2026 Holiday Market Maker Portal
Scroll to review the contents of the portal or use the buttons below for quickly reference specific information.
Load-In Instructions & Booth Maps
Detailed load-in & load-out instructions as well as the booth map for the Holiday Market will be made available in November.
Maker FAQs
Load-In Questions
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No. This load-in time is for everyone, even if you want to unload by parking and transporting your items through the main Convention Center entrance. While you may be able to arrive a little after 2 PM for load-in and still have time for set-up, we recommend being on-site by 2 PM at the latest. You will still be assigned a load-in time between 10 AM and 2 PM regardless of if you plan to load-in via the loading dock.
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You are more than welcome to park and use your own cart to load in from the front doors of the Convention Center. Elevators are available for use.
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Almost everyone will be able to drive in, so this isn’t something you should worry too much about. The only reason why you wouldn’t be able to drive in is if traffic on the floor gets too backed up. If that is the case, the Convention Center teamsters will help you unload and take things to your booth, and they move FAST.
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No. Please contact us ASAP at makers@handmadearcade.org so we can help you with this. Sometime in late October/early November, all makers will receive a list to approve that we have the correct table and chair needs reflected to send to the Convention Center. After that list is circulated and confirmed, you might be able to add things the day of load-in, but we can’t make any guarantees at that time as it depends on what the Convention Center team has available.
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Yes, every booth has the ability to have electricity. Electricity can be purchased directly through the Convention Center using this link.
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The Convention Center is a green building that uses a lot of natural lighting. Unfortunately, this means that some parts of the hall will be darker than others, and the lighting is out of our control as organizers. We recommend bringing your own booth lighting in case you are located in a darker area of the hall.
Please note that the Convention Center has recently upgraded the lighting in Halls B and C. While lighting conditions may still vary depending on your location and the time of day, the halls should appear brighter overall than they did during the 2025 Holiday Market.
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No, pipe-and-drape is not provided. Most makers bring their own backdrops, pipe-and-drape, shelving, etc. to separate their booths from their neighbor’s booth. Click here to see examples of past maker booths & displays.
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Yes. As long as it fits in your booth space, tents and canopies are welcome.
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No. As long as your signage fits in your space, there are no height restrictions. Height is great for attracting attention from shoppers.
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Yes, unless you’re in an Expanded Booth, your booth will be back-to-back with other makers. We will work with the Convention Center team to try to leave a small bit of space between the back of each row for more ease of movement, but it depends on what is possible within the space, fire codes, etc. as we work with the Convention Center on the final layout.
2026 Full Event Schedule
Friday, December 4
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Makers will be assigned a 30-minute arrival window between 10 AM - 2 PM for load-in arrival. Assigned load-in times will be provided in November.
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This will be an upbeat shopping session that serves as a fundraising opportunity for Handmade Arcade. There will be special food and drink options for sale as well as special entertainment.
Saturday, December 5
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Makers must return to the Convention Center by 8:30 AM at the latest.
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This will be an upbeat, fast-paced shopping session that serves as a fundraising opportunity for Handmade Arcade. It will be filled with fans of Handmade Arcade who come ready to shop quickly before the rest of the crowds come in.
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This is the window for general shopping. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, and free tickets are available for those who need them. We stagger the shopper arrival times throughout the day in an effort to spread out the crowds and reduce parking and traffic around the Convention Center.
Sunday, December 6
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Makers must return to the Convention Center by 9:30 AM at the latest.
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This will be a more quiet shopping session with no music playing. I
This shopping time will be for pay-what-you-can ticketing with limited attendees to allow for a more quiet shopping experience.
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This is the window for general shopping. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, and free tickets are available for those who need them. We stagger the shopper arrival times throughout the day in an effort to spread out the crowds and reduce parking and traffic around the Convention Center.
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Makers must keep their products up at their booths until 6:00 PM. Detailed load-out instructions will be provided closer to the market. This year, we will have an extra 30 minutes for finish load-out (we know many makers have been requesting this!).
Important Links
Handmade Arcade Maker Handbook
Includes the following information:
Inventory Planning & Pricing
Booth Display Ideas
Market Tips & Tricks
List of Items to Bring (PDF Page 8)
Event Accessibility Information
Includes information about accessibility at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Convention Center WIFI
There is no free internet at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
You can sign up for WIFI once you are in the DLCC halls by opening your web browser.
There will be daily WIFI rates (likely discounted) provided by the DLCC closer to the event.
Most makers use data plans on their phones for WIFI to take credit card sales.
Makers can also borrow free WIFI hotspots from local libraries.
Hotel Accommodations & Parking
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We have secured the following discounted hotel rates for makers from Thursday, December 3 - Monday, December 7. Review the rates below and use the booking link to get the discounted rate. Please pay close attention to the booking cut-off date to ensure you can get the discounted rates. Some nights may book quickly, so we recommend booking early.
Rate: $189 per night
Location: 1000 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Distance from the Convention Center: 0.1 miles/5-minute walk (mostly flat)
Booking Cut-Off Date: November 12th
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Parking recommendations near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center:
Grant Street Transportation Center Rates & Info (two blocks/six-minute walk)
Smithfield & Liberty Garage Rates & Info (four blocks/eight-minute walk)
Convention Center Parking Garage Rates & Info (Space is limited at this garage, so we try to reserve these spaces for attendees. Please feel free to use this garage if you have accessibility needs.)
Use the ParkPGH website or app for real-time parking availability & info.
Booth and Table Sizes
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8 ft x 8 ft
For new and emerging makers
There is a lottery for limited Craft Corridor Corner Booths
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10 ft x 10 ft
There is a lottery for limited Standard Booth Corner Booths
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20 ft x 20 ft
Available to Standard Booth makers who opt in for the Expanded Booth Lottery
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10 ft x 10 ft
Includes one table and one chair
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10 ft x 10 ft
Includes one table and one chair
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10 ft x 10 ft
Includes one table and one chair
Tables & Chairs
All rented tables are 8' x 24". All rented chairs are standard folding chairs.
Event Ticket Links
Event ticket links will be posted here when tickets go live on October 7, 2026.
Maker Meeting Zoom Recordings
While attendance at these meetings is encouraged, recordings of each session will be posted here the following day for makers who are unable to attend live.
September 3: Accepted Maker Meeting (6:30 - 8:00 PM)
October 20: Preparing for Holiday Market Success (6:30 - 8:00 PM)
Raffle Donation Instructions
At each Handmade Arcade market, we rely on maker-donated products for our raffle, which serves as a fundraiser for Handmade Arcade. We are a nonprofit with a small team, so if you're able to donate an item, we REALLY appreciate it.
What to Donate: For the Holiday Market, we will be raffling a mix of individual items and groups of items for baskets. We are grateful for every donation and are especially encouraging feature-worthy items that really showcase your work.
How to Donate to the Raffle: Complete this short but very important form about your planned raffle donation by Friday, November 27.. This helps us send acknowledgement letters for your tax-deductible raffle donations and promote both your products and our raffle leading up to the market. This year, to build excitement and showcase your work, we’ll be highlighting individual raffle items and makers in advance on social media, email newsletters, and website, so early submissions are especially appreciated
Please bring your raffle donation with you to the Holiday Market on Friday, December 4, and we will collect items from you during load-in.
Social Media Toolkit
A social media toolkit containing graphics, sample copy, social media stories and posts, and other promotional materials will be posted here in advance of the October 7 ticket launch.
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