2026 Holiday Market Applications
About the Holiday Market
This year’s Holiday Market is scheduled for December 4-6, 2026 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. Handmade Arcade’s Holiday Market is Pittsburgh’s premier handmade holiday shopping event, highly-anticipated by both shoppers and makers. The Holiday Market features 275+ makers and welcomes more than 10,000 highly-motivated shoppers each year. Vendors and shoppers come from all over Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and beyond.
Application Details
Application Deadline: June 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM (EST)
Application Fee: $25
Applicant Notifications: Early August
Booth Fee Due: August 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM (EST)
Makers Pictured: Fío Avocado and Mary Mack Prints (Photo Credit: South Breeze Photography)
Want more information about the Holiday Market from your fellow makers?
In order to be transparent (one of HA’s core values!), we’re sharing the 2025 Holiday Market Shopper & Maker Survey Report. View shopper & maker demographics, sales data by demographics and artistic categories, maker feedback, and much more.
Event Details
All accepted makers are required to:
Participate in Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. No exceptions.
Provide their own tables & chairs OR pay Handmade Arcade $30 per table and $8 per chair to rent these items from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Provide crafters liability insurance, such as ACT Insurance.
Adhere to our Maker Terms & Conditions.
Event Schedule:
Friday, December 4, 2026:
10 AM - 4 PM: Maker Load-In & Booth Set-Up
5 - 8 PM: Preview Party Shopping Event
Saturday, December 5, 2026:
9 - 11 AM: Early Bird Shopping
11 AM - 6 PM: General Shopping
Sunday, December 6, 2026:
10 AM - 6 PM: General Shopping
6 - 8 PM: Maker Load-Out
Booth Fee Increase for 2026
Booth fees for the 2026 Holiday Market have been updated to reflect our expansion to a three-day market. Keeping costs low for makers and being transparent in our decision-making are core to our mission and values, and we're equally committed to the financial sustainability that allows us to keep creating meaningful opportunities for makers.
After the 2024 Holiday Market, we surveyed makers about a three-day format requiring a 65% booth fee increase: 38% said they'd still participate, 37% were unsure, and 18% said no. Based on those results, we held off expanding until we could do so without increasing booth fees that significantly. We're now able to do that for our 2026 Holiday Market.
Rather than raising all booths by a flat rate, we've adjusted pricing by booth type to support equity and accessibility while covering the added costs of a three-day event. Our updated fees are also benchmarked against comparable regional and national markets, including Three Rivers Arts Festival, Porter Flea, Renegade Craft, and Richmond's Bizarre Bazaar.
2025 → 2026 Booth Pricing:
8x8 Craft Corridor: $175 → $200 (14% increase)
10x10 Standard: $365 → $450 (23% increase)
20x10 Expanded: $725 → $950 (31% increase)
Maker Pictured: Catherine Trendz (Photo Credit: Kitoko Chargois)
Pictured: Shoppers at the 2025 Holiday Market (Photo Credit: South Breeze Photography)
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$200
8 ft x 8 ft space
Reserved for new & emerging makers who have not participated in a previous Handmade Arcade Holiday Market
If you are a seasoned maker who is simply new to Handmade Arcade, you should apply for the Standard Booth. Preference will be given to emerging makers for the Craft Corridor Booth spaces.
Craft Corridor Booths are limited. To give yourself the best shot at being accepted into the market, we recommend selecting both the Craft Corridor Booth AND the Standard Booth on your Holiday Market Application if you are willing to pay a Standard Booth fee.
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$450
10 ft x 10 ft
Available to both new and established makers, though new & emerging makers are encouraged to also apply for a Craft Corridor Booth if appropriate for their business.
If you are a maker with a brick-and-mortar store, you are strongly encouraged to become a Small Business Sponsor if your annual budget allows. Preference for Standard Booths may be given to makers with fewer opportunities to interact with in-person shoppers.
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$950
10 ft x 20 ft
Expanded Booths are not guaranteed, and makers cannot select “Expanded Booth” on the application.
There will be a random lottery for Standard Booth makers who request to upgrade to an Expanded Booth.
To be entered into the Expanded Booth lottery, accepted makers must select "I would like to be entered into the Expanded Booth Lottery" on the Eventeny Application. If selected for the Expanded Booth lottery, makers will be asked if they would like to accept the upgrade before being charged on Eventeny.
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Electricity can be purchased directly through the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Instructions will be provided to makers who are juried into the market. As of May 2026, the cost for standard electrical service is $160.17.
Please note that this rate is set by the Convention Center and is subject to change.
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Corner Booths are available for an additional cost. There will be a random lottery for makers interested in upgrading to a Corner Booth.
Makers in Corner Booths at our 2025 Holiday Market reported an average of $1,200+ more in sales compared to makers in in-line booths.
Corner booth upgrade fees are as follows:
Craft Corridor Corner Booths: $75 fee
Standard Corner Booth: $125 fee
Those who want to be entered into the lottery will need to select "Corner Booth Upgrade Request" on the Eventeny application and be asked to confirm their upgrade before being charged on Eventeny.
Booth Types & Fees
Before you apply, please read these FAQs!
Application Support
We strongly encourage applicants to attend our virtual Application Info Session to better understand this year's application rubric. You can also receive personalized support by attending a drop-in Office Hour session hosted by the Handmade Arcade Team.
May 14 (6:30 - 8 PM): Application Info Session
Click here to watch the Application Info Session.
Click here to view the slides.
May 19 (12 PM - 2 PM): Remote Office Hours
June 18 (4 - 6 PM): Remote Office Hours
All Info Sessions and Remote Office Hours can be accessed via this Zoom link. Feel free to reach out to makers@handmadearcade.org if you have questions that aren’t answered in our Maker FAQs or at the Application Info Session.
Makers Pictured: Little Lau Studio (left) and Layhew Glass Art (Photo Credit: South Breeze Photography)