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

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