The SoWa Winter Festival is such a festive and fun experience! From the artisan vendors and unique crafts to the delicious food and drinks, there's something for everyone to enjoy. The atmosphere is cheerful and full of holiday spirit, making it a perfect outing with friends or family. It's a great place to shop for gifts, try new treats, and soak up the winter vibes. Definitely a must-visit during the season! read more

SoWa Winter Festival - Festivals Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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It's the second year in a row I've come to SoWa Winter Festival and market. I always come out looking like I shopped till I dropped. I felt much more prepared this year to know a) use spot hero in advance or get there super early to snag a parking spot within 2 blocks of the market b) it gets WARM inside so carry a bag that can hold a jacket and c) carry a tote bag for your purchases or jacket to have your hands free d) have cash ready for parking and the entry fee if possible to make things more efficient. If you're prepared, you can brave the crowds and have a great time. The winter lights set up are always a beautiful sight and the amount of local craft/food/drink vendors is such a delight. New vendors I tried for the first time this year in 2025 that I really enjoyed were Elite Dough Cookies, Whitney Wares, and Matilda RI Empanadas. Places I returned to from 2024 include Wash Naturals and Life Bloom. You also can't go wrong with Eataly in the corner with the wheel of parmesan and many other delicious bites. It's a magical event that I always love going to and supporting the local vendors. I can't wait to come back next year! read more

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$10 for parking. $10 per person to get into the market. That's just the cost to get there and inside. Once you're in, you're met with glittering lights falling from the high ceiling, and artsy/cool vendors. My thought though, if you're paying to get inside, most people are probably going to buy something to make the most of this experience. You can't leave empty-handed, but you might leave with an empty wallet. The longest line in the market is for the viral hot cocoa with marshmallow rim. I'm not a fan of waiting in line, so I passed, but I'm sure Instagram is proud. I've heard it's good, but I'm skeptical it is as good as LA burdicks. If you're looking for something to do during the holiday season, this is one way to spend the day. I definitely picked up some cute, unique things -- like a watermelon hair clip, a Moroccan pitcher/cup set, and some bougie salami/cheeses -- we made it worthwhile. If you come to the winter fest, I'd recommend exploring the surrounding area with the art galleries a few streets over, nice restaurants, and the More Than Words nonprofit/thrift store a few blocks away. Make a day out of it! read more

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SoWa Winter Festival is decked out with Christmas lights, trees, and festive decorations that put you in the holiday spirit. There's an impressive variety of vendors offering everything from art and handmade gifts to food, snacks, and warm drinks. It's a great spot to pick up holiday presents, or just wander around, soak in the atmosphere, and kill a couple of hours. Parking nearby is fairly affordable, and the $10 entrance fee per person feels reasonable given the scale of the event and the overall experience. One thing to keep in mind: it gets busy. I went on a Thursday night and it was super packed, so plan accordingly if you're not a fan of crowds and lines. For me, visiting this market is quickly becoming a holiday tradition, and for good reason. It's festive, fun, and a great way to ease into the season. read more

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Our first visit to SoWa, what a coool venue! Beautiful set up. We loved looking at all the local crafts and speaking to the artists, truly enjoyable. There is a good variety of crafts with some similarities, but overall nice afternoon. The food was on the pricey side but we enjoyed most the drinks and massive cookie. We devoured the cookie before we could snap a pic. Fun time however not a lot of seating. Plenty of parking lots nearby. read more

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10$ cover? they let everyone they could into this event hall. I was impressed with the selection of vendors but building management should make this place a little less claustrophobic... people couldn't move. read more

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The hot chocolate at Snack Box was good and the meringue was excellent. Everything else? Not impressed. $10 for parking and another $10 just to get inside is ridiculous for such an underwhelming market. Being warm and indoors doesn't justify the price at all. Snowport is easily 10x better. Hard pass. read more

SoWa Winter Festival - Festivals Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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This was a last minute friend find and want to check out. I was game as always, it was so amazing, the Christmas season in full force. Tons of small businesses from all over New England. We loved the added touch like the bars. Drink and shop great idea. It was a little overwhelming at times and definitely packed. The decor was beautiful. Tried miso maple cookies so good, cheddar biscuits and chicken pot pie and can't forget a couple of drinks. Will be returning next year. (I think they have a summer version) read more

