Hand-made ornaments, the smell of mulled wine, twinkling lights, live entertainment, and sweet and savory treats draw shoppers to holiday market overseas. Thankfully, outdoor markets are becoming more of a tradition stateside, giving you wonderful alternatives to big-box stores and busy shopping malls. Charter a flight and take a weekend trip to a holiday market to take care of everyone on your gift list. Don’t forget to pick out a something for yourself.
U.S. Holiday Markets to Fly to in a Private Jet
New York City, New York
New York, NY, is home to two popular holiday markets: the Union Square Holiday Market and Winter Village. A staple since 1994, the Union Square Holiday Market attracts more than one million shoppers. In 2018, it opens on November 15 and will feature more than 150 vendors selling unique gifts under the iconic red and white tents. You’ll also find a warming station, a lounge, live music, and an art studio for children.
The Winter Village at Bryant Park surrounds the iconic ice skating rink with “jewel box” kiosks with more than 125 vendors selling glass art, fine jewelry, great food and more. In 2018, the holiday market opens on October 27.
Washington, D.C.
The Downtown Holiday Market in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum & National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., features more than 150 rotating vendors offering diverse gifts, including pottery, textiles, paintings and photo prints. Only 60 vendors offer goods each day, making the selection you find one day to the next different. In 2018, the Holiday Market opens on November 23.
Chicago, Illinois
Inspired by the holiday market found in Nüremberg, Germany, Chicago’s Christkindlmarkt in the Loop’s Daley Plaza offers a variety of German foods and beverages, diverse entertainment, and gifts. Like in Germany, you’ll find Erzgebirge wood carvings and pyramids, lace from Plauen, Black Forest cuckoo clocks and glass ornaments from Lauschaer. The market opens on November 16, 2018.
A similar Christkindlesmarkt opens in Naperville on November 23, 2018.
Bethlehem, PA
Bethlehem, a tradition-rich town, hosts Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem, one of the most authentic holiday markets stateside. As Christmas music fills the air, you’ll wander past handmade nutcrackers, collectibles and handmade ornaments from Germany, as well as food stalls, ice carving demonstrations, and glass blowers. The Hot Glass Experience allows you to try your hand at making your own glass ornaments. The holiday market in “Christmas City” begins on November 16, 2018.
The three-day Mifflinburg Christkindl Market in Mifflinburg begins on December 13, 2018. Philadelphia’s Christmas Village opens on November 22, 2018.
San Francisco, California
Visit a recreation of Victorian London during the Great Dickens Christmas Fair, where the Cow Palace Exhibition Halls are filled with illuminated lamps, jolly actors and dancers dressed in period ware, and warming draft ale and mulled wine pubs. Throughout the winding lanes, you’ll find unique shops, vendors selling chestnuts, and stage activities. The fun begins on November 17, 2018.
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Get a taste of how other countries celebrate the holidays at Elkhart Lake’s Old World Christmas Market. The traditional German-Style market at the Osthoff Resort offers shops selling Russian nesting dolls and hand-painted Santas, hand-carved German smokers and nutcrackers, Czech blown-glass ornaments, stained glass art, handmade silver, and amber jewelry, Turkish pashmina shawls and scarves, Estonia woolens, Plauen lace, kissing balls and more. The market opens on November 30, 2018.
More Great Holiday Markets in the U.S.
- Christkindl Market in Denver, CO
- Georgetown Christmas Market in Georgetown, CO
- Tomball German Christmas Market in Tomball, TX
- Christmas Village in Baltimore, MD
- Texas Christkindl Market in Arlington, TX
- Cincideutsch Christkindlmarkt in Cincinnati, OH