We are glad you are back and hope you enjoy the Denver Christkindl Market and experience a bit of our German Christmas Spirit in Denver!

Denver City Hall in holiday spririt.

 

Relive a centuries old German tradition when the 11th annual Denver Christkindl Market kicks off on Friday, November 25, 2011, in connection with Downtown Denver’s Grand Illumination and the Parade of Lights. This typical German Christmas market at Skyline Park along the 16th Street Mall will continue through December 23.

The year 2011 again brings the sites, sounds and flavors of the holiday season with a German flair to the 16th Street Mall. Music, holiday lights and typical vendor cabins will dot Skyline Park area across from the Daniels & Fisher Clock Tower. 

Be sure to see the Christkindl in person during the official opening ceremony on Saturday, November 26, 2011, beginning at 5:00 p.m. The opening ceremony includes:

• Opening Remarks by local representatives
• Musical performances by local groups
• TEV Edelweiss’ award winning Schuhplatters
• The Christkind arrival and prologue

The Christkind (Christ Child which is pronounced /krist-kint/) is the traditional bringer of gifts on Christmas Eve in German speaking areas of Europe and in appearance takes the form of  an angel or sprite-like being usually depicted with blond hair and angelic wings. 

We are already arranging a great entertainment schedule with dozens of community and high school groups who will perform or sing throughout the festival. 

The market includes vendors, from Germany and other European countries, as well as local artisans, offering offer quality, handcrafted gift items including such as traditional hand-carved wooden figurines, handmade candles, and ornaments. Traditional German food, bratwurst, potato pancakes, goulash and apple strudel will tempt your taste buds. Sip on warm Glühwein (spiced mulled wine) as you listen to traditional Christmas carols or you can toast your friends with an authentic German Bier! 

This year’s market will be larger and better with more vendors than in 2009 offering their wares. The market’s normal hours from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, with extended hours for the Parade of Lights on December 2 and 3. 

“The Denver Christkindl Market is a great event for kids of all ages from toddlers to 100 years old. The German American Chamber of Commerce – Colorado Chapter is 
proud to again host this great event and to help keep the rich German traditions alive in Denver,” according to Jesse Young, president of the German American COC. 

As early as the Middle Ages, German towns have held Christkindl markets, or Christ-child markets, in their town squares. The tradition of the Christkindl is widely observed throughout German-speaking countries including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and also parts of the Czech Republic, Italy, Liechtenstein. Depending on region and family tradition, either the Christkind or “Der Weihnachtsmann” (Father Christmas or Santa Claus) is the bearer of gifts for children on Christmas Eve.

 

During Advent, which runs approximately from our Thanksgiving holiday through Christmas Eve, rustic half-timber ("fachwerkhaus" appearance) booths draped with fragrant evergreen boughs, line the town squares in Germany. The best known Christkindl Market is in Nürnberg, Germany. Here vendors and artists sell items such as toys, blown-glass ornaments, cones of warm sugared almonds and steaming mugs of Glühwein to holiday shoppers. It’s a charming tradition, that is difficult to recreate in the United States. While we have the convenience of malls, not market squares, that has not stopped the German American Chamber of Commerce and the Denver Downtown Partnership from continuing a longstanding tradition, complete with St. Nickolas and Christkindl, the market’s namesake.

 

The Denver Christkindl Market is a production of the German Cultural Foundation of the Rocky Mountains and the German American Chamber of Commerce – Colorado Chapter, the initial contact for German companies considering business in the Rocky Mountain region, connecting German decision-makers with their U.S. counterparts.

For additional information about our Christkindl Market please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

 

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