Our Holiday Market’s Hands-On Handmade Arcade experience brings the magic of making to life.
About Hands-On Handmade Arcade
Handmade Arcade’s annual Holiday Market comes alive through Hands-On Handmade Arcade (HOHA), a pop-up craft-lab environment featuring hands-on making, live artistic demonstrations, and interactive experiences hosted by community partners, artists, and creatives from around the region. Handmade Arcade seeks applications from artists and organizations with creative ideas to help our audiences embrace and explore their creativity.
Application Details
We’re seeking proposals for hands-on artistic experiences for the 2026 Holiday Market on December 4-6 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. Applications are accepted and decisions will be made on a rolling basis. We recommend applying as soon as possible. Applications submitted by September 1 will be prioritized.
Pictured: HOHA at the 2025 Holiday Market (Photo Credit: South Breeze Photography)
Hands-On Handmade Arcade Program Details
Accepted activities should:
Run from 11 AM – 5:30 PM on Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6 during the Holiday Market (half-day shifts are available, but full-day shifts are preferred)
Serve approximately 1500-2000 people per day
Take no more than 15 minutes to complete/experience
Be geared towards adults, children, or all audiences
Glass Blowing Demonstration
Pittsburgh Glass Center brings their mobile glass studio directly onto the Convention Center floor, giving Holiday Market shoppers a front row seat to live glass blowing demonstrations. Watch skilled artists transform molten glass into beautiful works of art and get an up-close look at the techniques used to create some of the glass pieces found throughout the market.
We’re seeking proposals for hands-on activities, live artistic demonstrations, or interactive creative experiences. Handmade Arcade has a limited budget to offer stipends covering supply costs and compensation for artists’ time. Handmade Arcade and applicants will work together to create a budget for the activity and will sign a contract confirming the agreed budget.
Hands-On Handmade Arcade Examples
Community Weaving Project
Troop 9109's Laurel Trading Post
Troop 9109's Laurel Trading Post invited Holiday Market shoppers to contribute to a large-scale collaborative weaving project. Participants added yarn, rope, and decorative elements to a shared structure, watching it grow throughout the weekend. By the end of the market, hundreds of individual contributions had come together to create a one-of-a-kind community artwork.
Typewriter Hands-On Activity
BatCat Press
BatCat Press runs Typewriter Revival, a hands-on activity where Holiday Market shoppers can create a note, poem, shopping list, or letter on a vintage typewriter. Participants get to explore analog communication and connect with a piece of history one keystroke at a time, all while taking home a fun and unique art project.