Christkindlmarket Chicago 2023: Visiting The Chicago Christmas Markets!
Visiting the Christkindlmarket in Chicago IL, has been on my bucket list for a while now and finally I managed to tick it off when I visited for my 30th birthday! For those that haven’t heard of the Christkindlmarket, it’s a German Christmas Market, similar to the Christmas markets that are popular in Europe!
Chicago Christmas Markets
It runs from the middle of November until Christmas Eve and is held in Daley Plaza in the Loop District of Downtown Chicago! 2020 was Christkindlmarket Chicago’s 25th year!
Christkindlmarket Chicago 2023
The Christkindlmarket in Chicago is free to visit. It’s full of various stalls selling food, Christmas gifts and decorations! I spent a fortune finishing up my Christmas shopping and stuffing my face full of yummy treats!
I liked the way each stand was labelled with where they originate from. Some are local Midwestern businesses but there are some that come from Germany too!
Christkindlmarket Tip: Many of the stalls only accept cash. There are a couple of ATMS on site, otherwise come prepared with a pocket full of cash!
Christkindlmarket Chicago 2023 Dates
November 17th – December 24th
Things To Do at the Christkindlmarket
Christkindlmarket Chicago Mugs
Traditionally at European Christmas markets, they’ll have unique little mugs in which Gluhwein (mulled wine) is served in. Chicago is no different! Each year they have designs made just for that year!
2019 Christkindlmarket Chicago Mug
In 2018, the main mug design was heart shaped (like the heart shaped gingerbread cookies which I’ll talk about later) complete with a market ‘skyline’ and the year and location.
The 2018 market theme was ‘Ich Liebe Christkindlmarket’ which translates to ‘I love Christkindlmarket’
There was then a second design which was snowman shaped, aimed at the younger visitors!
I was a little surprised that not more stalls were serving Gluhwein, you had to go to a designated alcohol stall for the mulled wine and beer. The majority of the outdoor stands instead were serving hot chocolate or hot apple cider (non alcoholic) in the souvenir mugs.
If I remember correctly, a hot chocolate with whipped cream, served in one of the souvenir mugs was $7, with refills costing $2, or $3 with cream.
What To Eat
I also bought a Nurnberger brat in a crispy bread bun. Again it cost $7 but you did get 2 sausages instead of just one.
Carrying on with the food, I purchased one of the small decorated gingerbread hearts. They come in a range of sizes with different things written on them. To keep with the European-ness of the market, I bought one that said ‘Frohe Weihnacht‘ on it, which means ‘Merry Christmas’ in German!
The smallest heart was $6 and has 2 holes punched in it and is threaded with a piece of ribbon. I carried it around like a bag, with it hanging on my arm, but others were wearing them around their necks too! In Germany, these heart shaped Gingerbread cookies are called ‘Lebkuchenherzen’.
Christkindlmarket Passport
For kids, you can pick up a special Christkindlmarket Passport (read as ‘I picked up a passport for myself but I love anything passport themed…’). There are a few pages where you can go round to participating stalls and collect a ‘passport stamp’.
Once you get at least 5 different ones, you can give it into the Visitor Infomation stand and be in with a chance of winning some prizes.
The rest of the passport is full of word puzzles and games, focusing on teaching children different German Christmas words in a fun way!
Shopping at the Chicago Christmas Market
It’s worth wandering around the different shops and looking at the different items for sale! Lots of the items are handcrafted or hand painted, with many of the Christmas ornaments being made out of wood or glass. One stall was even offering free engraving to make the ornaments even more unique!
Other items for sale included warm hats, gloves and scarves. I hear AMAZING things about products that are made from alpaca wool.
(Here’s a side story for you! In 2008 I was a camp counsellor in upstate NYC. During the summer the camp would obviously operate as a summer camp, but in the winter they were an alpaca farm. During down time we’d be asked to get the alpaca ‘fleeces’ ready to be sent off to be made into clothing!)
They are expensive products but then you get what you pay for!
Other Things To Know about visiting
You can pick up a leaflet from the visitor infomation which provides you with a market layout with infomation on all the different vendors and a timetable of the special events happening on various dates.
The pigeons all hundled around the mini firepit were a bit like celebrities…so many people were taking pictures of them…and probably jealous of them being able to stand around the fire! (Someone then scared them and twenty odd pigeons flew directly at my head and made me scream…)
There are toilets at the Christkindlmarket and I thought it was great that they were actually porta potties BUT were inside a tent/marquee complete with a door!
I visited on a Monday in the early afternoon and even then it was quite busy but not unbearable. I’d imagine on a weekend it would get rather crowded as the Daley Plaza isn’t exactly a HUGE space.
Where is Christkindlmarket Chicago located?
As mentioned, Chicago’s Christkindlmarket is located at the Daley Plaza on the corner of Dearborn, Washington and Clark Street.
The nearest CTA train line is Washington on the Blue Line. The station exit pops up right next to the Christmas market! This was great for me as I find it easier (and cheaper) to park at or near O’Hare Airport when I visit Chicago and then get the train in. The airport is on the Blue Line too!
A single CTA pass LEAVING the Airport station is $5 (all other stations are $2.50) and is good for up to 3 journeys within 2 hours. I was able to use the same ticket to get back to the airport, without needing to buy another, WIN!
Opening Hours:
Sunday – Thursday 11am until 8pm
Friday – Saturday 11am until 9pm
If you’re visiting Chicago in December, it runs right up until December 24th so hopefully you’ll be able to catch it while in the city!
Other Christkindlmarket Events
The Christkindlmarket is worth considering if you are looking for Christmas things to do in Chicago! They’ve since opened at a 2nd location on the outskirts Chicago in Wrigleyville between Nov 17th – Dec 31st.
There is a 3rd Christkindlmarket in Aurora IL.
You can find out more about the Christkindlmarket events on their website.
Christmas Around The World
- To see another European country’s Christmas market traditions, check out my post: Visiting The Barcelona Christmas Market (Spain)
- Childhood Memories: British Christmas Traditions (UK)
- Expat Life: How to Have a British Christmas in America (Expat Christmas)
- Dubuque Christmas Events To Get You In The Christmas Spirit: Iowa (Iowa USA)
What are some of your favourite Christmas things to do in Chicago?
Inspired to visit the Christkindlmarket Chicago Christmas Market?
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Last Updated on February 27, 2024
One of these years, I need to brave the Chicago winter and head to the Christkindlmarket. I soooooo miss everything about them from the time I lived in Germany!
I was lucky that we hit it on a day that was 32f! I feel the same though, it’s like my little connection to Europe!
Update! We’re going next Thursday. Soooooooo excited!
Oh my goodness, YES. Always love a Christmas Market 🙂
Yay! Me too! I tend to go more for the food rather than the items!
Looks like fun! My husband grew up near Chicago (and I in Iowa!) so we go back to the Midwest every year for Christmas, but we haven’t made it to downtown Chicago yet! Must get to it one of these years
Yay! I always felt it was a long way JUST to go to the market (3 hours and then like another 40mins odd on the train) but we were flying through o’hare while it was on so perfect opportunity!
I’ve been downtown so many times and walking near the market and never gone! WAH! One year I need to go down JUST to see this!! It looks amazing and so delightfully festive!
They have various singing groups and performances too but we missed those!
I’ll be there this weekend! I’m so excited – I love Christmas markets!
Yay! That’s awesome!! Make sure you get a little mug, so cute! 😀
Thank you for mentioning the bathroom situation! I’m always anxious about that.
You’re welcome! It’s always something I like to know too!