Iowa State Bank | 2022 Bronze Sponsor
We’re excited to announce Iowa State Bank’s support of Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2022.
Iowa State Bank is proud to have called Des Moines home for over 80 years. They have five metro banking locations, along with Investment and Trust Departments providing strong wealth management services. Iowa State Bank has been committed to this community since opening their doors in 1941. Helping to support local organizations and giving their customers the best possible banking experience will always be their priority.
Lincoln Savings Bank | Annual Hut Sponsor
We’re pleased to welcome Lincoln Savings Bank as an Annual Hut Sponsor of Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2022.
Lincoln Savings Bank is owned and managed by Iowans and they’re committed to the Iowa communities they serve.
Lincoln Savings Bank (LSB) opened for business in 1902. These days, they’re a full-service bank offering deposit accounts, loans and other traditional services. They’re a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., have 17 branches and their assets total about $1.5 billion.
They operate a subsidiary, LSB Financial Services. This offshoot expands their services to include insurance, investments, trust and estate management, and more. Together, Lincoln Savings Bank and LSB Financial Services operate seamlessly to be your complete financial provider.
They also have a national footprint. LSBX provides a wide range of services to the rapidly growing financial technology industry. Clients include industry-leading firms such as Square Cash App, Qapital, M1 and Acorns.
In their century-plus transformation from a one-location agricultural bank to a diversified financial institution, LSB has enjoyed sustained growth while staying rooted in Iowa values. Today, they have banking and financial services offices throughout our home state.
GreenState Credit Union | Annual Hut Sponsor
We’re pleased to welcome GreenState Credit Union as an Annual Hut Sponsor of Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2022.
Organized in 1938, GreenState has grown to be Iowa’s largest credit union and one of the top financial institutions in the United States for returning profits to members in the form of better rates and lower fees. GreenState Credit Union serves over 255,000 members with 24 office locations.
Event Planning and Production Intern
| Organization: | Iowa European Cultural Connection (IECC) |
| Job Type/Description: | Event Planning and Production Intern, Christkindlmarket Des Moines (Remote) |
| Start/End Dates: | 1Apr2022 – 15Dec2022 |
| Schedule: | Monday – Friday, some evenings for optional, scheduled online meetings |
| Time Commitment: | Approximately 5 hours/week, scaling up to optional 8hrs/day during the festival and set up/tear down |
| Compensation: | Unpaid |
| Location: | Remote. Optional on-site support during the festival and set up/tear down: 28Nov2022 – 5Dec2022 |
You could be the next intern with Christkindlmarket Des Moines!
Who we are: The mission of IECC is to connect Iowans with European traditions, language learning and cultural experiences. Our signature event is Christkindlmarket Des Moines (CDM).
Inspired by a European tradition, Christkindlmarket Des Moines provides an outdoor venue for vendors to sell European handcrafted wares, foods and beverages from traditional wooden huts. Attendees learn about European culture through children’s activities, demonstrations & live entertainment. Since it began in 2016, CDM has grown to become the second largest festival of its kind in the US (based on average daily attendance). The popular outdoor event takes place at Principal Park’s Main Lot.
Here is your chance to build on your skills and turn what you’ve learned into support for a large-scale special event.
General Responsibilities
- Support all aspects of organizing the USs’ second largest holiday market on-site (optional) and virtually
- Assist with activities related to event planning and coordination, for example, the logistics behind the scenes, organizing entertainment for the market, and performing important administrative tasks
- Event marketing activities such as media outreach, graphic design and social media assistance
- Sponsorship research
- Optional on-site market support, including interacting with visitors, assisting with the support of vendor’s needs, and helping to prepare the venue for attendee experiences and performances
- Interact with visitors and attendees in person (optional) and virtually
Candidates should possess the following:
- Creativity, organization skills and attention to detail
- Good work ethic, ability to multi-task, positive attitude
- Ability to work in a deadline-driven environment
- Strong research, communication, and organizational skills (verbal and written)
- Strong interest in full-cycle event planning and behind the scenes logistics
- Good knowledge of Microsoft office programs, Dropbox, Google Drive and MailChimp are of advantage
- Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign are of advantage
- Strong customer service skills
This Internship will offer you the opportunity to become more familiar with large-scale, outdoor festival planning and production, working with external vendors, sponsors and volunteers. We hope you will help Christkindlmarket Des Moines deliver magic for the holidays!
