Get in the Holiday Spirit at the Grand Rapids Christkindl Markt

One-of-a-Kind Gifts

More than 45 outdoor vendor booths at the Christkindl Markt offer a tremendous array of items for holiday decorating and gift giving, including ornaments, stocking stuffers, apparel, textiles, pottery, soaps, candles, jewelry, handmade goods and more. You’ll find giftable goods made by artisans in Estonia, Germany, Mexico, Poland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and right here in West Michigan.

You’ll also find delectable food gifts for purchase – including candies, chocolates, cocktail kits, coffee cakes, cookies, fudge, honey, macarons, stollen, vinegars and even dog treats. There are even more shopping options inside the Downtown Market, where 20+ artisan food vendors and restaurants offer everything from wine, charcuterie and sweet treats for your holiday parties to meats, seafood, oils and spices for your holiday cooking. 

Mouthwatering Food & Drink

The Christkindl Markt is a place to eat, drink and be merry, with an array of delicious handheld treats and holiday beverages available to enjoy as you stroll around. Many European cuisines are represented among the sausages, crepes, waffles, pastries and sandwiches offered – including Belgian frites, German brats, Italian porchetta, Polish pierogies and Alpine-style melted Raclette cheese sandwiches, a perennial Market favorite.

Close-to-home cuisine is offered by local favorites like Farmhaus Farms (serving donuts and funnel cakes), Chewie Bitez (chili and soups) and Vivant Brewery & Spirits (housemade root beer and orange cream soda).

A glass-enclosed Bavarian-style beverage hall serves hot cocoa, hot cider, glühwein – a traditional European hot spiced wine – and an exclusive, locally brewed Christmas beer. You can get bubbles and eggnog drinks at the second-floor Greenhouse bar inside the Downtown Market. There are outdoor bars nestled amidst the charming wooden vendor stalls, too!

Commemorative Glassware

Each year, the Christkindl Markt introduces a new set of commemorative glassware – a beer stein, mug, bubbles glass and eggnog glass – all custom-designed by the Christkindl Markt team and authentically crafted in Germany. They’re great keepsakes of your Markt experience and they entitle you to a discount on beverage refills – not just the day you buy them, but all season long. You can even bring in glassware from a previous season for refill pricing!

Just don’t hesitate if you see a glass you like – select styles have sold out in past years.

Private Alpenglobes

Gather your friends, family or co-workers and reserve a private Alpenglobe for an enchanting holiday get-together. These unique ‘globes offer a heated and enclosed atmosphere surrounded by panoramic Markt views. Each Alpenglobe accommodates up to eight people for a three-hour period during which you can come and go as you please. You can enjoy optional food-and-drink table service or sit down with food you’ve purchased from Christkindl Markt and Downtown Market vendors.

Make your reservations for a private Alpenglobe.

Plan on popping the question this holiday season? Start your future together with an iconic proposal in a private Alpenglobe. The Alpenglobe Engagement Package includes a three-hour Alpenglobe reservation, one dozen roses, a personalized ornament, cheese & charcuterie board, handmade bon bons and a bottle of celebratory champagne (as long as you’re 21+).

Curling

Slide into the holiday season with a classic cold-weather activity that dates back to 16^th century Scotland. Put together your team and host a friendly (and frosty) competition of curling at the Christkindl Markt. You’ll play on a 38-foot synthetic “ice” curling sheet located on the second-floor outdoor terrace of the Downtown Market, overlooking the Christmas village.

Each curling sheet comes with eight curling stones to accommodate up to eight people for one hour of play. Make your reservation for a curling sheet.

Festive Fun for All Ages

More than 247,000 people from 49 states attended the 2025 Christkindl Markt to shop, eat, drink and enjoy family-friendly entertainment amidst twinkling lights and lavish decorations. The Markt is in downtown Grand Rapids, just a short walk away from 13 downtown hotels and 300+ shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. Come for the Markt, stay for all the joys of the season in Grand Rapids – including ENLIGHTEN at Meijer Gardens (Nov 23-Jan 10), named America’s #3 Best Botanical Gardens Holiday Lights, and the Christmas Lite Show (Nov 25-Jan 2), a drive-thru display of more than two million lights and 70 animated displays in LMCU Ballpark.

Visit our Holiday Events page to find more things to see and do during your Grand Rapids trip. Select your desired date(s) at the left side of the page on the web, or click Filter/Sort on your mobile device to get started.

Christkindl Markt 2026 Hours

The Christkindl Markt is open from 11am-8pm Wednesdays; 11am-9pm Thursdays and Fridays; 10am-9pm Saturdays; and 10am-8pm Sundays.

Special hours are in effect Nov 25 (10am-5pm), Dec 21-23 (11am-9pm) and Dec 24 (10am-3pm). The Markt is closed Nov 26 (Thanksgiving Day).

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