Cambria Christmas Market to feature more than 3 million holiday lights. How to get tickets
With its new 15-year operating permit in hand, Cambria’s annual Christmas Market will be back, brighter than ever, for about a month starting Friday, Nov. 29.
And there are 50% more lights this year, more than 3 million of them now, up from 2 million in the 2023 show.
The additions are scattered throughout the show on new and existing displays at the 14th Cambria Christmas Market, the event’s marketing team told The Tribune.
The marketing team declined to spill in advance any details about the new displays.
“We’d like to keep that a surprise until opening night,” team member Jillian Wells said. “We think it adds to the excitement!”
With all the added lights, the show is sure to dazzle evening guests and even those driving past the outer edge of the Cambria Pines Lodge property at 2905 Burton Drive.
The market is open rain or shine from 5 to 9 p.m. with no new entries after 8:30.
For those planning a visit, she recommends allocating two to three hours for the full market experience, from seeing all the lights, shopping, munching and sipping and, of course, visiting Santa Claus in his usual “house” near the lower-market area.
Wearing comfortable shoes, being ready to take lots of memory-capturing photos and being able to adapt to the weather are also good suggestions.
Among the market’s returning, lighted elements are the selfie-popular Light Tunnel, Golden Gate, Jellyfish and Christmas Carol displays, artisan vendors in the marketplace, live entertainment in the amphitheater and biergarten, rides on a quaint train, fire pits and lots to eat and drink.
Vendors accept credit or debit cards, as the German-inspired market is a cashless event that attracts more than 70,000 people annually. Up to 3,000 tickets can be sold for each night the market is open, and there are often sell-out crowds.
The sellers come from all over San Luis Obispo County and beyond to participate, Wells said.
Some have well-known business names, such as Linn’s, Love Story Project and Sweet Offerings, all from Cambria. Others are boutique artisans selling such potential gifts as candles, candies, jewelries, home décor, glass, needlework, even flying toys and custom neon signs. You can find a full list of the vendors on the market’s website at cambriachristmasmarket.com/home/artisan-vendors.
The ”Visions of Christmas” shopping experience continues at Cambria Nursery, 2801 Eton Road, adjacent to the lodge.
Market tickets are selling out rapidly, according to the marketing team. They range in price from $27.64 to $43.48, including a sliding-scale service fee.
Market visitors park elsewhere and take a shuttle to the Cambria Pines Lodge. You can buy tickets and find shuttle-lot locations on the website.
The market is closed on Dec. 2, 3, 9, 10, 24 and 25. People can buy tickets to see the light show on those nights, but the market won’t be open, and Santa won’t be there.
The market continues through Dec. 31, minus Santa, whose final night is Dec. 22.
“He’ll return to the North Pole to handle Christmas orders before heading off for a much-needed vacation,” Wells quipped.
