Chicago Christmas Market

The Chicago Christmas market, the Christkindlmarket on Daley Plaza, celebrates its 30th anniversary from 20 November to 24 December 2026 in the Loop, the heart of the city. Free admission, German-inspired stalls run since 1996 by a subsidiary of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, a Käthe Wohlfahrt shop, and a second site in Wrigleyville open until 31 December.

Christkindlmarket Chicago 2026: dates and opening hours

On Daley Plaza, the market opens on Friday 20 November 2026 and closes on Thursday 24 December. It runs Sunday to Thursday from 11am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am to 9pm. Two short days: Thanksgiving, 26 November, and 24 December, from 11am to 4pm. Admission is free.

The same organiser runs two other markets. In Wrigleyville, 28 vendors set up at Gallagher Way, 3635 N Clark St, within Winterland at Gallagher Way, every day from 20 November to 31 December. In Aurora, outside the city, the RiverEdge Park market follows the Daley Plaza dates.

A German market on Daley Plaza since 1996

The first edition was held in 1996 on Pioneer Court, with 13 stalls of German and local artisans. The market moved to Daley Plaza in 1997 and has stayed there since. It is run by German American Events, a subsidiary of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, as a free event. The 2025 season map counted 56 numbered stalls, including the Käthe Wohlfahrt decorations shop from Rothenburg, which has a permanent spot at the market. The three sites together topped a hundred vendors in 2023.

How to get to the Chicago Christmas market

Daley Plaza is at 50 W Washington St, in the Loop. From Europe, flights to Chicago are worth comparing between airlines.

The continent’s other markets are gathered on our page of Christmas markets in North America, including the New York Christmas market at Bryant Park and, in Canada, the Quebec City German Christmas market, another German-inspired market.