If Hallmark Christmas movies and Harlequin romances warm the cockles of your heart, there’s no better place to be than home sweet home this holiday season.
Newmarket, with its many picturesque nooks and crannies, has been named one of the top 10 day trips to take over the Christmas holidays by online magazine Style Democracy
The town earned the honour for the sheer number of Christmas made-for-TV movies filmed here over the years.
The online magazine touts Newmarket as the “ultimate movie-lovers tour” and recommends visitors make stops at Fairy Lake, Little Brew Hops, the Holland Marsh Winery, and the Neon Flamingo Java and Ice Bar, which have all served as movie sets.
Newmarket’s own prolific film production and distribution company, Brain Power Studio, has the market locked with films such as Twinkle all the Way, Snowbound for Christmas, A Very Country Christmas, Christmas Wedding Planner, Hometown Holiday, Christmas in Paris, Christmas Recipe for Romance, and more.
“If you can’t get enough of those festive Christmas movies, then head to Newmarket to visit the town where some of them were filmed,” writes Style Democracy staff. “Newmarket is a no-brainer when it comes to an idyllic holiday-themed day trip.”
Brain Power Studio’s Christmas Wedding Planner, for instance, was filmed in 2017 and features scenes shot on Main Street, characters skating at Riverwalk Commons and eating at The Goulash House.
The Town of Newmarket says it has become an in-demand locale for movie-making due to its affordability, beautiful scenery, and quaint small-village feel in the historic downtown. As well, Southlake Regional Health Centre's iconic arch and walkway over Davis Drive can stand in for a futuristic big city.
Here are some of the other movies that have been filmed in Newmarket:
- Regression, starring Ethan Hawke and Emma Watson (2015)
- Carrie, starring Julianne Moore and Chloë Grace Moretz (2013)
- The Vow, starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams (2012)
- Dream House, starring Daniel Craig and Naomi Watts (2011)
- Repo Men, starring Forest Whitaker and Jude Law (2010)
- Flashpoint, starring Amy Jo Johnson and Hugh Dillon (2010)
Other communities that made Style Democracy’s list include downtown Oakville for its majestic and Instagrammable Christmas tree, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Algonquin Park, Blue Mountain, Toronto, Prince Edward County, and more.
~With files from Jenni Dunning