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My first time at SoWa Winter Festival and it did not disappoint. I honestly enjoyed it much more than Snowport haha. I liked that this was held indoors & was pretty warm inside! It is $10/person entrance fee. They had lots of different vendors that offered handmade trinkets and goodies, fresh cheeses + jams, cashmere sweaters + scarves, food, & drinks. Everything was definitely on the pricier side, but expected. We were able to grab a couple goodies: Lancaster honey from this local vendor & an olive oil set (apparently from Greece?). Overall, had a pleasant experience at SoWa Winter Festival today & would probably return ;) read more

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When we saw ads for the festival we knew we wanted to check it out. Having frequented the summer market at Sowa many times in the last, i haven't gone to a winter one. It's 10$ entry fee for the indoor event. They had stacked rows of vendors which sell a bit of everything. You have artists, craftsmen, food vendors, clothing, thriftinf, beer vendors, and many more. Posted pictures from some booths we liked, glass blowing booth has so many cute glass decor. We also met a cute husband and wife team selling straight from Greece olive oil, gift set, with her hand ground Italian style seasoning. It was so yum, we bought one for a xmas gift and one to use at home. There are so many talented folks out here with their art on full display. The event had cheese, meats, jam vendors that you can check out and sample flavors. Afterwards you have all the things you'd need for a charcuterie board! Cute date night, parking is paid in the lot or you can circle for street parking! read more

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Love to go to winter festival every December! Great food, great local artist. We make it family event to go there enjoy amazing food, drinks, music enjoy the festive atmosphere and do our Christmas shopping! read more

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The SoWa Winter Festival is located at the SoWa Power Station from Friday, November 24th to Sunday, December 17th. I went on Saturday, December 9th. On Saturday's, they are open 10am-10pm. We arrived around 9:45am and there were people already waiting in line to get in. They opened the doors exactly at 10:00am. Admission to the Winter Festival is $10, cash or card. Once you walk in, there are beautiful string lights hanging from the roof. There are aisles and aisles of vendors. There were vendors selling hot sauces, nuts, chocolate, art, pottery, and so much more. There is also a 2nd floor with food vendors and live entertainment. Throughout the venue, there are photo op opportunities and there was a contest to find the elf to get a hot chocolate. We had a croissant from Marseille. It was very soft and fresh. I spent about 2 hours checking out all the vendors and upstairs too. I enjoyed the free samples and bought a few gifts for friends and family. Everyone was very friendly. I was really glad that I arrived early and had some time to explore the vendors prior to the big crowds. This is a great one stop shop for gifts or just to walk around and check out the vendors. There is a paid parking lot in front of the venue. Many cars were in the lot. read more

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Sweet, charming & very festive. Lovely Sunday early afternoon spent with the dearest of friends at the SOWA Winter Market. A lot to explore, so many vendors to see and lot to shop for. Baked goods, sweet treats, hot chocolate...spiked if you're feeling adventurous!! And if looking for holiday or Christmas gifts, you're bound to find something for anyone on your holiday shopping list. Once you're done with all the shopping, simply then go upstairs to their lounge where you can kick it back & relax over a few drinks and think about just how much money you've spent!! lol. Overall, SOWA is a wonderful weekend Winter activity available to Bostonians to enjoy during the holiday season. read more

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TLDR: be aware of your surroundings and your belongings... don't ruin the hardworking vendors' goods... Review: super cute warehouse with a really cool upstairs piano lounge. All the vendors had really inspiring goods from glass blowing to knitting to hot sauces and much more. Just comes at a price of $10 Storytime: a very unfortunate incident occurred with one of the vendors another customer and us. The vendor had those small tree shaped jewelry displays that were really popular. Another customer with a backpack turned around and knocked over the holder and with it all the ornaments that were hanging. As we helped to clean up their mess they left the crime scene but the owners didn't see what had happened. Thinking it was us they said "we don't expect you to pay for this cause it was an accident but an apology is the least you can do." After I explained the situation to them they were very apologetic about the misunderstanding and offered us one of their ornaments as compensation which we reluctantly took. Overall I felt really bad for them because the whole situation net lossed them ~$70 which might seem insignificant if not for the stiff competition in the cute market. read more

