Published December 8, 2023
8 min read
Europe, especially Germany, is rightly famed for its Christmas markets that bring a fairy tale sense of wonder to the season. But you don’t have to journey abroad for holiday magic—these fairs in the United States showcase European-style festivities while celebrating their cities’ cultural heritage.
Kerstmarkt, Holland, Michigan
Through December 16
Founded by Dutch immigrants in the 1840s roughly 30 miles from Grand Rapids, Holland is a pocket of the Netherlands in the U.S. The town even sports a wooden shoe factory. “The Dutch culture is alive and well in the community, featuring the Tulip Time festival in May and buildings like our working windmill that reflect the Dutch heritage,” says resident Kris Van Haitsma.
Holland’s Kerstmarkt (Dutch for Christmas market) has been a beloved annual tradition for 26 years. Wooden booths fill the 8th Street Marketplace downtown, offering goods from area producers. Look for handmade items from pens to brooms and wool socks from a sheep farm, says Van Haitsma, whose Mud Lake Farm whips up an elderberry chai soda just for the Kerstmarkt.
Along with finding one-of-a-kind gifts, you can sample Dutch delicacies like stroopwafels (caramel-filled waffle cookies); meet Sinterklaas, the Dutch Santa Claus; and listen to handbell concerts and carolers dressed in Dickens-era attire.
Texas Christkindl Market, Arlington, Texas
Through December 23
Arlington, Texas, knows all about the spirit of giving. The city “adopted” the Bavarian town of Bad Königshofen in 1951, sending much-needed supplies of food and clothing to refugees fleeing East Germany. A close relationship continues to this day; the sister cities each have a park named after the other.
That history inspired the annual Texas Christkindl Market, now in its 13th year. Arlington partners with another German town, Rothenburg ob der Tauber—considered one of the most enchanting places in Bavaria—to bring holiday magic and European charm to Texas. The event’s biggest vendor, Käthe Wohlfahrt, is also Germany’s largest Christmas goods company. Based in Rothenburg, it produces traditional German decorations, such as delicate glass ornaments, wooden toys, and nutcrackers. While browsing the wares, don’t miss a performance by the Swiss Longhorns, a famed quartet playing 12-foot-long alphorns.
(Here are the best places in the world to visit in December.)
Christkindlmarkt, Carmel, Indiana
Through December 24
The Glühwein Pyramid, a tiered wooden structure strung with lights, is a hallmark of Christmas markets in Germany. The same could be said of this market in the town of Carmel, located just north of Indianapolis. Carmel’s 33-foot-tall, 10-ton version sparkles with 3,000 bulbs, forming the centerpiece of the painstakingly detailed event.
The chief goal is authenticity, says Maria Murphy, the market’s CEO. “The Carmel Christkindlmarkt from its inception has always aimed to recreate the experience of visiting a market in a small town in Germany,” she says.