Get Your Craft On at These 9 Amazing Brooklyn Holiday Markets

Brooklyn lives up to its artisanal reputation in December, with holiday markets and craft fairs featuring handmade wares throughout the borough. There are so many that if you wanted to do a crafty crawl of Brooklyn holiday markets instead of a bar crawl, you could. (Drinks included.)

Here’s Brownstoner’s guide to some of the biggest and longest-running ones:

ARTsPLOSION
534 Livonia Avenue in East New York
Saturday, December 9, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Arts East New York is putting on their ninth annual holiday celebration featuring a tree lighting, performances from local artists, holiday market, arts and crafts activities, a town hall panel discussion and toy giveaways. Check out the event’s Facebook page for details on what will be happening when.

Bust Craftacular
Brooklyn Expo Center, 72 Noble Street in Greepoint
December 9 and 10, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
More than 150 vendors will participate in Bust Craftacular, New York’s longest-running annual juried fair and celebration of DIY culture. There will be food, DJs, cocktails, prizes and DIY activities “for all ages,” according to the writeup. The event has also expanded to include classes and talks on such topics as feminism and activism and a music festival featuring female-fronted bands. (Selected talks are free and $5 gets you into the music festival.) For more details, check the website.

Brooklyn Flea
Industry City, 241 37th Street in Sunset Park
Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Winter Flea and Holiday Market is at Industry City again this year. Expect homemade cards, food and giftables, as well as the great selection of vintage clothing, rugs and other home decor items available year round.

FAD Market
Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights
December 2 and 3, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Invisible Dog Center, 51 Bergen Street in Boerum Hill
December 9 and 10, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
City Point, 445 Albee Square West, Prince Street Corridor in Downtown Brooklyn
December 16 and 17, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
FAD Market — the name is an acronym for fashion, art and design — is a curated fair featuring clothing, jewelry, art, beauty and home dec. This year they have also added a new category: handmade edible gifts. The City Point venue is the biggest market, with more than 60 makers and Brooklyn Historical Society is the smallest, with more than 40.

Greenpointers Holiday Market
Greenpoint Loft, 67 West Street in Greenpoint
December 10, 1 to 7 p.m.
Now in its tenth year, Greenpointers Holiday Market is back with hot buttered rum and other libations, live jazz from The Big Cat Menagerie, free tarot readings (from none other than the highly insightful former Brownstoner reporter and current Brokelyn editor Hannah Frishberg!), and more than 60 vendors. You can also get a free digital avatar, henna tattoos, nail art and play around in the free photo booth.

The Holiday Handmade Cavalcade
Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights
December 16 and 17, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Ever want to check out local Etsy sellers’ wares in person? You’ll get your chance at the ninth annual Holiday Handmade Cavalcade. Put on by NY Handmade Collective, formerly the Etsy NY Street Team, the fair presents indie makers from the tri-state area. This is the event’s first year in Brooklyn, and the same group will also be putting on another, smaller market the same weekend at Small Business Saturday & Weekend Market at Brooklyn Art Library in Williamsburg on Saturday, December 16.

Renegade Craft Fair Brooklyn
Industry City, 274 36th Street, Factory Floor, in Sunset Park
December 2, 3, 9, 20, 16, 17, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Renegade Craft Fair will be at Industry City for three weeks in December with 150 makers from around the country. (Check out the list here.) There will also be drinks, food, photo ops and music.

Union Square Holiday Market’s Little Brooklyn
Union Square in Manhattan
November 16 to December 24, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays
The long-running and large (150-plus booths) Union Square Holiday Market has a Little Brooklyn section featuring creatives from the borough, including makers of celebrity stickers Annie Draws Stuff, jeweler Brooklyn Charm, and subway-grid-inspired graphic artists Line Posters.

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