SoWa Winter Festival - Festivals Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This is worth visiting at least once and definitely puts you in the holiday spirit. I came here a day before closing and late in the evening so it wasn't crowded at all. The entry fee is $10 and there are a lot of different venders. I appreciate shopping small and although I didn't get anything it was nice to see some unique crafts. I would say there is a little bit for everyone including pets. The second floor was turned into a cozy lounge area. There is plenty of seating for those that brought food from the venders and a piano for live music. read more

SoWa Winter Festival - Festivals Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Oh my gingerbread men! It feels like any moment the reindeer will be prancing on the roof. Beats any Las Vegas craft fair or Blaisdell craft fair we've ever attended. The twinkling lights, Christmas music, crafters with an assortment of wares for purchase. The atmosphere feels like the movie White Christmas and wouldn't surprise me if they opened up the doors snow would be falling. Most magnificent event I've ever seen with row upon row of sparking twinkle lights suspended from the rafters. Art and crafted items at their best. Was it worth a $35 cab fare to come? Yes in my books. Happy holidays to you!!! read more

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SoWa is only worth it if there is no line and if the admission fee was bumped down. LOCATION: Located in the South End, the SoWa winter festival is held in a large venue space. The venue itself is very beautiful and festive! VENDORS: Great variety of vendors but would have likes more food options! EXPERIENCE: Overall, the winter market was lovely and it reminded me of snowport in seaport but the $10 admission fee really wasn't worth it at all. We spent less than hour and didn't find too much. We went on a Sunday morning this year and only waited 10 minutes in line. We've seen the line wrap around the block before and would definitely not recommend waiting more than 5 minutes. read more

We love going to the SoWa Winter Festival every winter, there is always a great selection of vendors! This season, I was able to find a gift for everyone on my list in one visit. They have vendors selling anything from jewelry, prints, glass ornaments, chocolates, pet accessories, etc. The stands are also placed with plenty of room for walking so you do not feel as cramped as some other markets are. They always decorate the interior of the space with an abundance of lights and winter decorations, which really sets up the festive mood. Being an indoor market is also a great bonus as you do not have to experience the harshness of the Boston winter when you want to leisurely browse around. As much as the experience is nice, the market charges a $10 entrance fee per person. A fee to enter a market where you spend more money is pretty uncommon and there are many other options in the area that do not charge a fee for folks who want to avoid this. Additionally, they do have a bar but it is definitely a bit overpriced. Otherwise, I think the SoWa Winter Festival is a great place to visit this winter and take any friends to experience together. read more

SoWa Winter Festival is so lovely and hosts many local businesses in the venue. There is a hot chocolate stand, a food restaurant, and has an area to snack and drink your beverage. It feels very festive and lively. It's a great way to support small local businesses. I do wish there were more diverse business owners that were invited to be a part of this event. There is a wide range of businesses that sold cookies, gloves, Christmas decorations, health and wellness, pasta, candles and such. Here is the link to the SoWa Winter festival details: https://www.sowaboston.com/sowa-winter-festival It is only from December 3 - December 12. Monday - Thursday is free admission. Friday through Sunday is $10 admission entry. It is a great event to have folks be in the holiday spirits! I would love to see more holiday markets across the neighborhoods and towns of Boston area. read more

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Such a fun place to browse! There's a fee to get in, but it was definitely worth it for me to get some wonderful local gifts for my loved ones. There was beautiful jewelry, art prints, food treats, and lots of other fun items. There was truly something for everyone, and the food and drink was delicious. There's parking at the warehouse but it's $10 cash only read more

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What does the $10 entry fee get you? I think the entry fee was an attempt to screen out anyone who isn't upper class. I've never paid an entry fee at a store before, so maybe I'm just not the target audience for this event, but I do not recommend it. Food: very limited selection of reheated food. I wouldn't plan on having a meal here. Drinks: Limited selection of beers and cocktails in a can. Bar had tequila cocktails only. Hot chocolate was good, but if you get the marshmallows, they are huge, not the small ones that dissolve. Lots of local booths to buy things, but after spending the entry fee, I couldn't find anything that seemed worth it. The lights were pretty, but by far the best part is the entry way, which you can enjoy before you pay. read more