To apply: Send resume to [email protected] along with one long-form writing sample (press release, blog post, etc.) and 5 short-form writing samples (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram posts).
2022 Call For Vendors
Iowa European Cultural Connection invites you to become a vendor at the 7th Annual Christkindlmarket Des Moines taking place December 1 – 4, 2022 at Principal Park.
This beloved, community-supported cultural experience attracts approximately 16,250 daily visitors from around the Midwest. (2021 total festival attendance: 65,000)
The quality of a traditional Christmas market depends on maintaining a high standard for the vendor products it offers. Christkindlmarket Des Moines is no different. We’re dedicated to immersing visitors in a world of folklore and craftsmanship as well as enticing them with traditional and seasonal culinary specialties.
Our vendor guide will give you an overview of the application process and requirements. As soon as you fill out the application, it will be reviewed internally. You will receive feedback by March 31, 2022 at the latest.
2022 Vendor Guide
2022 Vendor Application
2022 Electricity Request Form
We are interested in products typically offered at Christkindlmarkets throughout the world, which may include (but are not limited to): decorative fresh wreaths and centerpieces; one-of-a-kind handmade items; holiday ornaments of all colors, materials and sizes; nutcrackers; cuckoo clocks; beer steins; wooden toys; jewelry; wood carvings; pre-packaged European sweets and treats; sausages; sauerkraut; potato pancakes; waffles; crepes; stollen; gingerbread; roasted nuts; cakes and pastries; German smokers; candles; wooden nativity scenes; items made from hand-blown glass; clay and ceramic pottery; tea light holders; Eastern European/Slavic handcrafted gifts, such as nesting dolls and papier-mâché lacquer boxes; lace; leather products; beer and wine glasses; handwoven garments and more.
Vendor Testimonials
Wild Cherry Spoon Co has vended across the Midwest. From popular indie craft markets in Chicago to small first time shows. Christkindl Market Des Moines blew them all away in terms of revenue, participation, crowd size, after show sales, interesting things to see and do at the market, and volunteer support. We would love to be able to attend every subsequent market and word of advice to vendors; plan for your wildest sales expectations and then bring 4x the inventory…it sells out fast!
Tim McGuire, Wild Cherry Spoon
This show for three years has exceeded expectations! A very festive atmosphere, the volunteers were exceptional, and our needs were met by the organizers. Sales were excellent. We have been selling roasted nuts for 16 years and this is our best show. Looking forward to next year. Thanks to those that attended and to the people that put this together.
Greg Lincoln, Top of the Hill Nuts
I’ve been fortunate to sell at both the inaugural 2016 and the 2017 Christkindlmarkets. As a vendor in the Des Moines area, selling at 45 events in 2017, I can tell you this market simply blows away any other show in terms of revenue and after market sales. The hardworking and dedicated organizers have created a festive, well attended, and well organized three-day community event. Selling at the Christkindlmarket is exceedingly profitable and its just plain fun to be part of the Christmas festivities!
Betty Chamness Trost, Three Smooth Stones
We had a great time & experience this year at The Christkindlmarket. We “Curbin Cuisine” were one of the food vendors & had a busy fun weekend. Sales were good, plenty of Joy & Christmas Spirit all weekend from the market! Looking forward for 2018, had a blast!
Jarrod Fontanini, Curbin Cuisine
I was especially impressed with the advertising for Christkindlmarket Des Moines—I think the organizers did a great job of getting the word out through many different avenues. The parking for unloading was easy to get to and convenient to the booth location. The volunteers were very friendly and helpful. The booths made for a great ambience, and we loved the signs! My one reservation about the event was being outside because I am not at all a fan of cold weather, but the heaters in the booths made it comfortable enough, and the crowds were terrific all weekend.
