Image Credit: Vancouver Christmas Market/Facebook

By Victor Kaisar

Kamloops Christmas Market

Kamloops Sports Council spearheading plans for annual Christmas Market downtown

Apr 14, 2025 | 4:00 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Sports Council is spearheading an initiative to bring an 18-day Christmas Market to the Tournament Capital, potentially as early as next winter.

Sports Council Executive Director Duncan Olthuis said they envision a German Christmas Market similar to one that is held in the Vancouver that features vendors and other activities for residents and visitors.

Olthuis told CFJC Today that these markets are growing in popularity, and the hope is for Kamloops to become the first one in the B.C. Interior, likely at the Heritage House parking lot by Riverside Park.

“Our end goal is to have it in November and December where we have it open in the evenings during the weekdays and full-time on weekends,” Olthuis said. “We’re trying to have synergies with the Santa Claus parade and some Blazers games and other events that are happening during that time that will draw people into the core of the city.”

The Kamloops Sports Council began working on the idea for this Christmas market with groups like Tourism Kamloops and the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association, which organizes the annual Santa Claus parade, in the fall of last year.

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“We have capacity to do events at the Sports Council and we have done community events in the past,” Olthuis added, when asked how the Sports Council got involved in an event of this kind.

“Putting together a community event like this and a sporting event takes the same framework in the back-end. It’s just the end product that is different.”

While a number of details still have to be ironed out, Olthuis said the Kamloops Christmas Market is expected to feature as many as 50 wooden pop up chalets with vendors selling Christmas themed items. It could also feature attractions like a Christmas Pyramid, a grand entryway, and a walk-through Christmas tree.

“These markets give artisans and small vendors a chance to earn 50 per cent of their expected yearly income,” he wrote, in a report to City Council. “It will also be a boost to the local economy and be a tourism draw. They can attract jobs, activities and visitors into Kamloops at a time when the usual visitor economy is less active.”

While the plan is to feature local vendors, Othius added organizers are aware they’ll likely have to attract vendors from other communities as well.

“We will have a vendor sheet on our website we know we’ll probably have to go out and seek vendors because with 50 chalets, its going to be quite a daunting task to have those full all 18 days,” he said.

Olthuis and Tourism Kamloops’ Lisa Strachan are scheduled to present more details about the plan to Kamloops City Council at Tuesday’s (April 15) meeting.

“We hope to have this on city property, so we want to bring council up to speed and to get them to support us having an event on their property,” Olthuis said. “We do need council’s approval, so that is why we’re going before council as a delegation.”

If all goes well, Olthuis said the inaugural Kamloops Christmas Market could be held later this year.

“2025 is on the docket but if that doesn’t happen we are full gear for 2026,” Olthuis added.