While two of the Chicago area’s Christkindlmarkets have closed for the season, those wanting a Germany-style holiday experience aren’t out of luck.
The days are numbered, though.
The market’s location at Gallagher Way in Wrigleyville doesn’t wrap up its season until New Year’s Eve.
Its remaining hours for 2025 are below:
- Dec. 29 through 30 – 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31) – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Known for offering seasonal goods, German food and hot spiced wine, the markets have become one of the most popular holiday traditions in the region.
Chicago’s Christkindlmarket opened with locations at Daley Plaza, Gallagher Way and in suburban Aurora this year. But the Daley Plaza and Aurora markets closed on Christmas Eve as planned.
The Daley Plaza market captured headlines after the city of Chicago limited capacity to about 1,000 people at a time this season compared to 5,000 visitors on a typical day, the Chicago Tribune reported.
In late November, organizers said the newly-imposed capacity measures “for crowd management and safety” pose an “existential threat” to the future of the popular holiday event.
In response to backlash, the city upped the capacity limit to 2,500 visitors on Dec. 1. Multiple vendors told NBC Chicago the increase wasn’t good enough, with many still seeing steep declines in business.