By Fatma Younis
Christmas markets are opening across the United States this month, offering visitors artisanal gifts, festive foods, and holiday entertainment in cities from coast to coast. Most markets run from mid-November through late December, with some extending into early January.
Chicago hosts three Christkindlmarket locations, including Daley Plaza and Wrigleyville, celebrating the market's 30th anniversary with hand-blown glass ornaments, potato pancakes, bratwurst, and glühwein. New York City features multiple markets, such as Bryant Park Winter Village with a free-admission ice rink, Union Square Holiday Market, and an indoor market in Grand Central's Vanderbilt Hall.
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, known as "Christmas City, USA," sets its market against the historic SteelStacks blast furnaces, offering ice-carving demonstrations and Käthe Wohlfahrt ornaments. Cincinnati's Christkindlmarkt adds igloo-style private domes along the riverfront, while Kansas City's Hallmark Christmas Experience includes holiday movie marathons and a signature ornament from actor Tyler Hynes.
Other notable markets include San Antonio's Holidays on Houston Street with over 390,000 LED lights, Philadelphia's Christmas Village with a 30-foot German pyramid, Pittsburgh's Peoples Gas Holiday Market decorated with 150,000 LED lights, Grand Rapids' Christkindl Markt featuring heated Alpenglobes, Washington DC's DowntownDC Holiday Market in its 22nd year, Elkhart Lake's Old World Christmas Market at The Osthoff Resort, and Denver's Christkindlmarket celebrating its 25th anniversary with a new carousel and glass ornament workshop.
