7 (More) Christmas Markets in the US You'll Want to Visit in 2026

Quick Facts: Reader-Picked US Christmas Markets 2026

• Seven markets across seven states stretch from Massachusetts to Colorado, with everything from big-city waterfront markets to small-town Christkindl traditions.

• Snowport opens first on November 6, while Cullman, Greenville, and Denver all begin later in November.

• Snowport and Greenville run the latest, both staying open through December 27.

• Mifflinburg lasts just three days, December 10 to 12, 2026, for its 37th year.

• Most markets are free to enter. Williamsburg charges a one-time $5 fee Friday through Sunday, with Thursdays free.

🎄 Cullman Christkindlmarkt — Cullman, Alabama

WHEN: November 19 – December 23, 2026. Open Thursday through Sunday at first, then daily in the final stretch before Christmas. Closed Thanksgiving.

If Cullman wasn't already on your Christmas-market radar, our readers made a strong case for adding it. When we asked, “Is there something we missed?”, Cullman was mentioned more than any other market, with readers repeatedly pointing us toward its German-inspired Christkindlmarkt.

Downtown Cullman's Depot Park transforms into a full Christmas village with wooden market huts, traditional food and drinks, live entertainment, artisan stalls, and plenty to do beyond the shopping. The setting makes sense, too: Cullman was founded by German immigrant John G. Cullmann in 1873, giving the city's Christkindlmarkt deeper roots than you might expect from an Alabama holiday market.

One of its biggest showpieces is the 40-plus-foot Weihnachtspyramide, a traditional German Christmas pyramid built in Germany by Erzgebirgische Holzkunst Gahlenz and installed in Cullman by representatives from the company. The market also has a 108-foot Ferris wheel and German makers, including a 3,500-square-foot Käthe Wohlfahrt store added in 2025. The Alabama Tourism Department named the market the state's 2026 Event of the Year, and Cullman says more than 415,000 people visited in 2025, making this much more than a small-town holiday fair.

Admission is free, although the Ferris wheel, carousel, and ice skating cost extra. Saturdays can get shoulder-to-shoulder busy, while weekdays are noticeably calmer, so aim for a Thursday or Friday afternoon if you can. Stay until dark, when the Christmas pyramid lights up the square.

Cullman Christkindlmarkt lights up downtown Cullman, Alabama, with a Ferris wheel, Christmas pyramid, festive market stalls, and thousands of holiday lights. Photo credit: Cullman Christkindlmarkt

🎄 Snowport Holiday Market — Boston, Massachusetts

WHEN: November 6 – December 27, 2026 (Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day)

Boston's Seaport gets its own winter identity during Snowport, and the centerpiece is one of the biggest outdoor holiday markets in New England. The 2026 market is scheduled from November 6 through December 27, with more than 130 small businesses expected to fill the waterfront with gifts, art, clothing, accessories, food and plenty of things you absolutely did not intend to buy when you arrived.

This one feels noticeably more contemporary than a traditional German Christkindlmarkt, which is part of its appeal. Expect local and regional makers, elaborate seasonal decorations, food and drink stands and Snowport's increasingly famous festive atmosphere right among the modern towers of the Seaport

General admission is free, and optional weekend timed-entry tickets are available through the Seaport Insider app. Until December 7, Monday through Thursday hours begin at 3 p.m., so weekends are better if you want more daylight for browsing. The annual Light Up Seaport tree lighting is scheduled for December 4, 2026.

Visitors enter Boston’s Snowport Holiday Market beneath glowing Christmas lights and a festive market arch in the Seaport District.

🎄 Williamsburg Christmas Market — Williamsburg, Virginia

WHEN: November 27–29, December 3–6, December 10–13, and December 17–20, 2026

Williamsburg is already exceptionally good at Christmas, so putting a European-style market beside the historic area feels like the perfect pairing. The 2026 Williamsburg Christmas Market returns to Court Street next to Bicentennial Park, just behind the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, with more than 40 wooden vendor chalets filled with local, regional, and national makers. Some vendors rotate throughout the season, so a second visit may look a little different from the first.

Expect Glühwein, craft beer, market food, fire pits, Christmas music, live entertainment, and Santa appearances every market day, along with train rides and a petting zoo. The train and petting zoo are included with admission, making this one of the more family-friendly markets on the list.

Thursdays are free for everyone, while Friday through Sunday admission is $5 for adults and covers repeat visits for the rest of the season. Guests 18 and younger and students with ID get in free. You can enter from Henry or Nassau Street, then make an evening of it with the market and a walk through Colonial Williamsburg once the holiday lights come on.

🎄 Mifflinburg Christkindl Market — Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania

WHEN: December 10–12, 2026 (Thursday evening through Saturday)

This reader suggestion is a particularly good one. The 37th annual Mifflinburg Christkindl Market takes over Market Street for just three days, filling the town with outdoor wooden huts, handmade crafts, and foods inspired by German and European Christmas traditions. The market began in 1989 and bills itself as the oldest authentic Christkindl market in the U.S., with more than 100 vendors now taking part.

