20 Holiday Market Ideas That Keep Visitors Staying Longer

A holiday market lives or dies on dwell time. Every extra half hour a family spends between the stalls is another lap past the vendors, another warm drink and another gift bought, and the organizers who know it plan the attractions as carefully as the vendor map. SnowGlobe Live at the gate, a Gingerbread House Making Station in the family tent, a Hot Chocolate station halfway down the aisle and a calligrapher writing Personalized Ornaments near the exit: that is a market people stay at.

Here are 20 holiday market ideas organized by where they go: entrance and photo moments, the family zone, warm-up and keepsake stations, entertainment that roams, and evening and closing moments. Every idea is rentable from the winter rentals collection at Perfect Parties USA and comes with a planning tip on space, power or timing, whether your market fills a town common in Massachusetts, a church hall or a brewery lot. The vendors and the food stay with you; these ideas keep visitors in front of them.

Entrance and Photo Moments

The first 50 feet decide whether a visitor walks in or walks past.

1. SnowGlobe Live at the Gate

SnowGlobe Live: A 15-foot-tall walk-in snow globe, suitable for any age, that visitors can see from the parking lot. It handles about 90 guests an hour, and a photo inside it is the first thing people post from your market. Planning Tip: Give it a 25 by 25 foot space just inside the entrance, so the line forms inside the market instead of on the sidewalk. Rent SnowGlobe Live.

2. Gondola Photo Booth

Gondola Photo Booth: A winter scene with a gondola lift from the Alps, where visitors put on winter hats, goggles, scarves and skis and pose on an actual gondola for a souvenir photo. The set doubles as decor, so even the people who skip the photo notice the market. Planning Tip: It needs a 12 by 12 foot space, one dedicated 20 amp circuit and a 90-minute setup, so place it in the hall or under a covered corner if your market is outdoors. Rent the Gondola Photo Booth.

3. Ski Lift Photo Booth

Ski Lift Photo Booth: A wooden log cabin set with a real ski lift chair from the Alps and a theatrical snow machine overhead that drops soft flakes while guests pose, about 60 guests an hour. Its non-denominational design suits a market that serves every family in town. Planning Tip: The product page says it is designed for indoor use, so put it in the hall or the taproom, in a 12 by 12 foot space with one dedicated 20 amp circuit. Rent the Ski Lift Photo Booth.

4. Your Market’s Name in Lights

LED Letters: Customizable light-up letters spelling the market’s name over the entrance or behind the stage. They give every photo a caption and make the market easy to find after dark. Planning Tip: Choose the letters and the colors at booking and allow the 60-minute setup before the gates open. Rent the LED Letters.

The Family Zone

A family zone gives parents permission to stay: the kids are busy, so the adults can shop.

5. Gingerbread House Making Station

Gingerbread House Making Station: A gingerbread house station stocked with graham crackers, candies and white icing, where kids of all ages build a house to take home. Building a house takes a while, which is the point: every minute at the table is a minute of parents browsing nearby. It handles about 60 guests an hour in a 10 by 10 foot space. Planning Tip: Place it next to the vendors who sell gifts for adults, not next to the toy stall. Rent the Gingerbread House Making Station.

6. Gingerbread House Bounce

Gingerbread House Bounce: A bounce house built to look like a giant gingerbread house, with candy-cane pillars, gumdrop accents and frosted details. It burns off the energy that would otherwise end the visit early, at about 90 kids an hour within the manufacturer limit of five to six kids of equal size at a time. Planning Tip: It needs a 14 by 14 foot footprint, one dedicated 20 amp circuit and a standard outlet within 50 feet, and the extension cord, blower and safety stakes are included. Rent the Gingerbread House Bounce.

7. Roll-A-Ball Reindeer Racing

Roll-A-Ball Reindeer Racing: Players roll balls up a snowy playfield into scoring holes to race their reindeer, Prancer, Dancer, Comet and the rest, toward the finish line, with holiday theming and music. It is quick and competitive and works for all ages, so parents play against their kids, and the product page lists Christmas fairs among its best fits. Planning Tip: It needs a 9 by 9 foot space and one dedicated 20 amp circuit, so it fits under a tent or in a corner of the hall. Rent the Roll-A-Ball Reindeer Racing.

8. Toy Town Playland

Toy Town Playland: A kids’ playland with inflated versions of traditional toys such as a rocking horse and building blocks, plus small slides and tiny crawl spaces. It is sized for the youngest visitors, the ones who cannot wait out a long photo line. Planning Tip: Put it in a 20 by 20 foot space with one dedicated 20 amp circuit, beside a seating area so parents can sit with a warm drink and watch. Rent Toy Town Playland.

