"Following record attendance in 2025, we are excited to expand the market to four weekends this year, marking a new chapter in its history." That is how Linda Southern–Heathcott, President and CEO of Spruce Meadows, put it in the Spruce Meadows announcement published October 13, 2026.
The market has been a Calgary Christmas tradition since 2001, and 2026 is the first year it runs four weekends. In most years the changes were small enough to miss. This year they aren't. The extra weekend, the adults-only Friday evenings and the new pavilion all do the same job: each one adds time or space for the crowd that showed up last year. If you've been going for years, your usual plan needs a second look.
A Record Year, Then a Fourth Weekend
The 2025 market ran three weekends, Nov. 14–16, Nov. 21–23 and Nov. 28–30, during Spruce Meadows' 50th anniversary season. It drew more than 100,000 visitors, a record, and Spruce Meadows says it added the December weekend "due to popular demand."
The math explains it. Three weekends of Friday, Saturday and Sunday gave the 2025 market nine days, so that record crowd averaged roughly 11,000 people a day. The 2026 schedule has 12 days. If attendance holds near last year's level, the same crowd is spread over a third more days.
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Weekends | Three, all in November | Four, ending Dec. 4–6 |
| Market days | 9 | 12 |
| Friday hours | 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Noon to 6 p.m. all ages, 6 to 9 p.m. 18+ |
| Saturday hours | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. |
| Sunday hours | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Vendors | More than 325 | More than 330 |
| Adult admission after early bird | $20 plus GST | $20 plus GST |
The 2026 dates are November 13–15, November 20–22, November 27–29 and December 4–6. The added weekend starts five days after the last November day, so this year the market carries on into the first week of December. In 2025 it closed on November 30.
Friday Now Has Two Sessions
The biggest change to how a day works is on Fridays. In 2025, Friday ran 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for everyone. For 2026 it starts an hour later and runs an hour later, and it's split in two: an all-ages market from noon to 6 p.m., then an 18+ Adults Night from 6 to 9 p.m. The Spruce Meadows announcement pitches the evening as a night out, with "an evening of gift shopping, seasonal food and holiday cocktails."
Adults Night tickets are sold separately for $18. Spruce Meadows' own pages describe the Friday ticket rules in two different ways. The market page says "a separate Friday Night ticket is required." The market FAQ says anyone 18 or older with a regular Friday general admission ticket can stay for Adults Night without an extra ticket, and that Adults Night ticket holders can arrive early and shop the all-ages market from noon. If you plan to stay past 6 p.m., check with Spruce Meadows which ticket you need before you buy.
Friday is also the day whose price stays put. The market page notes that Friday prices don't rise after the early-bird deadline.
Where the New Room Is
Spruce Meadows also built more space. The new Riding Hall Circle Pavilion adds a whole new area to explore, with more than 30 vendors.
Compare that with the total. The vendor count went from more than 325 in 2025 to more than 330 in 2026. Both figures are minimums, so the exact change can't be measured. Still, a pavilion holding 30-plus vendors next to a small rise in the total looks more like extra room in the market than a much bigger market.
What fills that room is familiar. The announcement describes locally crafted or sourced gifts and festive food, "from handcrafted jewelry and original art to artisan chocolates and Christmas ornaments," spread across European-inspired market shops and indoor shopping halls. Spruce Meadows Exclusives, one-of-a-kind items sold only at this market, are back, along with seasonal food and drink, decorated trees, lights across the grounds, Christmas music and fires. Real reindeer appear on select days.
Miracle at the Meadows is back too. It's the Christmas pop-up cocktail bar created with Proof Cocktail Bar, serving holiday cocktails in a heavily decorated cabin. With the new 18+ Fridays, it now has three hours a week of an adults-only crowd around it.
Prices Stayed the Same
A bigger market didn't mean higher prices. Admission is $20 for adults and $12 for children 3 to 12 and seniors 65 and over, plus GST. Children 2 and under get in free. Those are the same post-early-bird rates as in 2025, when early-bird adult admission was $18 plus GST. This year's early-bird pricing runs until November 12, the day before the market opens.
Tickets are for a specific day, not a timed entry slot. You can buy online or at the gate, but gate sales depend on availability. The FAQ recommends buying early "as popular days may sell out." With 12 days on sale instead of nine, there are more days to choose from, and fewer reasons to hold out for the busiest Saturday.
Getting There Without the Shuttle
The market is at Spruce Meadows, 18011 Spruce Meadows Way SW. General parking is included with admission. The 2026 ticket listings point visitors to Lot 2 and Lots 7 and 8. The Spruce Meadows parking page places accessible spaces in Lots 7 and 8. VIP parking is offered as a paid add-on when you buy tickets on the market page.
If you're used to taking transit, check before you go. Spruce Meadows' general directions page says the Red Arrow shuttle is no longer available and suggests a taxi or rideshare from Somerset/Bridlewood Station. That notice covers Spruce Meadows in general, not the Christmas Market specifically.
Choosing Your Day in 2026
Since the changes add time and space, the best way to use them is to pick your day on purpose:
- For an evening with adults only, book a Friday. An Adults Night ticket covers 6 to 9 p.m., and the FAQ says holders can come in early for the all-ages afternoon too.
- For the most daylight, choose a Saturday. Saturdays run 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the longest all-ages day on the calendar.
- To save on a weekend ticket, buy by November 12. That's when early-bird pricing ends, the day before the market opens.
- For a later shopping trip, look at December 4–6. It's the weekend Spruce Meadows added for 2026, so there's no attendance history to show how busy it will be.
- If you're bringing young children, plan on Friday afternoon or the weekend. Guests must be 18 or older from 6 to 9 p.m. on Fridays.
The market opens Friday, November 13 at noon and closes Sunday, December 6 at 6 p.m., for 12 days in total.
Hosting family or clients this season and want help planning a December weekend in southwest Calgary around the market? The team at Bearspaw Real Estate is glad to share our favorite spots nearby, and to show you around the estates and acreages close to Spruce Meadows on the same trip. Request a Luxury Tour.