SoWa Winter Festival - Entry way, before you shell out $10 for the opportunity to go shopping. - Festivals Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This is a great winter time activity or way to shop for loved ones! I went opening weekend I would check their site as tickets intended would sell out or got to the point of only in person access to tickets for admisison based on limited capacity for the power station area where most vendors are. There are outdoor vendor stations and hot cocoa /food trucks as well. There are open art studios and shops to explore most are open till 8 or 9 which is when the even itself also ends. Highly recommend buying tickets in advance to be assures a spot inside pending waiting in line. But the line moves fast! We made it in about less than 10 minutes on the opening Saturday so that was great! Inside is packed with vendors for ranges of all products handmade items, vintage clothing, yummy food, unique gifts and items for everyone on your holiday list. Upstairs there is charcuterie station and bar for a nice hangout area. Definetly recommend checking out if you're visiting or as a local it's a must see! read more

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I liked my first time to Market brought some out of Towners had a great time shopping and sat upstairs to eat and drink. Brought some people last night to shop and we were going to eat there ... but no because there was a private party upstairs where tables are... so where we eating standing up in a crowd? 10$ parking and 40 $ entry for 4 for and hour. Very disappointed. Why you advertise mezzanine if it's not open? And maybe that should of been disclosed before wasting 50$ read more

3 stars. Positives: + inside armory (warm) + free + alcohol + Blackbird donuts + Got a couple gifts for Christmas + Food trucks Negatives: - SO crowded (due to free admission) - same shops that are always at SoWA with not many new things I'm glad admission was free because I probably would have been upset if I paid and experienced what I did. It wasn't the worst thing I've experienced but it was just way too packed in the armory. It got to the point where it wasn't even enjoyable. They need to have it someplace else. I know it was at a different location last year and they charged for admission and that place was smaller but it was not as crowded, again, probably because people did have to pay so maybe less people went last year? Not sure. I love a lot of the shops that are at SoWA but it seems there is always a lot of the same thing. Then the shops that I want to come back never come back :( It's all up to the shop owners though and if they want to go or not. Was going to get a tiny Christmas tree... like 2 or 2 and 1/2 feet tall and it was like $45...I passed. Could get a 5 or 6 footer for that price closer to where I live and not have to lug the thing around and back to the car. read more

Went to this winter festival last year and had a really great time, despite the hour-long wait in the freezing cold to get in. This year, unfortunately, due to some construction, they had to split up the locations into two tents. They definitely tried to maintain the same feel, but it felt much more crowded and less streamlined this time around. We went relatively early on Saturday (~1230) and waited about 40 minutes to get into the first tent. WE were hoping that would be the only wait and we could go straight to the second one, but there was a 20 minute wait for that one as well. The vendors continue to be good and there are plenty of samples which is nice, but I didn't think the wait was worth it this year. read more

Only downfall is it is extremely crowded but what do you really expect from a city event? All the vendors were reasonably priced and the atmosphere was really beautiful and Christmasy. There are a few tents that are specifically designed just to go in and get warm and I really thought that was a nice touch. Loved the beer and wine tents as well, lines were long but things loved pretty quickly. Over all a get experience. read more

SoWa Winter Festival - Walkways through the market - Festivals Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

SoWa during the summer is amazing, so my expectations for the winter festivities were high. I had been last year and had some nice holiday drinks like mulled wine accompanied by fiddle based holiday music. This time it was cold cocktails and a funk band. The actual market portion had a line around 5 different corners. Seems they need some system of crown control/ticketing. read more

I was a little disappointed this year with the winter market and I so wish that wasn't true! It was so gorgeous and winter-y looking inside, but the vendors didn't excite me too much (same vendors as usual SoWa and very few holiday themed gifts) and the drinks they were serving inside were very overpriced. On top of that, I waited 20 minutes to get in! My suggestion: Go if you're bored and looking for unique (slightly expensive mostly) gifts or something to do. Otherwise, skip it and find somewhere else to shop small. read more

Poor planning and poor execution. They were not able to use there usual winter location this winter and instead used smaller tents in there summer location (understandable) but because of the restrictions of number of people they could let in the lines were over an hour long. On top of that, the split it between two tents, so once you waited in line for an hour for one to find out that the vendors you wanted weren't in that one, you had to go wait in line for an hour for another. Way too cold for that. You're posting on your IG stories constantly telling everyone to come out, the least you could've done was warn about the lines. Better yet make the event two or three weekends if you don't have the facilities to support all of the Boston crowd in one weekend. Very disappointed we weren't able to support more local makers here. read more

