Hope you have yourbrholiday gift lists ready: The Texas Christkindl Market returns to Arlington forbrits fifth year. This free, family-friendly market features a unique shoppingbrexperience for holiday gifts, decorations and unique one-of-a-kind finds.
Guests can shop for traditionalbrhandcrafted gifts and collectibles straight from Germany including exclusive merchandisebrand designs from the iconic Rothenburg ob der Tauber Christmas Village.
Indulging in authenticbrGerman treats and eats while enjoying festive music and entertainmentbrthroughout the Market is always a crowd pleaser. Several new featuresbrincluding a Kinder Market have been added this year to make it a destinationbrguests will continue to enjoy throughout the entire event, which runs Novemberbr27 through December 23, 2015.
This year's eventbrincludes:
Opening Ceremonies –brNovember 27 at 6 p.m.
Kicking off the 2015 market,brthe community is invited to welcome the beautiful Christkindl Angel at the OpeningbrCeremonies on November 27. The angelic namesake of the event, the Christkindbropens the market, sharing German holiday traditions and stories. Special guestsbrjoin the Angel as she lights up the Christmas tree and opens the Market for abrsuccessful 26 days.
Texas ChristkindlbrMarket 5K/10K/15K Volksmarch - December 5, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Led by the Tarrant CountybrWalkers, the Texas Christkindl Market 5K/10K/15K Volksmarch is designed afterbrthe long-standing European tradition of non-competitive fitness walking (abrVolkssport or “people's sports” activity.) Participants walk five kilometersbr(3.1 mi), 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) or 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) along a beautifulbroutdoor path adjacent to Globe Life Park. Registration is available at thebrevent. For questions, contact Bill Wigton at 817.847.5185, billwigton@gmail.com,bror visit www.walktx.org/TarrantCountyWalkers.
Children's LanternbrParade, Wednesday, December 2,brDecember 9 and December 16 at 7:30 p.m.
One of the event's mostbrcherished activities is the Children's Lantern Parade. According to the legend,brthe parade recognizes the generosity of St. Martin, a fourth-century Romanbrsoldier who, one late, freezing cold evening was approached by a poor, scantilybrclothed beggar. Martin, who had nothing to give to the man, tore his militarybrcloak in half to share with the man to shield him from the cold. Paying homagebrto his pure act of selflessness and work on the behalf of the poor, childrenbrlight lanterns in the late evenings in search of St. Martin and a chance tobrcatch a glimpse of the giving man. Children have three opportunities tobrparticipate in the Children's Lantern Parade, Wednesday, December 2, Decembverbr9 and December 16
(New) Kinder Market -brOpen Friday, Saturday and Sundays
Several new elements havebrbeen added to this year's Texas Christkindl Market to make it an even morebrmemorable experience – especially for the kids. Whether it's listening to abrholiday adventure during Storytelling,brriding the Carousel horses orbrchoosing to take the reins on the real thing at the Pony Rides, the new Kinder Market gives families an opportunity tobrenjoy the holidays together and build traditions to last a lifetime.
Children (and parents) canbrindulge in a winter wonderland experience by playing in the Snow Playground and Snow Throw. Takebryour turn to build your own snowman or take a shot throwing a snowball; it'sbrall a part of the fun you can have Fridays – Sundays during the market.
For a sweet treat,brcreative hands can design their own magical Gingerbread House Decorating Workshop from The Cakery. Allbrhouses baked from scratch, are totally edible, and come pre-assembled, ready tobrdecorate. Each house includes a clear display box and set of icing andbrcandies to embellish your own winter gingerbread wonderland. Childrenbrunder 18 must be accompanied by adults. Reservations highly recommended bybrcontacting The Cakery at christkindl@thecakery.us.
A timeless holidaybrtradition, puppets bring the magic of theater alive with “Northpole Texas” on the Marionette Stage.brThis season's show features a Texas theme with Ol' St Nick, singing cactus,brpenguins, elves, dancing mice and the country critter band. This fun holidaybrshow is a perfect addition to the German Holiday market. Photos with thebrpuppets after the show complete the experience. Show times are Fridays: 5 p.m. andbr7 p.m., Saturdays: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. andbrSundays: 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
And no trip to the TexasbrChristkindl Market would be complete without a visit to Saint Nicholas (SanktbrNikolaus or der Heilige Nikolaus), the patron saint of children, sailors, students,brteachers, and merchants. Although legend has it that he brings children giftsbron December 6, guests can stop anytime throughout the market at the Santa Haus to meet St. Nick.
Warming Hut
Enjoy the comforts ofbrwarm, covered seating in the WarmingbrHut presented by Arlington Highlands as a cozy place to enjoy eatingbryour schnitzel or catch up with an old friend. Adorned with festivebrholiday décor, heaters, tables and chairs, the Warming Hut is an idealbrdestination to host organizational meetings (with space for 10 – 200 people)brduring the holidays. Two-hour rental also may be paired with customizedbron-premises catering from Marcona Kitchen and beer/wine packages with optionalbrprivate holiday entertainment. To reserve a space, interested parties maybrcontact Barbara Kovacevich at barbara@arlington.org or call 817.704.7613.
Scheduled Entertainment
From local school choirsbrand dance groups to favorite Texas songwriters, the Texas Christkindl Marketbrbrings the holidays alive with entertainment throughout the month. Hear thebrsweet sounds of young voices recite Christmas carols or see kids practicebrtraditional German dance. On Saturday nights, the market features special actsbrnot-to-miss like Texas songwriter Deryl Dodd (December 12) and Texas country'sbrAubrey Ann England (December 19.) Check the website for a full schedule of specialbrentertainment (available beginning November 1.)
Vendors and Food
The cornerstone of thebrTexas Christkindl Market is its vendors. Offering a unique holiday shoppingbrexperience, guests can select handmade goods, décor and ornaments that cannotbrbe found anywhere else besides the market including the only place to purchasebrexclusive Käthe Wohlfahrt merchandise and designs from the iconicbrRothenburg ob der Tauber Christmas Village in the Southwest.
Commemorating visitors'brunique experience to Germany by way of Arlington, several photo opportunitiesbrthroughout the Market share background information of the Christkindl withbrstops at the large-scale Advent Wreath, stand with the 16-foot Nutcrackers,bradmire the Christkindl Tree, the Christkind Angel Wings, and don't forget tobrtake a Selfie with the Elfie before leaving…at least until returning again tobrenjoy the magic of the Texas Chriskindl Market throughout the season, Novemberbr27 – December 23 at Globe Life Park.
Produced by the ArlingtonbrConvention & Visitors Bureau in partnership with the Arlington ChamberbrFoundation, the City of Arlington, the Texas Rangers and Six Flags Over Texasbralong with support from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, the TexasbrChristkindl Market is a magical tradition for everyone, everywhere to enjoybryear after year.
For more information,brvisit TXChristKindlMarket.com.