reviewvancouver: West Coast Christmas Show & Marketplace

I always like to visit the West Coast Christmas Show & Marketplace to get in the Christmas spirit, and this year was no exception. Wandering around and visiting various booths for reasonably-priced gift ideas is always a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. There was a large section of affordable poinsettias and floral décor items. The Dairy Farmers of Canada presented their popular cheese seminar several times a day, and visitors were also encouraged to explore the Festival of Trees and vote for their favourite.

There were several enjoyable new additions this year: a Christmas train for the kids to ride, and a large model train set. Unfortunately there were no performers during my visit, but if you check the schedule you can time your visit to coincide with your favorite choir or a visit from Santa. There were numerous presentations at the Home for the Holidays mainstage on festive entertaining, creative craft ideas and cooking demonstrations. This is one of the rare Tradex events that offer free parking, which was a great bonus. The Vancouver Trolley Company was also running a complimentary shuttle to get to your parking space.