The Union Square Holiday Market is one of the most iconic holiday markets in the world and one of the most commonly visited destinations in New York City during the winter holiday season. The market begins running after Thanksgiving and ends after Christmas. To avoid the crowds as much as possible, we recommend going on a weekday as early as you possibly can. But even if you’re forced to wade through thousands of other holiday shoppers, the unique gifts you can find here are worth the crowds.

The market is run by UrbanSpace and has a different sponsor each year – this year it’s Citibank. The market features about 100 booths, with different crafts, pieces of art, food vendors, and much more.

Our Favorite Booths

Some of our New York City workers comp lawyers‘ favorite gift booths from this year’s market include:

  • Secret Life of Toys – This booth features unique toys and other memorabilia, including many that have been inspired by pop culture. A great booth to find a personal gift for an artsy or geeky friend or loved one.
  • Pop Chart Lab – Another booth featuring pop-culture inspired gifts, including prints and wall decor covering a range of subjects such as Americana, hip-hop, movies, television, comics, fashion, and much more.
  • NYCruets – This booth sells cruets, which are ornamental oil and vinegar dispensers. These elegant yet practical pieces are hand blown by a master craftsman in Hungary. They allow you to keep both common cooking liquids in the same place with a unique, sleek look. These make an amazing fit for any foodies or homemakers in your life!

Can’t-Miss Food Booths

The market has no shortage of unique food booths, which offer both hot-and-ready food and food-related gifts for the culinary appreciators in your life. Some of our favorite food booths at the Union Square Holiday Market include:

  • United Chocolate Works – This offbeat booth features pieces of chocolate artwork which have been made to look like antiques and rusty tools, such as wrenches, tin cans, gears, and pliers. The recipient may be confused when they open it, but the artsy people in your life will probably love it once they realize what they’re looking at.
  • Squish Marshmallows – These hand-cut, small-batch marshmallows come in a wide range of unique flavors and textures you might not associate with marshmallows. These sugary treats can be used for much more than just smores and sweet potato toppings. Some examples of the many flavors and preparations available here include banana pudding, birthday party, gingerbread, peanut butter and jelly, and even marshmallow donuts. A great treat to stop for during your shopping or to buy as a gift for the sweet-tooths in your life.
  • Fatty Sunday’s – If you or anyone close to you is a fiend for salty-sweet snacks, you’ve got to make a stop at Fatty Sunday’s. This booth offers gourmet chocolate-covered pretzels with a layer of additional dipping on top, such as birthday cake, coconut, cookies and cream, sea salt almond, and peanut butter and jelly, among many more. Pick up a couple boxes for yourself and for anyone on your list who would enjoy this gourmet take on the classic salty-sweet sack food.