A tale of two markets: What's up with DC's downtown holiday market?

A new holiday market is coming to D.C. – sort of. And the expansion is coming with some drama.

Before shoppers could flock to D.C. this year to buy scented candles and cashmere scarves, some big changes went on behind the scenes.

The result? D.C. will get a new holiday market in Dupont run by a familiar face, while the popular pop-up in Gallery Place will be under new management.

We’ll explain the holiday market schism below. But first, here are the details on two holiday shopping destinations in the heart of D.C. (although technically, neither is called the Downtown Holiday Market).

• The DowntownDC Holiday Market on F Street NW is set to be open from Friday, Nov. 22 to Monday, Dec. 23, in a familiar location – outside the National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian American Art Museum and near the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station. Nearly 100 vendors are listed on their website. Brooklyn-based Makers Show is running it.
• The DC Holiday Market will open in Dupont Circle from Friday, Nov. 22 to Sunday, Dec. 15. Its exact location will be on the 1500 block of 19th Street NW, which houses Kramers bookstore. Expect more than 30 vendors and holiday treats from Migue’s Mini Donuts and the Capital Candy Jar. Diverse Markets Management, a D.C.-based company that ran the Downtown Holiday Market for years, is hosting.

Why is D.C.’s downtown holiday market changing in 2024?

It goes back to management disputes that we first looked at in June.

The Downtown Holiday Market had been a cherished D.C. tradition for almost two decades. Tens of thousands of shoppers flock to the streets in Chinatown-Gallery Place for arts-and-crafts merchants, musicians and food vendors every November and December.

But earlier this year, we learned that the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) effectively broke up with the market’s D.C.-based management company, Diverse Markets Management.

In April, the BID informed Diverse Markets Management president Michael Berman that they were switching to an out-of-state company to manage the market this year.

The new management company, Makers Show, is a Brooklyn, New York, company that specializes in holiday markets. The company plans to enhance and expand the market while also lowering prices for vendors.

Gerren Price, the president of the Downtown D.C. BID, gave a written statement:

“DowntownDC BID is now partnering with one of the nation's leading market operators to significantly expand and diversify this year's DowntownDC Holiday Market. As part of the new strategy to offer more local businesses a chance to participate and make the market as diverse as possible."

It wasn’t exactly clear how D.C.’s holiday market scene would look until this week when Diverse Markets Management announced they'll bring vendors to Dupont for what they're calling the DC Holiday Market.

“We are glad to be reopening for the holidays in Dupont Circle,” Berman said in a press release. “Dupont Circle has a tradition of small businesses, including art galleries and mom & pop shops. The holiday market is a perfect complement to the stores and restaurants around Dupont Circle.”

Jason Goldman of the Dupont Circle BID said in the release that they’re happy to partner with a strong brand.

But rest assured, D.C. is moving ahead with a holiday market in that familiar location on F Street. This year, Makers Market is in charge. While they've promised changes, the tradition continues.

Mark Segraves and Maggie More contributed to this report

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