On Saturday, Nov. 28, a family could pay $5 to browse more than 175 San Diego makers at NTC Park, then walk across Liberty Station and pay $16.90 a head to step into a Swiss alpine village with a Ferris wheel. Both markets are on the same property that day, and both depend on the same free, first-come lots.
The Swiss Winter Village is new to San Diego and runs from Nov. 27 through Jan. 3, 2027. The San Diego Made Holiday Market lasts two days. Those two days fall on the village's first weekend, so most people's first visit to the village will also be Liberty Station's most crowded weekend of the season. The other five weeks of the run are a much easier outing for anyone who lives nearby.
Two Markets, Side by Side
FOX 5 San Diego reported that the village was created by the organizers of some of Switzerland's well-known Christmas markets. The operator's San Diego page lists its other markets as Wienachtsdorf Zürich, Christmas at Geneva Quay, Noël La Villette and Illuminarium. Swiss Xmas Inc. is producing the San Diego edition with the ticketing company Fever.
The San Diego Made Holiday Market comes from the other direction. It brings together more than 175 local makers along with food trucks, photo booths and activities for kids.
| San Diego Made Holiday Market | Swiss Winter Village | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | NTC Park, 2705 Cushing Road | South Lawn at Liberty Station |
| Dates | Nov. 28 and 29 only | Nov. 27 through Jan. 3, 2027 |
| Saturday hours | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Sunday hours | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Admission | $5 presale, $6 at the door | $16.90 adult, $12.90 ages 4 to 12 |
| Free for | Children under 10 | Toddlers, per Fever's age cutoff |
| Vendors | 175+ local makers | 60+ chalets |
The hours matter most here. On Saturday the two markets are both open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Before 11, only the maker market is open. Once NTC Park closes, the village keeps going for another five hours on both days.
What the Village Ticket Covers
The village is fully ticketed for everyone except the youngest toddlers, so check the ticket page for the exact age cutoff before you count heads. Entry is booked in 15-minute time slots. You can arrive at your slot time or up to 30 minutes after it. Seniors 65 and older, students and military pay $14.90 with valid ID, and the military rate includes veterans as well as active-duty service members. That is a real saving in a neighborhood built around a former Naval Training Center.
Fever's ticket page also sells bundles, with these starting prices:
- Silver, from $19.90: entry, one Ferris wheel ride and one carousel ride
- Family, from $13.90: entry at a family discount plus one ride per person, either the Ferris wheel or the carousel
- Gold, from $34.90: entry, skip-the-line access for entry and rides, one ride on each, and parking
- Platinum, from $59.90: everything in Gold, plus unlimited rides and a grab-and-go menu from the Raclette Chalet
Parking only comes with the two most expensive bundles. You can also buy a guaranteed spot separately through the Fever app, and free parking at Liberty Station stays first-come, first-served under the posted signs.
Inside, the village is cashless. The operator says most guests stay about 90 minutes and that vegan and gluten-free food will be available. FOX 5 described the Raclette Chalet as the center of the market, a room with a fireplace, sofas and decorations that can be booked for private celebrations. The chalet and the Santa building are the only indoor spaces. Everything else is outdoors on a lawn by the water, and the operator suggests dressing in layers because it gets cooler after sunset.
Santa portraits are offered Fridays through Sundays from 1 to 7 p.m., and only through Dec. 20. Secret San Diego reported the Santa photo add-on at $30, with a timed slot and a printed photo. Because of that window, families who want the Santa photo have to come on a weekend. The quieter weekday evenings don't include Santa.
Opening Weekend Parking
Both organizers point visitors away from driving. San Diego Made says Liberty Station has lots of free parking that can still fill up, and it encourages ride-sharing. The village operator says traffic and parking can get busy around the holidays and recommends transit, rideshare, biking, or paying for parking in advance.
For Point Loma residents, the bus is a practical option. MTS Route 28 runs along Rosecrans Street between Point Loma and the Old Town Transit Center. The Rosecrans St & Goldsmith St and Rosecrans St & Curtis St stops are a short walk from Ingram Plaza and the Arts District. Route 923 runs between Ocean Beach and downtown on Harbor Drive and stops along the south edge of the property, near Spanish Landing.
To do both markets on Saturday, Nov. 28 with the fewest lines, here is one plan:
- Get to NTC Park soon after 10 a.m., while the maker market is the only thing open.
- Shop there until early afternoon. Remember the maker market closes at 5 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday.
- Book a village slot for late in the day, after the Cushing Road crowd has thinned. Plan on about 90 minutes.
- If you need the car close by at the end, the Gold bundle is the lowest-priced ticket that includes parking.
Address details for the village vary between listings. Liberty Station's own calendar puts it at the South Promenade, 2850 Roosevelt Road. Check the entrance on your Fever ticket before you set your map.
The Rest of the Run Belongs to Weeknights
After Nov. 29 the maker market is gone, but the village keeps its schedule. It opens at 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and stays open until 9. On Christmas Eve it runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you live in Loma Portal or Roseville, you could get there after school pickup, eat raclette and be home before a regular dinner hour.
The operator's announcement says vendors will rotate each week and that daily programming will include crafting workshops, cheese tastings, seasonal cocktail hours, Hanukkah events and live entertainment in the chalets. If the lineup really changes every week, a weeknight visit in mid-December won't repeat what people saw on opening weekend. FOX 5 also listed storytelling, face painting and live music for kids.
San Diego's village has a sibling up the coast. The operator scheduled a Santa Monica edition to open Nov. 18, also its first season. Westside Today reported that it would cover 50,000 square feet of the pier's event deck. Its bundles start a dollar to five dollars higher than San Diego's. Silver starts at $20.90 and Platinum at $64.90.
Around the Peninsula This Season
Many visitors to the village will look for dinner nearby afterward. El Punto has taken over the former El Jardin and Go Go Amigo space at 2885 Perry Road, Suite 102. The San Diego Union-Tribune's preview listed ceviche, oysters, tiraditos and five City Tacos favorites on the menu, along with an enclosed dog area and a space for kids.
December's other big holiday event happens on the water. The 56th San Diego Bay Parade of Lights starts from Shelter Island at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, and again on Sunday, Dec. 20, under the theme "LIBERTY LIGHTS THE BAY – CHEERS TO 250 YEARS!" The organizers note that boats can't pass close to the island because of the moored boats there. The village stays open until 9 p.m. on both of those Sundays.
At 1053 Rosecrans Street, the Point Loma Association's new mural, Sarah Stieber's "Breathing Room," was unveiled Sept. 20. Fifteen newly painted utility boxes around Cabrillo Elementary and Cabrillo Recreation Center went up with it. The mural is on Rosecrans, the same street the Route 28 bus uses to reach Liberty Station.
If you have family coming to Point Loma for the holidays and would like a few more neighborhood picks around these dates, The Kaiser Team is glad to share them. We can also talk through what a December listing on the peninsula looks like when Liberty Station is this busy. Book a consultation whenever it works for you.
