turning up.

Status: Confirmed
Christmas at the Forum dates: 5th to 8th November 2026.
Location: The Halifax Forum, 2901 Windsor Street.
Opening times:
5th to 7th November: 9am to 8:45pm.
8th November: 9am to 5:45pm.

Admission: From $5.
Tickets: Buy online in advance.

Nova Scotia Art & Craft Show

A smaller, curated show of around 60 Nova Scotian makers, and only handcrafted work made in the province gets a booth. Expanded booth spaces and wider aisles keep it relaxed, and both parking and admission are free.

Status: Confirmed
Art & Craft Show dates: 6th and 7th November 2026.
Location: Cedar Event Centre, 111 Clayton Park Drive.
Opening times:
Friday and Saturday: 10am to 5pm.
Admission: Free.
Full details available here.

What to Expect

Evergreen isn’t a single market so much as four weeks of things happening along the waterfront. The chalets are the anchor, but most people drift between the fire pits, the beer garden, the Winter Sports Zone and the lights that run from the boardwalk up into downtown. The Evergreen Express, a free little train, shuttles between its North Pole and South Pole stations and stops at the market on every trip.

Look out for Spruce, the festival’s gonk mascot (a round, bearded Scandinavian gnome), and the East Coast carolling on Sunday afternoons. When the wind gets up off the harbour, the Cocoa Trail is your excuse to duck into cafés around the city, collecting stamps in a passport for limited-edition hot chocolates.

Away from the water, the Halifax Public Gardens are strung with lights through the holidays, and the Hydrostone, the north-end neighbourhood rebuilt after the Halifax Explosion of 1917, hosts its own seasonal events. If the weather turns properly nasty, Glow Halifax is the indoor option.

At the Food Stalls

• Maple taffy on snow: Hot maple syrup poured onto snow and rolled up on a stick, from Pop Up Cinema Snacks, who also do cheesecake on a stick and waffle sticks.
• BeaverTails: The hand-stretched Canadian pastry, fried to order and eaten hot.
• Poutine: Fries, cheese curds and gravy from Smoke’s Poutinerie, bringing the Quebec classic to Halifax.
• African Nova Scotian comfort food: Freedom Culinary Culture cooks dishes rooted in the province’s Black communities, with a small makers’ corner alongside.
• Korean street food: MASITA’s waterfront kitchen, with vegan options.
• Chilaquiles and soups: Salt + Sol’s Latin American menu, beefed up for winter.
• Hot chocolate: Chocolate Wish serves it with brownies and chocolate-dipped strawberries, and Dina’s Treats does a Belgian version.
• Hot apple cider: Santa’s Sea Shanty serves it alongside a non-alcoholic mulled wine and homemade candy canes.
• Salt water taffy: High Seas Taffy makes a holiday mix just for Evergreen.

What to Buy

• Pewter: Amos Pewter has been hand-crafting ornaments, jewellery and tableware in Nova Scotia since 1974.
• Mi’kmaq crafts: Sipekne’katik Treaty Truckhouse sells handmade work by Mi’kmaq artisans, the First Nation whose homeland includes all of Nova Scotia.
• Nova Scotian spirits: Rum, gin and ready-to-drink cocktails from Ironworks Distillery in Lunenburg, Barrelling Tide and Nova Scotia Spirit Co.
• Sparkling wine: Benjamin Bridge’s award-winning traditional-method sparkling from the Gaspereau Valley.
• Mead and cider: Small-batch bottles from Eventide Mead & Cider, all gluten-free.
• Soy candles: Ellington & Co and Alben Lane Candle Co hand-pour locally, with Ellington’s featuring crackling wooden wicks.
• Silver jewellery: Handmade sterling silver rings, earrings and pendants from Shoreline Design.
• East Coast apparel: Toques (beanies), hoodies and mittens from East Coast Lifestyle.
• Sea turtle gifts: The Canadian Sea Turtle Network’s stall funds its work with the leatherbacks that feed off Nova Scotia each summer.
• Dog treats: Allergy-friendly homemade treats from Bailey’s Barkery.

Sustainability Tips

• Made in the province: Build Nova Scotia picks the chalet vendors from the province’s own artists, crafters and producers, so most of what you buy hasn’t travelled far.
• Take the Alderney ferry: From Downtown Dartmouth, the Halifax Transit ferry crosses the harbour every 30 minutes on weekends and lands a short walk from the chalets.
• Visit the Seaport Farmers’ Market: At the south end of the waterfront, North America’s oldest continually operating farmers’ market opens on Saturday and Sunday mornings, with Nova Scotian produce, cheese and crafts under one roof.