USA TODAY 10Best
Carmel Christkindlmarkt wins Best Holiday Market title
Best Holiday Market (2019)
You don’t need a passport to have a traditional Christmas market experience. Christmas markets are a holiday tradition from Europe brought over to North America by immigrants who moved across the Atlantic. Today, cities and towns across the country host holiday markets inspired by those of Germany, complete with traditional food, music and holiday treats.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Holiday Market are as follows:
- Kerstmarkt - Holland, Mich.
- Christmas Village in Philadelphia - Philadelphia
- Vancouver Christmas Market - Vancouver
- Downtown Holiday Market - Washington, DC
- European Christmas Market - St. Paul
- Mifflinburg Christkindl Market - Mifflinburg, Penn.
- Old World Christmas Market - Elkhart Lake, Wis.
- Georgetown Christmas Market - Georgetown, Colo.
- Bethlehem Christkindlmarkt - Bethlehem, Penn.
- Carmel Christkindlmarkt - Carmel, Ind.
No. 10:
Holland, Michigan is best known for its spring tulips, but Kerstmarkt offers a good reason to visit in the winter. For three weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas, some 18 booths set up at 8th Street Market Place, selling holiday decorations, gifts and seasonal treats.
Photo courtesy of Christmas Village in Philadelphia
No. 9:
This holiday season, Philadelphia's Love Park will once again host a German-style Christmas market. Christmas Village in Philadelphia includes more than 80 tradition wooden booths where international vendors will sell ornaments, hand-crafted gifts, jewelry and traditional German treats, like mulled wine, bratwurst, gingerbread and waffles. It's a perfect setting for a holiday photo op with the iconic LOVE statue, located right at the heart of the market.
Photo courtesy of Lindsay Elliott / Vancouver Christmas Market
No. 8:
The Vancouver Christmas Market includes more than 80 huts selling authentic German treats and treasures at the seaside Jack Poole Plaza. Features of the event include a Christmas carousel, walk-in Christmas tree, lover’s lane light installation and festive cocktails at the WunderBAR.
Photo courtesy of Downtown Holiday Market
No. 7:
DC's Downtown Holiday Market celebrates its fifteenth installment in 2019. More than 150 regional vendors set up shop in the nation's capital, selling a variety of hand-crafted and boutique wares, while bands and singers representing a wide swathe of musical styles entertain.
Photo courtesy of Mike Krivit / European Christmas Market
No. 6:
Each winter, St. Paul’s Union Depot transforms into the European Christmas Market, a free event inspired by the open-air markets of Germany and Austria. Vendors sell handmade gifts and decorations, as well as European-inspired foods and drinks. Polish dancers, accordian players and holiday singers provide live entertainment.
Photo courtesy of iStock / Gorfer
No. 5:
The 31st annual Mifflinburg Christkindl Market claims to be the oldest authentic Christkindl market in the nation. What started as 20 odd huts had expanded to more than 100 crafts and food vendors welcoming thousands of visitors each holiday season. Live entertainment and kids activities round out the weekend menu.
Photo courtesy of The Osthoff Resort
No. 4:
This holiday season marks the 22nd installment of the Old World Christmas Market in Elkhart Lake. This annual event takes place at The Osthoff Resort, where for 10 days, visitors can shop for specialty items in heated tents, munch on bratwurst and roasted almonds, sip hot glühwein and visit with Father Christmas.
Photo courtesy of Historic Georgetown
No. 3:
For two weekends each December, visitors to Colorado can take a break from skiing for a visit to the Georgetown Christmas Market. The aroma of roasted chestnuts fills the air of this charming and historic mountain town, while visitors enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides, visits with St. Nick, carolers in Victorian garb and a procession of Saint Lucia staged daily.
Photo courtesy of ArtsQuest / Christkindlmarkt
No. 2:
It's only fitting that a town named Bethlehem would have a stellar Christmas festival. This Pennsylvania town, nicknamed Christmas City, celebrates the season with an old world-style Christkindlmarkt. Visitors can shop from more than 150 vendors, enjoy live performances, visit St. Nicholas or attend workshops and demonstrations in ice carving, glassblowing and ornament-making.
Photo courtesy of Carmel Christkindlmarkt
No. 1:
The Carmel Christkindlmarkt brings a bit of Saxony, Germany to Indiana during this annual festive event. The market features the only Glühwein Pyramid in the U.S., standing 33 feet tall with more than 3,000 lights.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning holiday markets!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Corinne Whiting
Corinne hails from the other Washington, where she... Read More
Corinne hails from the other Washington, where she caught the travel bug early on. Corinne studied abroad in Strasbourg, France (undergrad) and in Edinburgh, Scotland (graduate school). She's backpacked around Australia, taught English in Argentina and explored (so far!) countries from Cambodia and Egypt to Turkey and China. Corinne served as associate editor at Where magazine for five years; as a freelancer, she now writes for publications like National Geographic Traveler and Amtrak's OnTrak. Here in the lovely Northwest, she's attempting to debunk the rain myths, up her coffee and live music quotient and find her Zen near/on the water.
Corinne Whiting
Corinne hails from the other Washington, where she caught the travel bug early on. Corinne studied abroad in Strasbourg, France (undergrad) and in Edinburgh, Scotland (graduate school). She's backpacked around Australia, taught English in Argentina and explored (so far!) countries from Cambodia and Egypt to Turkey and China. Corinne served as associate editor at Where magazine for five years; as a freelancer, she now writes for publications like National Geographic Traveler and Amtrak's OnTrak. Here in the lovely Northwest, she's attempting to debunk the rain myths, up her coffee and live music quotient and find her Zen near/on the water.
Jacky Runice
Born in Bucktown when bulletproof was a home... Read More
Born in Bucktown when bulletproof was a home safety choice and not a coffee order, Jacky Runice has been knocking around Chicago as a professional print, online and broadcast journalist and editor specializing in separating the riff from the raff in culture, entertainment, food, travel and pure unadulterated fun. Jacky is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA). In her best Chicagoese, Jacky asks, "Who has the time or money to blow on hotels, attractions, restaurants, exhibits and activities that blow?"
Jacky Runice
Born in Bucktown when bulletproof was a home safety choice and not a coffee order, Jacky Runice has been knocking around Chicago as a professional print, online and broadcast journalist and editor specializing in separating the riff from the raff in culture, entertainment, food, travel and pure unadulterated fun. Jacky is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA). In her best Chicagoese, Jacky asks, "Who has the time or money to blow on hotels, attractions, restaurants, exhibits and activities that blow?"
Marla Cimini
Marla is a writer with a passion for travel, music... Read More
Marla is a writer with a passion for travel, music and culinary adventures (and combining those whenever possible)! As an avid globetrotter, she encourages respecting and learning about other cultures while traveling. She has visited Hawaii multiple times, and has explored destinations worldwide, including the Mediterranean region, South America, Asia and more. Marla is a contributor to Fodor’s Hawaii guidebooks (Oahu and Kauai 2020) and her articles have appeared in a number of international publications. She calls New Jersey (Philadelphia area) home. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter and read her travel tips and adventures on her website.
Marla Cimini
Marla is a writer with a passion for travel, music and culinary adventures (and combining those whenever possible)! As an avid globetrotter, she encourages respecting and learning about other cultures while traveling. She has visited Hawaii multiple times, and has explored destinations worldwide, including the Mediterranean region, South America, Asia and more. Marla is a contributor to Fodor’s Hawaii guidebooks (Oahu and Kauai 2020) and her articles have appeared in a number of international publications. She calls New Jersey (Philadelphia area) home. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter and read her travel tips and adventures on her website.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
