Photo Credit: Gorfer
Germany spent nearly six centuries perfecting the Christmas market, and more than 2,500 open there each winter. Kennebunkport, Maine, gave the tradition its own twist and used a lobster boat to do it.
Santa rides that boat into Dock Square each December, and his arrival says a lot about how Americans approach the tradition. Towns keep the glühwein and gingerbread, then build the rest around their own history. Several of the best-known U.S. markets also reach milestone anniversaries this season, making 2026 a good year to see the results.
Kennebunkport's Christmas Prelude Turns 45
The seaside village spends nearly two weeks of December in full holiday dress for its 45th annual Christmas Prelude, held Dec. 3-13 this year. Hundreds of volunteers decorate the village with garlands and wreaths, many finished with seashells that make the coastal setting hard to miss.
Santa makes his entrance with a pair of helpers known as lobster elves. Candlelight caroling at the Franciscan Monastery offers a quieter side of the celebration, and families are treated to a holiday fireworks after dark.
Dock Square's historic storefronts and galleries become part of the shopping scene, with craft fairs offering handmade Maine goods. HGTV once named Kennebunkport the No. 2 Christmas town in America.
Where to Stay in Kennebunkport During the Prelude
Travelers who want to stay in the middle of the action can book the Kennebunkport Inn, which sits directly on Dock Square. Its restaurant, The Burleigh, becomes the Tinsel Bar during the Prelude. The Boathouse Waterfront Hotel is a short walk away overlooking the Kennebunk River, and Cape Arundel Inn & Resort offers ocean views and a shuttle into the festivities.
Leavenworth Glows as Washington's Christmastown
Leavenworth, Washington, has an unusual backstory for a town now known for Christmas lights. The community nearly became a ghost town after the railroad rerouted its line and the local logging economy faded. In the early 1960s, town leaders gave downtown a Bavarian makeover and began building festivals around the new identity.
The Christmas Lighting Festival grew from that transformation. Today, more than half a million lights cover the mountain town between Thanksgiving and the end of February. Christmastown festivities run Nov. 27-Dec. 24, with Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving at the downtown gazebo on weekend afternoons.
Visitors can bring a sled to Front Street Park and ride beneath the lights. The Festhalle offers a warm place to thaw out, with a gingerbread house exhibition and Santa costumes from around the world.
Chicago's Christkindlmarket Celebrates 30 Years
Chicago's Christkindlmarket takes its cues from Nuremberg's centuries-old market, and the 2026 season marks its 30th anniversary. The original market fills Daley Plaza in the Loop, where visitors sip glühwein among skyscrapers rather than half-timbered houses.
Two more locations open the same day, Nov. 20, at Gallagher Way beside Wrigley Field and RiverEdge Park in suburban Aurora. Organizers expect Aurora to be the largest of the three, while the Wrigleyville market stays open through New Year's Eve.
Denver's Christkindlmarket Marks 25 Years
Denver's Christkindlmarket celebrates its 25th anniversary this season at the Tivoli Quad on Auraria Campus. The larger site has room for more vendor huts and a restored Western Carousel, along with glass-ornament workshops where visitors can make their own holiday keepsake.
Admission is free, and the market runs Nov. 20-Dec. 23. Organizers plan to reveal this year's limited-edition glühwein mug and stein in late October, giving collectors a new keepsake to hunt down.
Texas Christkindl Market Honors a German Friendship
Arlington's Texas Christkindl Market grew from the city's more than 74-year relationship with Bad Königshofen, its sister city in Germany. Now in its 15th year, the market sets up on the North Plaza of Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers, with free admission.
Shoppers can find ornaments from Käthe Wohlfahrt, the Christmas retailer based in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medieval German town and Arlington's friendship city. The market opens Nov. 20, followed by a tree lighting on Black Friday.
Bethlehem's Christkindlmarkt Sets Up Beside Old Steel Furnaces
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has a name practically made for December. Its Christkindlmarkt trades the usual town square for the SteelStacks campus, where the blast furnaces of the former Bethlehem Steel plant tower over the vendor stalls.
ArtsQuest calls the event one of the nation's largest and most-attended Christmas markets. Unlike most markets on this list, Bethlehem operates only on weekends between Nov. 13 and Dec. 20, and admission requires a ticket..
Bryant Park Winter Village Opens Early in New York
New York's Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park opens its 25th season Oct. 28, weeks before most Christmas markets get underway. More than 180 vendors fill the Holiday Shops through Jan. 3.
The 17,000-square-foot rink charges nothing to skaters who bring their own blades. Skating continues through Feb. 28, 2027, giving the winter village a longer season than the markets tied more closely to Christmas.
Planning a Christmas Market Trip Closer to Home
Most of these markets charge nothing at the gate, leaving more of the travel budget for glühwein and handmade ornaments. Travelers who want the lights without peak crowds can take a cue from Leavenworth and visit after Christmas, when the decorations stay up but the busiest days have passed.
Germany still hosts more than 2,500 Christmas markets each winter, and Dresden's Striezelmarkt traces its roots to 1434. Yet no German market can claim a spot in the shadow of a baseball stadium or a Santa who comes ashore on a lobster boat.
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