Plan Your Visit to Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2018

Always be prepared…Let us help you plan your visit to Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2018.

• Wander to Walnut for additional food, beer and Glühwein. We’ve grown and have expanded the venue due to the community’s continued support;
• Enjoy a 1/4 lb, coarse-ground, German–style pork bratwurst grilled to perfection from our stand, Bratwurst Imbiss am Markt. Usinger‘s produces many kinds of sausages and meats, in many cases using traditional 19th-century recipes provided by its founder, Fred Usinger of Wehen, Germany. The family-owned company, now in it’s fourth generation, continues to live its slogan of providing “America’s Finest Sausage”;
• Visit our first international vendor, Steinbach, joining us all the way from Marienberg (Erzgebirge region), Germany, for their world-famous nutcrackers, smokers, small pyramids and ornaments;
• Visit our vendors in traditional wooden vendor stalls | Food & Beverage | Gift & Specialty Items;
• Spend time at the KinderKorner sponsored by MidAmerican Energy Company learning about European cultures through crafts, stories and activities;
• Support Iowa-based non-profits by texting CDM2018 to (855)735.2437 to start bidding on themed trees they have decorated. The item number can be found near each tree. Can’t make it to Christkindlmarket Des Moines? Bid online,  bidr.co/events/cdm2018;
• Enjoy three serving areas for Glühwein & Kinderpunsch (and purchase your 2018 commemorative mug!): On Cowles Commons, in Yuletide Hall and on Walnut Street;
• And two serving areas for beer: On Cowles Commons and in Yuletide Hall;
• Enhance your Glühwein and Kinderpunsch experience with amaretto, apple liqueur and orange liqueur add-ins;
• Learn how products are made by taking in six demonstrations;
• Shop an der Weihnachtsecke (at the Christmas Corner) for 2018 commemorative mugs, beer steins and glassware, European confections, hand-painted, hand-blown glass ornaments from Glaszauber Lauscha, and Christkindlmarket Des Moines merchandise;
• Tap your toes in Yuletide Hall – our heated entertainment tent – as you take in folk dancers, choirs, instrumental performances and bands;
• Sip St. Nick’s Christkindlbier, brewed especially for Christkindlmarket Des Moines by Confluence Brewing Company. We’ll have a firkin tapping on Friday of the market at 4pm. The beer will be on tap while supplies last;
• Attend the Opening ceremony and tree lighting on Friday, November 30th at 6pm as the Christkind delivers her holiday season proclamation accompanied by St. Nicholas. Both will be strolling the market on Saturday and Sunday from Noon – 2pm;
• Learn about other European cultures during a European Cultural Heritage “Meet Up” on Saturday, December 1, 6 – 8pm in Yuletide Hall;
• Follow us on Instagram @christmasdesmoines and Twitter @christmasdsm;
• Grab a bingo card at the Information Tent and our other hosted locations throughout the venue. Return the completed card to the Information Tent for a chance to win a 2018 Christkindlmarket Des Moines commemorative mug;
• Grab a survey at the Information Tent and our other hosted locations throughout the venue. Return the completed survey to the Information Tent for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card;
• Bring cash! Many vendors will be taking payment via credit and debit cards and we’ll have an ATM on site.

Location

Christkindlmarket Des Moines will be held at Cowles Commons in downtown Des Moines (221 Walnut St). For directions to the Market, please click here.

Dates and Times

Friday, November 30, 2018: 11am – 9pm
Saturday, December 1, 2018: 11am – 9pm
Sunday, December 2, 2018: 11am – 5pm

Christkindlmarket Des Moines is presented by the Des Moines European Heritage Association. Our mission is to connect Iowans with European experiences, language education and cultural experiences.