Get ahead on holiday shopping early this year.

The Sugar Plum Food and Holiday Gift Mart will return next weekend so shoppers can get a start on the holiday gifts. The market at the Colorado Springs Event Center will host more than 120 vendors selling handmade goods, home decor, gourmet foods and more locally crafted items.

“It’s just one great big melting pot,” said Shelly Purcell, the Colorado Springs Sugar Plum show manager. “It’s right smack dab in the middle of the holidays coming up, so you have Halloween, you have Christmas and things like that. So what better way to get a jump on it.”

The show started in 2012. This year, Purcell is excited to welcome even more local artisan vendors with the expansion of table space.

“Really these vendors, a lot of them, have been with us multiple years, from start to finish. So it becomes one big happy family, and it’s our core,” Purcell said.

In addition to shopping, the event will host dance performances by Jillian’s School of Dance. The showings will be at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and at noon and 2 p.m. Sunday.

There also will be an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday. Those who join will be entered into a drawing to win four tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra performance in the Springs.

For those interested, a discount coupon on admission tickets are available at www.SugarPlumGiftMart.com.