Come hungry. The local tourism office lists everything from Apfelstrudel, German sausage, and Hungarian goulash to roasted almonds, soups, Christmas cookies, Lebkuchen hearts, and hot spiced wine, while concerts take place both outdoors and inside the surrounding churches. The market's roots go back to Austrian-born resident Rudi Skucek, who developed the idea as a way to celebrate the area's German heritage.

Admission is free, with donations accepted at the entrances, and families can also look for reindeer and a live nativity. Downtown parking is limited, so the market recommends using shuttle buses from the east and west sides of town. With big crowds and only three days on the calendar, this is one you'll want to plan around rather than stumble across.

🎄 Grand Rapid Christkindl Markt — Grand Rapids, Michigan

WHEN: November 18 – December 24, 2026, Wednesday through Sunday (closed Thanksgiving, with extra days December 21–23 and a 3 p.m. close on Christmas Eve)

Grand Rapids turns the Downtown Market grounds into an outdoor Christmas village with more than 60 artisan and food vendors, and you can sip Glühwein or cocoa from a commemorative mug while you wander. Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the Christkind all make appearances, and more than 240,000 people visited the market in 2025. Between the food stalls, holiday music, and rows of wooden booths, Grand Rapid Christkindl Markt has the feel of a traditional European market without losing its distinctly Michigan setting.

The extras set this one apart, including outdoor curling sheets, private Alpenglobes, and a German-style beverage hall. It's also an easy walk or free bus ride from downtown hotels, which makes it particularly convenient if you want to build a full weekend around the market rather than drive in and out for a few hours. If you're staying overnight, that also gives you time to come back after dark, when the lights and market atmosphere are at their best.

Grand Rapids Christkindl Markt in Michigan with holiday vendor stalls and Christmas lights

🎄 Greenville Christmas Market — Greenville, South Carolina

WHEN: November 20 – December 27, 2026 (Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day)

Inspired by European Christmas markets but with a distinctly Southern feel, this one brings twinkling lights, local vendors, holiday treats, and live entertainment to the Reedy River in downtown Greenville. It's held at the Grand Bohemian Lodge, and the vendor lineup keeps things local with honey, teas, ceramics, candles, jerky, and gifts from Upstate makers and small businesses. It's the kind of market where you can browse for a while, grab something warm to eat, and then keep wandering along the riverfront.

Families can stop for Santa photos, kids' crafts, and story hour in the lodge's library. The lodge's Spirit & Bower lounge also turns into a Winter Wonderland pop-up with festive cocktails and a mistletoe station overlooking Falls Park. Stay until after dark if you can, when the lights around the lodge and Falls Park make the whole area feel especially festive. Hours shift from day to day, so check the schedule before you go.

Christmas market stall with snowglobes at the Greenville Christmas Market

🎄 Denver Christkindlmarket — Denver, Colorado

WHEN: November 20 – December 23, 2026

Denver’s Christkindlmarket brings a full German-style Christmas market to the Tivoli Quad at Auraria Campus, with wooden huts, twinkling lights, European and local vendors, traditional food and drinks, and plenty of live entertainment. The market is produced by the German American Chamber of Commerce’s Colorado chapter and is completely free to enter.

The setting has a German connection of its own: the historic Tivoli building was founded by German-born brewer Moritz Sigi in 1870. Come for handcrafted gifts and festive food, then stay after dark when the lights come on and the market feels especially European. It’s open from 1–9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with extended 11 a.m. openings during the final week.

Denver Christkindlmarket brings wooden stalls, festive food, and holiday crowds to Civic Center Park.

A Few Tips Before You Plan a Christmas Market Trip

Check the calendar before you book anything, especially for markets like Mifflinburg and Williamsburg that don't operate every day. A market that looks perfect for your December weekend won't help much if it closed the night before you arrive.

Small-town hotels can also fill quickly when the market is one of the biggest events of the season, so book early if you're planning to stay overnight. For the bigger city markets, look at public transportation before paying for downtown parking.

And dress for the weather. Most of these markets are outdoors, and December evenings can get cold quickly once the sun goes down. Check the market's social channels before heading out, too, since winter weather can occasionally mean shortened hours or schedule changes.

A few of these are big-city showstoppers, and a few are the kind of places you'd only find because someone who loves them told you about them. That's what made this list so fun to put together. Thanks for sending us your favorites, and keep them coming. There's always room for one more mug of Glühwein.

FAQ: (More) US Christmas Markets to Visit in 2026

What is the oldest Christmas market on this list?

Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania, bills its market as the oldest authentic Christkindl market in the US. It began in 1989, and the 2026 edition runs December 10–12.

Which US Christmas market opens earliest in 2026?

Boston's Snowport Holiday Market opens November 6 and runs through December 27. Most of the other markets on this list begin in the second half of November.

Which Christmas market only runs for a few days?

Mifflinburg has the shortest run on this list, lasting just three days from December 10–12. Williamsburg also operates on selected Thursday-through-Sunday dates rather than continuously.

Are these Christmas markets free?

Most of them are free to enter. Williamsburg charges adults a one-time $5 admission fee Friday through Sunday, while Thursdays are free. Cullman is also free to enter, although attractions like the Ferris wheel, carousel, and ice skating cost extra.

Which markets stay open after Christmas?

Snowport in Boston and the Greenville Christmas Market both run through December 27, 2026. Most of the others close on or before Christmas Eve.