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Let the Holiday Shopping Begin!

Some of the over 60 vendors at the IWC Winter Bazaar. Nikerichev Andrei / Moskva News Agency

There might not be much snow on the ground and the street decorations are not up yet, but Moscow is beginning to get into the holiday spirit. And that means: holiday markets and bazaars. Here are the harbingers of shopping to come.

IWC Winter Bazaar

For the 28th year in a row, the International Women’s Club is holding its Winter Bazaar in the Radisson Slavyanskaya Hotel on Sat. Nov. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year over 40 embassies and 20 companies will be selling all sorts of must-have items: handcrafts and jewelry; clothes, sweaters, scarves and hats and mittens and gloves; and works of art. This is definitely the place to find something unusual and original. It’s also a great place to stock up on holiday spirits (like Armenian brandy) and coffee from places like Columbia where they really know their coffee, or to fill your pantry with specialty foods like jalapeno peppers and tamarind paste that you can’t always find in Moscow.

Don’t worry if all these delicacies make you hungry — there will be plenty of vendors selling homemade food from around the world.

All proceeds from the sales go to charities that the International Women’s Club supports, largely to help vulnerable children — children living in poverty, in orphanages or institutions, or with critical illnesses. The group has, in particular, supported the Speransky Children’s Hospital, which helps children with burns, for many years. Last year they were able to provide over 6 million rubles to these charities.

Entry tickets are 400 rubles for adults (kids under 10 get in free). Tip: come early. Over 4,000 shoppers usually come to the bazaar!

2 Europe Square. Metro Kievskaya. iwcmoscow.ru

St. Andrews Church Christmas Bazaar

The following weekend on Sat. Dec. 2 St. Andrews Church is holding its annual Christmas bazaar from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Here you can find gifts, toys, cards, books and other items to fill stockings and wrap up to place under the tree. This is also the Moscow source for mince pies, what every soul from Albion knows is essential for Christmas dinner. To get you into the Christmas spirit there will be Christmas carols, raffles, refreshments and other entertainment for shoppers big and small. You can also marvel at this little piece of England, with garden, rectory and grand church just steps from Tverskaya Ulitsa and Red Square.

8 Voznesensky Pereulok. Metro Teatralnaya, Tverskaya. moscowanglican.org

Dreams of Moscow

The Museum of Moscow is kicking off the season on Sat. and Sun. Dec. 2 and 3 with a winter festival called Dreams of Moscow. The courtyard will have a food court, huge Christmas tree, choirs singing and plenty of entertainment for kids. Inside there will be concerts, mini-plays and a Christmas market. There will be one-of-a-kind gifts, and both at the market and in the museum shops — books, postcards, calendars and other paraphernalia all about Moscow. Bring the whole family — and while Grandma watches the kids, Mom and Dad can do some stealthy Christmas shopping. From 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.

2 Zubovsky Bulvar. Metro Park Kultury. + (495) 739 0008. mosmuseum.ru

Right up until Dec. 31 The Moscow Times will keep you up to date on pop-up markets, charity fairs, and festivals. Follow us on Twitter (@MoscowTimes) and Telegram (https://t.me/mtlive) for updates! Got your own photos to share? Tag us on Instagram with #themoscowtimes.

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