Planning to eat at one of The Distillery District's many restaurants or bars sometime over the next month?

You can tack $6 onto your bill right now – per person – if you want to do it at a reasonable time without having to lineup.

The Toronto Christmas Market is now open for the 2017 holiday season, which is great news for the more than half-a-million people expected to partake in this year's festivities.

Scrooges with an affinity for El Catrin, Boku or Cluny, on the other hand, might be less than thrilled to learn that the entire neighbourhood has been annexed off for ticket buyers on weekends until the market wraps on December 23.

Three different restaurants in the Distillery District have confirmed that, for reasons beyond their control, patrons must pay entry to The Toronto Christmas Market in order to visit any establishment within the market's boundaries (so, the entire district).

The good news is that these rules only apply when the Christmas Market is charging entry – after 5 p.m. on Fridays and all weekend. It's still free to enter on weekdays.

Weekend tickets are also relatively inexpensive at $6 a pop, but you could get stuck waiting in line for up to an hour.

The Toronto Christmas Market is encouraging visitors to arrive during "non-peak times" this year – meaning not between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. – unless they pre-purchase an express ticket.

The express pass costs $20, but it will let you bypass the general admission entry line, which could potentially save you hours of waiting in the cold – and from eating dinner at 11 p.m. after getting your friends to meet up at 6 p.m.