9. Santa Photos

Santa Photos: A Santa photo set with a Santa chair, red carpet, stanchions, photo equipment and holiday props, with an instant printed photo for every family. Santa is the reason many families come at all, and the print goes home in the same bag as the market purchases. The product page notes that Santa is priced separately based on availability. Planning Tip: The set handles about 45 guests an hour, so hand out timed tickets and let families shop until their number is called. Book Santa Photos.

10. Sleigh Train Rides Around the Market

Enchanted Sleigh Train Ride: A trackless train styled as a classic horse-drawn sleigh, carrying 4 to 6 guests at a time and about 60 riders an hour on a loop around the stalls. Kids ride, parents walk alongside, and everyone passes the vendors twice. Planning Tip: Map the loop along the outside of the vendor rows, never through them, and put the boarding point at the far end from the entrance. Rent the Enchanted Sleigh Train Ride.

Warm-Up and Keepsake Stations

A warm drink and something to take home are the two things that keep visitors browsing in December.

11. Hot Chocolate Station

Hot Chocolate: A hot chocolate station that gives visitors a reason to slow down, because a cup in hand turns a quick walk-through into a second lap. The product page does not say what the station includes or how many servings it holds, so confirm both at booking. Planning Tip: It fits an 8 by 3 foot space, so place it at the midpoint of the market rather than the entrance, where visitors walk past half the vendors to reach it. Rent the Hot Chocolate station.

12. Personalized Ornaments

Personalized Ornaments: A professional calligrapher hand-writes names or messages on 3-inch satin-finish ornaments printed with your market’s or a sponsor’s logo, finished with a metallic cap and a gold hanging cord. Watching the calligrapher work draws a crowd, and the ornament keeps your market on a tree all season. Planning Tip: It fits a 6 by 6 foot space with a 15-minute setup, so sell it to a sponsor as an activation and print their logo on every ornament. Rent the Personalized Ornaments.

13. Caricature Snow Globes

Caricature Snow Globes: An artist draws each guest’s caricature, and the drawing goes inside a decorative snow globe the guest takes home as a holiday keepsake. It is a gift visitors make at the market instead of buying, and the line watches every drawing. Planning Tip: The product page does not list a per-hour rate, so confirm how many globes the artist can finish in your hours and hand out numbered tickets. Book the Caricature Snow Globes.

14. Custom Branded Caricature Mugs

Custom Branded Caricature Mug: An artist draws each guest’s caricature, and it is printed on a custom mug that can carry your market’s logo or event branding. Pair it with the hot chocolate station and the mug becomes the souvenir of the whole visit. Planning Tip: Confirm the turnaround per mug at booking, since the page does not list one, and set the station near the exit so it is the last stop of the visit. Book the Custom Branded Caricature Mug.

Entertainment Between the Stalls

Performers placed between the stalls pull visitors into the back rows, the ones vendors swear nobody visits.

15. Christmas Carolers

Christmas Carolers: Four costumed Victorian carolers singing holiday favorites as they move between the vendor rows. Music in the back aisle pulls visitors to the stalls that need them most. Planning Tip: Give them a schedule that ends each 20-minute set in front of a different row. Book the Christmas Carolers.

16. Holiday Entertainers

Holiday Entertainers: A holiday entertainers package for the crowd between the stalls; the product page does not name the characters or say whether they stroll, so confirm the lineup at booking. Entertainers working the lines turn a wait at a busy stall into part of the visit. Planning Tip: Send them to the longest lines first, usually the food and the Santa line, during the market’s busiest hour. Book the Holiday Entertainers.

17. Living Statue Performer

Living Statue Performer: A performer who stays motionless like a statue until a sudden burst of dramatic movement surprises whoever walks past. Visitors stop, wait for the next move and wave their friends over to watch. Planning Tip: Set the statue in a slow corner of the market, because a crowd standing still is a crowd looking at the nearest stall. Book the Living Statue Performer.

18. Snow Queen

Snow Queen: A winter character in a sparkling gown and frosty crown whose graceful performance brings the season to life. She gives the families who skip the Santa line a character of their own to meet. Planning Tip: Schedule her appearances between Santa’s photo blocks, so the family zone always has a character on hand. Book the Snow Queen.

Evening and Closing Moments

The last hour is when markets lose people, so give them a reason to stay for it.

19. A Skating Rink Beside the Stalls

Synthetic Ice Skating Rink: A synthetic ice rink that needs no refrigeration, delivered with fencing and rental skates in assorted sizes and open into the evening. Its smallest layout is 20 by 40 feet for up to 25 skaters at a time, a lit rink after dark is the picture that sells next year’s market, and skaters’ families shop while they wait their turn. Planning Tip: Run timed sessions and announce the final skate 30 minutes before the vendors close. Rent the Synthetic Ice Skating Rink.

