Old Town Fairfax Has Two Holiday Markets This December, and Both Are Open on the Same Sunday

Old Town Fairfax runs two holiday markets in December, and different groups organize them. The City of Fairfax puts on its 10th Annual Holiday Market at Old Town Square over the first two weekends of the month. A few Main Street boutiques started the Fairfax Main St. Market, which sets up on the sidewalks once a month.

Last year the boutique market ran every Sunday after Thanksgiving, with the final one on December 21. This year it is back to once a month, and its only December date is Sunday, December 6. That is also the closing day of the City market's first weekend. For four hours that afternoon, both markets are open in the same few blocks, and the night before, the City lights the tree.

Two Markets With Different Organizers

The City's Holiday Market is set up at Old Town Square, 10415 North Street. Each weekend it hosts "30+ local artisans and vendors," and the vendor lineup changes between the first and second weekend. The City describes it as handcrafted gifts with live holiday entertainment. Its event page has booth slots set up for the first weekend, but the vendor names had not been filled in as of this writing.

The Fairfax Main St. Market runs the first Sunday of each month, April through December, from noon to 4 p.m. Vendors set up along the Main Street sidewalks between Chain Bridge Road and University Drive, selling vintage finds, handmade goods, jewelry, accessories, and home goods. The Old Town Fairfax Business Association's listing gives the market's address as 10417 Main Street. That is also the address of Mode on Main by Mara, one of the three boutiques that started the market, along with Lucy Loves and Perfect Mistakes.

The City's market sits in a public square and the vendors come to it. The Main St. Market spreads along the storefronts, so the shops behind the tables are open at the same time.

Why the Shop-Run Market Matters to Main Street

The Main St. Market grew out of a lean holiday season. In December 2025, FFXnow reported that Mode on Main had processed 611 orders since November 1. The boutique said it needed 1,000 to keep its Main Street doors open into 2026. That season the boutiques ran the market every Sunday after Thanksgiving. The Old Town Fairfax Business Association helped fund the marketing, and the shops organized the event themselves.

In that same FFXnow piece, boutique director Danielle Wade said the effect reached past the vendor tables:

"We've heard from nearby restaurants and businesses that they are also seeing more foot traffic and sales on the market days. It truly benefits the whole entire downtown area."

The 2026 schedule has fewer of those days. The market's own site lists four remaining 2026 dates: September 6, October 4, November 1, and December 6. After the November 1 market, December 6 is the only Main St. Market left this year. It is also the only December day when the shop-run market and the City market are open at the same time.

The First Weekend of December, Hour by Hour

On the first weekend of December, the City market, the tree lighting, and the Main St. Market fall on three days in a row. Here is how the published hours line up.

Saturday is the busiest day in the square. The Festival of Lights and Carols runs the same hours as the market, with live holiday music, free s'mores, warm cider, and children's crafts. The tree lighting comes at 5:30 p.m., half an hour before the market closes. The City says the performance schedule will be posted in November.

Sunday is the day both markets are open. From noon to 4 p.m., vendors are set up in the square and along the Main Street sidewalks at the same time. The City market stays open one hour longer, until 5 p.m.

One Way to Spend Sunday, December 6

The two markets close at different times, so the order matters.

1. Start on Main Street at noon. The Main St. Market closes at 4 p.m., so do it first. The market's organizers suggest browsing the vendor tables, stopping into the Old Town boutiques, and getting lunch downtown.
2. Visit the founding shops. Mode on Main by Mara is at 10417 Main Street. Perfect Mistakes describes itself as an art gallery, boutique, and atelier on the second floor of 10412 Main Street.
3. Move to Old Town Square in the afternoon. The City market at 10415 North Street is open until 5 p.m., so there is still time for the City's vendors after the sidewalk tables are packed up.

If you go Saturday instead, you get the tree lighting and Santa photos but not the Main Street sidewalk vendors. If you want both markets in one trip, come Sunday.

The Second Weekend Has a New Lineup and a Stop at Blenheim

The City market returns Friday, December 11, from 5 to 8 p.m., Saturday, December 12, from noon to 6 p.m., and Sunday, December 13, from noon to 5 p.m. The vendors rotate between weekends, so the second weekend is not a repeat of the first. The Main St. Market does not set up on the second weekend.

The second Saturday adds another free event. A Historic Holiday at Blenheim runs Saturday, December 12, from noon to 3 p.m., with cookies, crafts, and traditional games. The Blenheim event ends at 3 and the market stays open until 6, so a family can do both on the same afternoon.

The City's market page also carries an older block headed "Dec. 12-14" and performer details from 2025. The dates and hours at the top of the page are the current ones.

Two November Dates Before the Markets Start

Two events come before the December markets, and one of them is on Main Street.

• Perfect Mistakes Grand Opening, Saturday, November 14, 5 to 7 p.m., 10412 Main St. The event listing promises food, drinks, crafts, and shopping. The evening also marks artist Cheryl Neway's 30 years of work. Perfect Mistakes was one of the three boutiques that started the Main St. Market, so this is a chance to see the shop before the December 6 market.
• 40th Annual Holiday Craft Show, November 21 and 22, Fairfax High School, 3501 Lion Run. The Holiday Craft Show runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is held at the high school, two weeks before the downtown markets begin.

On the calendar, the season runs from a shop opening on November 14, to the 40-year-old craft show the following weekend, to the 10th-year market at Old Town Square in December, with the shop-run sidewalk market joining it for one afternoon on December 6.

Getting Downtown

The Old Town Fairfax Business Association says Old Town has "plenty of free parking," including two free garages and free city lots. Its parking map shows where they are. If you would rather not park on tree-lighting Saturday, the City's CUE bus is fare-free, stops in Old Town, runs on weekends, and connects to the Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Metrorail station.

At Jennifer Hernandez VA, we hope you'll spend some time in Old Town Square and on Main Street this December, and Sunday, December 6 is the easiest day to see both markets. If you have questions about Fairfax, from where to park on market weekend to anything else about life in the City, Let's Connect.