Arts and crafts holiday markets have become quite popular in the Catskills over the past few years, to catch on a rising trend of shopping local, artisanal products.

Bard College

Prestigious Bard College is hosting its own annual Arts & Crafts Fair this Friday, December 5 from 11 am to 6 pm at Bertelsmann Center in Anandale-on-Hudson. The “Art and Craft of the Book,” presented by H.A.S. Beane Books, is part of the Bard fair this year. H.A.S. Beane Books, located in Red Hook, NY, specializes in Art Nouveau fine bindings, signed editions, art monographs, vintage sheet music, classic literature, foreign literature, and vintage children’s books. At the Bard fair this year they will showcase the art of book binding, book design, cover art, and classic book illustration. For more information click here.

Roxbury Arts Center  

This Saturday, December 6, from 10 am to 5 pm Roxbury Arts Center will host a Local Arts Market, featuring some of the best Catskills’ artists and artisans. Local Arts Markets will have up for sale products by BEautifulreflections, Esopus Botanicals, Lisbeth Firmin’s Tractor Paintings, Nancy Gelman / Gemesis, products from Locust Grove Soap Company, Malaprop Designs, Moody’s Mountain Medica, Tabitha Gilmore-Barnes Studio, Candace Rudd and Carmen Lopez, and much more.

Also, a “Small Works” exhibit featuring over thirty local artists will open at the Walt Meade Gallery at RAG on December 6, and running through January 3, 2015. The exhibit will include works by: Jessica Aaronson, Judy Abbott, Charles Bremer, Jane Carr, Beth Caspar, Marie Cummings, Louis D’Amico, Neil Driscoll, Tabitha Gilmore-Barnes, Elaine Grandy, Kevin Gray, Walter Gurbo, Oneida Hammond, Doug Jamieson, Nina Jordan, Sabine Koengeter, Margaret Leveson, Patrice Lorenz, Helene Manzo, Amy Masters, Rhiannon Radu, William Waggoner, Ros Welchman, and Ellen Wong. This is a cash and carry exhibit. For more information, go to http://roxburyartsgroup.org/2013/01/24/december-6-local-arts-market/.

Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild

Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild is hosting its “5 by 7” holiday fundraiser show with a preview on Friday, December 5 from 5 to 7 pm. All the works in this show are exhibited anonymously, so the only criterion for picking a piece remains its quality and visual appeal. There are close to 300 pieces up for sale. Participating artists include Lila Bacon, Vincent Bilotta, Rita Berman, Patti Ferrara, Richard Edelman, Carol Field, Yale Epstein, Mary Frank, Heather Hutchison, Mark Thomas Kanter, and many more. For details, visit http://www.woodstockguild.org/exhibitions/5-by-7-show-2014/.

Woodstock Framing Gallery

Still in Woodstock, Framing Gallery is presenting “Mix It Up,” a small works exhibit by ten artists: Stuart Klein, Bill Mead, Karen O’Neil, and others. The reception will take place Saturday, December 6 from 5 to 7 pm. The show will run through March 1, 2015. For more information, go to http://wfggallery.com/.

Ulster Ballet Company

Also Friday, Saturday and Sunday Ulster Ballet Company is performing “A Christmas Carol,” an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale; the performance has been offered every year for the past two decades. Performances are scheduled this year at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston at 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 2 pm on Sunday. For more information, visit http://ulsterballet.org/.

Hudson Winter Walk

Hudson Opera House, located in the former Hudson City Hall, built in 1855, the oldest theatre in New York State still in existence, takes part in the Hudson Winter Walk every year in December. This year the event will take place Saturday, December 6 from 5 to 8 pm. The walk, one mile long on Warren Street, is a festive event encompassing a variety of activities – live performances, face painting, stilt walkers, Mr. and Mrs. Santa parade, and other fun activities. All the shops, beautifully decorated, will be open throughout the entire evening. The festivities will conclude with a fireworks display launched from Promenade Hill. For more details about this event, visit http://hudsonoperahouse.org. Also, there is more information here.

Chronogram Dance Party

Chronogram magazine is hosting a Holiday Dance party this Saturday, December 6 at 8 pm on Abeel Street in Kingston. For more information about this event, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/734237793325058/permalink/750369721711865/.