Great concept, but far too overcrowded to be enjoyable. Just to get in there was an extremely long wait at every tent and once inside was packed wall to wall with ppl. Photos made it appear to be inside a warehouse, reality is there are large tents outside between old brick buildings. In December when it's 30 degrees, it's still freezing inside regardless of a few small heaters. Need to move to a larger space to accommodate the anticipated crowds. read more

The line was well over an hour to get in and certainly wasn't moving fast as it has in past years. At less than 40 degrees out, it wasn't worth it. The galleries and shops around the market are ok but wasn't really much I was interested in. We parked three blocks away at a meter. read more

So many cool vendors mostly from local stores or artists however it would've been better if there were heat lamps inside and out to make it a little more comfortable to shops around. Today was probably not the best time for me to have visited. It was 25 degrees and windchill was 15. Waiting in line to get in took 20 mins only to be surprised that inside didn't have heating at all as well thank god for the yummy warm chai tea If you are early enough there are ample parking on the BSC parking lot but there are nearby lots for $10. read more

I came here with friends to enjoy the spectacle, not really to buy any gifts. Admission was free, so there was a long line to get in the market hall, but it moved quickly. Obviously, it was packed inside. We grabbed some coffee and donuts from Blackbird, conveniently located right at the entryway. There are also beer, cocktail, and grilled sandwich vendors inside the hall if you want to get lunch or a snack. Unfortunately, there is no seating area and barely any empty space to stand and eat without being in crowded walking paths, so the messy sandwiches are not a great option. I thought all the food and bev were reasonably priced - $2 for coffee and $10 for alcoholic drinks. The market is a nice size - plenty of variety to browse without being huge and overwhelming. We strolled through the entire market hall and looked at every vendor, which took less than 2 hours. Most of the vendors were selling home decor items, like framed prints and candles, or specialty foods, like honey and cider. All of the vendors were pretty trendy, definitely geared toward a younger/millennial crowd. Not a great place to shop for grandparents. I loved the fact that this market was indoors and they had great holiday music playing at a comfortable volume. Also, take note that dogs are permitted inside! read more

Used to be my favorite Christmas market, but now I see them all as equal, especially because you have to pay entry into this one. It's got different vendors than the other markets, but it's all basically the same types of items read more

SoWa Winter Festival - Winter market - Festivals Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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This was a cute winter-y thing to go to in the Boston area. For proper food, there were some food trucks. Admission was free and the line to get in was enormous. Luckily, it moved quickly. It was a large craft fair type of event which is good to get your holiday shopping done. read more

I know it's busy around the holidays but this was just ridiculous. Possibly a poor choice of location to have the market. There were so many people in there that it was very hard to move and also near impossible to actually see any of the tables. I love going to the outdoor SOWA market in the summer/fall. This one is just not worth going to. read more

This review is for the SoWa Holiday Market. Once you made your list and checked it twice, the SoWa Holiday Market is the perfect place to reward everyone who is nice this Christmas. I'm planning on doing gift baskets this year so I stocked up on Nutting Farm's absolutely delectable maple creme. Perfect for pancakes, on sliced apples or straight out of the jar. I just hope I don't eat it all before gifting it. I also bought some awesome sea salt toffee from Little BitsToffee. I tried a sample and could not resist buying two boxes (for others, of course!). It's hard not to have a holly jolly time at SoWa's Winter Market. You can find tons of goodies at a wide variety of prices perfect for spreading some holiday cheer! read more

We are regular visitors to the summer market which we love so we were excited to go to the winter festival yesterday. We were stymied by the insane lines for both tent areas! We got there around 3:30 and the lines were not only crazy long but also did not seem to be moving much. Have only one entrance seems absurd. In the last few weeks I have been to the Edinburgh Christmas Market and the Philadelphia Christmas Market and my husband was at the Chicago Market. None of these locations had this problem. No shopping is worth waiting like this! Hope they rethink the process for next year because it has the potential to be a fun holiday event for visitors and locals alike. read more

quite a (local) crowd for the first Sunday happening. stands of food, produce, knicks and knacks in a storefront a block from Gaslight. discovered Whoopie Monster's choco-peanut butter whoopee! read more

SoWa Winter Festival - Festivals Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Top notch vendors, drinks, and music. Be sure to check out both lots. Don't fear the long line - it moves quickly!