Pickle Creek Herbs
In 2016 we set up at 125+ events around Iowa, and out of all of those events, Christkindlmarket Des Moines was our #1 event for gross sales. When accounting for the time spent at the event (sales/hour) and the cost of the booth (sales/event cost), it was also among our best events of the year (in the top 5). There were other benefits to this market as well. One is that we got to meet a lot of new customers. We’ve been vending at events in Des Moines for about 8 years, and at Christkindlmarket we sold items to people who had never heard of us before. We also could trace several visitors to our web site who clicked on a link to us from the Christkindlmarket web site. I had high hopes for this event, and in terms of both sales and marketing, this event exceeded all my expectations.
Since this was the first year, I’m excited to see how next year goes. I think it started out really well and can only get better, and I am definitely coming back if they will have me! A big thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!!
Pickle Creek Herbs
The first Christkindlmarket Des Moines was one of the most fun and well organized first-time shows we’ve had the pleasure of participating in. We were provided with ample information before the show, so setup was a breeze, and the how cute were the booths?!
It’s always tough to predict how many people will come to a new event, but the people of Des Moines turned out in droves – the event was consistently busy all three days of the show.
So many little touches made for a really great show – the live music kept both customers and vendors in good spirits, even through cold and rainy weather. The food and hot beverages were huge draws to bring in more people along with great local products and holiday atmosphere.
It was a great time to see people just enjoy the start to the holidays, enjoy time with each other and say cheers to just being here in Des Moines.
Overall it was a great event that we hope to participate in for years to come!
Tammy & Adam, The Red Door Press
We are very pleased with the Christkindlmarket. It was very well organized and everyone one was very helpful. They contacted us often to see if we had any needs and fill our requests. I was very happy with the attendance and it ws a very positive atmosphere. Looking forward to next year.
Greg Lincoln, Top of the Hill Nuts
Worldly Goods loved being part of the inaugural Christkindlemarket! The volunteers were fun and professional to work with and did their best to accommodate all situations that came up this first year. We look forward to the future; seeing old friends and meeting new ones as the market continues to grow and expand!
Worldly Goods
Thank you for allowing us to be a part of the first annual Christkindlmarket in Des Moines. The volunteers and staff did a wonderful job of organizing this Christmas Market, and took great care of the vendors. This was a fun, family-friendly event that had something to offer everyone. We look forward to being a part of this cultural experience next year.
Kathleen Gill, Royal Mile
2022 Call for Performers
Iowa European Cultural Connection (IECC) invites you to become a performer at the 7th annual Christkindlmarket Des Moines taking place December 1 – 4, 2022 at Principal Park.
If you have applied in the past, but were not accepted, we encourage you to complete an application each year. The programming committee takes several factors into consideration when choosing the slate of performers each year.
Performances typically seen at Christkindlmarkets include (but are not limited to): European folk music players, European folk music singers, yodeling, guitarist, accordionist, clogging, folk dancers, Scottish pipes & drums, high school choirs, children’s choirs, violinists, bell choirs, church choirs, storytellers, brass bands, alpine horn blowers, marionette/puppeteers, Schuhplattler Verein, vocal performances in European languages, harpists, etc.
Yuletide Hall is a four-sided, forced-air heated tent at a location to be determined by the CDM event planning committee at Principal Park’s Main Lot. A lighted stage within the tent will be provided. The size of the stage in 2021 was 16x32x32″ tall.
Our performer guide will give you an overview of the needs assessment process and requirements. As soon as you fill out the needs assessment, it will be reviewed internally.
What is the timeline for the process?
- Fill out the online needs assessment below by March 1, 2022
- Send photographs and links to audio files/videos representing you or your group to [email protected] (REQUIRED; your application is not complete until we receive this)
- Receive feedback from CDM staff by March 15, 2022