Top 5 Holiday Events Outside of Mississauga

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Published November 5, 2016 at 3:30 am

winterfestival

November is an exciting month in Ontario. The weather is still decent (for the most part), the leaves are still gorgeous and the pre-Christmas events are kicking into high gear.

It’s the perfect month for exploring the outdoors, indulging your festive side and eating and drinking all manner of pumpkin-flavoured things. Fortunately for us, we’re getting an exciting Holiday Pop Up Market and a Streetsville Christmas Market (both of which will be running for the first time). That said, why not enjoy a few of the other events Ontario has to offer?

Here are the top five Christmas/holiday markets and festivities happening just a little outside of Mississauga.

5) Toronto Christmas Market 

We know we’re going to have more markets close to home this year, but why not head east for a day or two at the Distillery District’s annual festival extravaganza? The Toronto Christmas Market kicks off on Nov. 18 and runs until Dec. 22. Ranked one of the top 10 Christmas markets in the world, the market offers a gorgeous tree, stunning decor, a Mill Street Brewery World Carolling Challenge, artisan vendors and more. Tickets are $6 on weekends and admission is free on weeknights.

4) Toronto Art Crawl Christmas Market 

You might think Christmas markets are similar across the board, but each one has something different to offer and this event boasts 90 artists and designers selling handcrafted, one-of-a-kind products. This one-day event will take place on Nov. 20 at Toronto’s Great Hall on Queen St. W. and will boasts two floors of shopping space, food vendors (shopping makes everyone hungry), a cash bar, a stroller parking area, live art demos and a toy/food drive.

3) Niagara Falls Festival of Lights 

If you haven’t planned for a quick holiday trip to Niagara, you should. This year, the Ontario Power Generation Winter Festival of Lights is kicking off on Nov. 19 and running until Jan. 31, 2017. The event showcases over two million lights along an 8 km route and eye-catching holiday-themed displays. While the extended lightshow alone is worth a trip to Niagara, the city also offers easy access to wine country and, if you’re into gambling, lots of opportunities to play some roulette. There’s also the Falls, of course, if you’re into those.

Photo courtesy of Winter Festival of Lights Facebook page

2) Wassail in Prince Edward County 

While Prince Edward County is a little further from Mississauga, it’s an easy day trip and one that’s more than worth making. If you want to welcome the holiday season with wine, this is your opportunity to do so. Wassail invites guests to join the region’s winemakers for “mulled wines, comfort foods and festive good cheer.” This festival takes place right after winemakers bury vines to protect them from the elements. It runs during the last two weekends of November and the first weekend of December. If you’re shopping for wine (or for friends or family who like wine), this is a good place to go.

1) Niagara-on-the-Lake Taste of the Season 

From Nov. 4 to 27, you can visit Niagara-on-the-Lake to indulge in this year’s Taste of the Season. Some say Christmas is about family, other says it’s about wine. Who’s to who’s right? If you want to attend this event, you can purchase a $45 touring pass that will entitle you to one VQA wine tasting and food pairing at each participating winery. The wineries you can visit include Peller Estates, Inniskillin, Konzelmann Estate and more. The entire region is absolutely stunning during the colder months, so the scenery alone will be worth the drive. 

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