Williamsburg Winter Village: Explore Brooklyn's new holiday market

Brooklyn has a new reason to get into the holiday spirit.

The inaugural Williamsburg Winter Village at the BK Backyard Bar in Greenpoint brings the charm of Manhattan’s bustling holiday markets to the borough, but with a cozier, more intimate feel. Visitors will find a rotating lineup of 10 to 20 vendors each weekend, with the village open Friday through Sunday throughout December, offering food, drinks and gifts to delight all ages.

Food influencer Rachel Brotman, known as @thecarboholic to her nearly 300,000 Instagram followers, personally selected her favorite local eateries to join the vendor lineup.

"It started as we were going to put on a hot chocolate festival ... and then we just started thinking bigger and bigger about how much we love winter festivities," Brotman said. "I post about restaurants, bakeries and sweet treats throughout New York City. Everything here is a bite that’s one of my favorites."

Organizer Jeremy Seaman, of Nue Movement Events, emphasized that the goal was not to compete with Manhattan’s markets. "We’re not trying to replicate Bryant Park. Travel to Bryant Park can be a pain. We just wanted to bring something to Brooklyn that’s never been here in the past."

The 17,000-square-foot venue at 151 Banker St. is transformed into a winter wonderland. A towering 20-foot Christmas tree anchors the space, surrounded by smaller festive trees, twinkling lights and a nine-foot sleigh perfect for photos. Live music fills the air on weekends, and Santa makes regular Sunday appearances. Tickets are $12 per person, ages 3 and up, and can be purchased online.

"We don’t make any money off vendors from sales. There is a small vendor fee but we wanted to be able to have small businesses here that may not be able to afford larger fees at other markets," Seaman said. "We also charge a fee to enter to avoid crowds and keep lines short."

A feast for the senses

Food is the heart of the Winter Village, and many vendors offer exclusive menu items. Most bites are priced between $5 and $15, and vendors are offering lower price points than usual, with free samples circulating for the first wave of visitors each time slot.

Warm up with Hale & Hearty (haleandhearty.com) chili mac and cheese ($10), bite into the spiced sweetness of a Noa (noaacafe.com) gingerbread cinnamon roll ($9), try sufganiyot doughnuts ($4) from Breads Bakery (breadsbakery.com) or sample Fillings (fillingsnyc.com) mini pie flights ($13), which includes three bite-sized slices of pie.

Cheese lovers will want to line up for the Raclette Street melted cheese sandwich ($14), where gooey imported Swiss cheese is scraped straight onto your bread or potatoes. Fans of classic comfort food can enjoy buffalo chicken fingers with fries and toast ($18) from Yankee Doodle Dandy's (yankeedoodledandys.com) or chicken birria tacos ($5 each) from Tacos Del Barrio, while chocolate devotees can sip Maury Rubin’s Color of Chocolate (colorofchocolate.com) hot chocolate ($7), crafted by the creator of City Bakery.

Holiday shopping is woven into the village experience, with locally crafted gifts like Lena Gianna Jewelry (shoplenagianna.com) and Alvea Every Day (alveaeveryday.com) Italian leather accessories. Shops rotate each weekend, making each visit a new opportunity to discover something special.

Things to do nearby

The Williamsburg Winter Village is tucked into the heart of Greenpoint, making it easy to extend your visit beyond the market. Grab with a sweet Polish treat at Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop (727 Manhattan Ave., peterpandonuts.com) or creamy gelato at Caffe Panna (16 Norman Ave., caffepanna.com), then browse vintage treasures at Dobbin Street Vintage Co-op (37 Norman Ave., dobbinstcoop.com), where retro home goods and quirky finds make for perfect holiday gifts.

For a playful twist, head to Sunshine Laundromat & Pinball (860 Manhattan Ave., sunshinelaundromat.com) a secret bar hidden inside a fully functioning laundromat. With 23 pinball machines and a lineup of local beers, it’s a festive stop that blends nostalgia with fun.

For skyline views, grab a rooftop cocktail at Arlo Williamsburg’s ART (96 Wythe Ave., arlohotels.com/williamsburg) or The William Vale Hotel’s Westlight (111 N. 12th St., thewilliamvale.com), both offering 360-degree vistas of Brooklyn and Manhattan. For a little adventure, test your skills at X Golf (105 N. 13th St., xgolfbrooklyn.com) or throw axes at NY Axe Throwing Range (98 N. 11th St., nyaxe.com).

Parking is available on the street or at a variety of garages nearby. The garage at 25 Kent Ave. offers 12-hour parking for $15 and is a four minute walk to the village.