20. Snowfall at Closing

Snow Machine: A theatrical snow machine that turns a fluid into falling snow that does not accumulate, started for the last 15 minutes of the market. A scheduled snowfall holds the crowd through the final hour, which is when vendors make their last sales. Planning Tip: Print the snowfall time on the market map, give the machine one dedicated 20 amp circuit near the main aisle, and confirm outdoor use at booking if your market is outside, since the product page does not mention it. Rent the Snow Machine.

How to Choose Holiday Market Attractions

Match the attractions to your market’s size and setting. A school or church market in a gym or a hall runs well on indoor pieces: the ski lift photo set, the gingerbread station, the reindeer racing game, the carolers and Santa photos. A brewery or downtown market with a lot or a closed street can add the walk-in snow globe at the gate, the sleigh train loop and the gingerbread bounce, and the Christmas inflatable rentals page lists the other holiday inflatables. A town market on the common with thousands of visitors earns the skating rink and a scheduled snowfall. The synthetic ice rink rental guide covers the rink, the snow machine rental guide covers the snowfall, and the winter festival entertainment ideas post has more attractions for a larger winter event.

As a rule of thumb, plan one attraction for every 15 to 20 vendor stalls, and place each one so visitors walk past vendors to reach it. Book six to eight weeks ahead, because markets across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut share the same December weekends. If your market is part of a bigger night downtown, the holiday stroll ideas list covers the streets around it and the Christmas festival ideas guide covers the full festival.

Rent Holiday Market Attractions From Perfect Parties USA

Perfect Parties USA is based in Peabody, Massachusetts and owns hundreds of attractions, including every rentable item on this list, so the games you book are the games that arrive, maintained and ready to play. Every rental includes delivery (fees based on your address), professional setup, trained attendants and prizes for staffed games, and complete teardown. We are fully insured, with a certificate of insurance available for venues and schools, and we have produced events of every size across New England and the Northeast for decades, from Massachusetts, Boston, Connecticut and Rhode Island to New Hampshire and New York.

Ready to get this party started? Contact Perfect Parties USA to talk to one of our Party Pros. Request a Quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

What attractions keep visitors at a holiday market longer?

Attractions that take time keep visitors at a holiday market longer: a gingerbread house station, a family zone with a bounce house and Roll-A-Ball Reindeer Racing, Santa photos on timed tickets, a hot chocolate station at the midpoint and a scheduled snowfall at closing. Each one gives a family a reason to stay another half hour, which means another lap past the vendors.

What are good holiday market ideas for a small town?

For a small town holiday market, start with Santa photos, carolers, a gingerbread house station, a hot chocolate station and one photo stop at the entrance, such as SnowGlobe Live or the Gondola Photo Booth. Perfect Parties USA rents all of them for town, school and church markets across Massachusetts and in neighboring states.

Are holiday market attractions suitable for young kids?

Yes, most holiday market attractions suit young kids: Toy Town Playland is designed for small children, the gingerbread station and SnowGlobe Live suit any age, and the Gingerbread House Bounce follows the manufacturer limit of five to six kids of equal size at a time. Older kids and adults gravitate to Roll-A-Ball Reindeer Racing and the skating rink.

What is included when you rent holiday market attractions?

Every rental from Perfect Parties USA includes delivery (fees based on your address), professional setup, trained attendants and prizes for staffed games, and complete teardown, with units cleaned and sanitized. Inflatables come with an extension cord, a blower and safety stakes, and you supply a standard outlet within 50 feet. Outdoor dates can be rescheduled for rain at no charge with 24 hours notice.

Can you rent holiday market attractions for an indoor market?

Yes, many holiday market attractions work indoors: the Ski Lift Photo Booth is designed for indoor use, and the gingerbread house station, Roll-A-Ball Reindeer Racing, Personalized Ornaments, the caricature snow globes, the carolers and Santa photos all fit a gym, a church hall or a taproom. Confirm the space, ceiling height and power for each piece with Perfect Parties USA at booking.

Does Perfect Parties USA deliver holiday market rentals in Massachusetts?

Yes, Perfect Parties USA delivers holiday market rentals across Massachusetts, including Boston and the North Shore, and serves markets in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and New York; confirm delivery to your town with the quote. The company is based in Peabody, Massachusetts, delivery fees are calculated for your address at checkout, and a certificate of insurance is available.

How far in advance should you book attractions for a holiday market?

Book holiday market attractions six to eight weeks before the market, and earlier for Santa, SnowGlobe Live and the skating rink, since December weekends fill early. Booking early with Perfect Parties USA also leaves time to fit each attraction into the vendor map, confirm power with your venue and print the attraction times on the market map.