The DC Holiday Market is set to return to Dupont Circle for a third year, taking over New Hampshire Avenue NW starting November 12 for a 40-day run that will stretch through December 23 and bring more than 100 vendors and small businesses back to the neighborhood.
The market includes six weekend dates and will offer beauty products, jewelry, ceramics, art and more, alongside hot chocolate and a slate of new exhibitors, according to DC News Now. Michael Berman, president and CEO of Diverse Markets Management, said the market creates a joyful neighborhood experience, supports small businesses and gives people a reason to spend time in Dupont Circle. Patrick Kain, chair of the Dupont Circle BID, said the market brings people to the neighborhood to shop for gifts and experience its restaurants and shops.
From Downtown Rivalry to a Dupont Circle Fixture
The Dupont Circle market's origins trace back to a split in the District's holiday retail scene. Diverse Markets Management spent 19 years running Washington D.C.'s original Downtown Holiday Market outside the National Portrait Gallery, starting in 2005, before launching the independent DC Holiday Market in 2024 after losing that downtown contract to New York-based operator The Makers Show, as detailed by Hill Rag. That rift means Washington now hosts two competing, month-long outdoor holiday markets running at the same time: the Dupont Circle market and the DowntownDC Holiday Market on F Street NW, which Hoodline has reported stretches to 40 days with more than 115 vendors of its own.
The market's footprint has also shifted since its debut. After launching its inaugural 2024 season on a narrower stretch of 19th Street NW, organizers moved the market one block east to the 1500 block of New Hampshire Avenue NW to provide a wider shopping aisle and better foot traffic flow, according to the market's own site. Diverse Markets Management, the local firm behind the market, also runs the long-running weekend Flea Market at Eastern Market on Capitol Hill, giving it decades of experience producing outdoor markets in the District.
A Prime Location Near Dupont Circle Metro
This year's market occupies a closed roadway section on New Hampshire Avenue NW between Q Street and Dupont Circle, putting vendor stalls one block from the Dupont Circle Metro station on the Red Line and directly adjacent to neighborhood anchors including The Dupont Circle Hotel, Kramers, The Pembroke and Rokuya. The 2026 run spans 40 days total, operating daily from noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends, with closures planned for Thanksgiving Day and the following Monday, November 30, for exhibitor turnover.
Signature food vendors expected to return include Migue's Mini Donuts and Capital Candy Jar's hot roasted nuts, alongside more than 35 small businesses selling handcrafted art, ceramics, jewelry and bath products, according to PoPville. The market also sits within a broader seasonal shopping corridor on the same avenue, which includes the Heurich House Museum's annual Christkindlmarkt at 1307 New Hampshire Avenue NW.
Economic Ripple Effects for Neighborhood Businesses
The timing lines up with a milestone for one of the market's closest neighbors: Kramers, the bookstore and cafe sitting right along the market's footprint, is marking its 50th anniversary in 2026, having opened as Kramerbooks & Afterwords on July 4, 1976 — a history Hoodline explored in its profile of the shop's five decades in the neighborhood.
The foot traffic the market draws carries measurable financial weight for surrounding businesses. Economic analysis from the DowntownDC Business Improvement District found that every dollar spent at a District holiday market generates an additional $1.50 in economic spillover at neighboring brick-and-mortar shops and restaurants, underscoring why Kain and other local business leaders see the market as a boon for Dupont Circle's wider commercial corridor beyond the vendor stalls themselves.
