Christkindlmarket To Return To Aurora For 3rd Year

AURORA, IL — Christkindlmarket, the beloved German-themed holiday market, will return for the third annual year to Aurora's RiverEdge Park, organizers announced Tuesday.

The season will open Nov. 22 in downtown Aurora. The admission-free outdoor market will be open Thursday through Sunday until Dec. 24, with some special hours mixed in.

This season in Aurora, vendors will increase to more than 55 — up from around 50 in 2023 and roughly 35 in 2022 — and offerings will be expanded to include more photo opportunities and family-friendly activities. New this year, receptions will be able to be booked inside the heated Timber Tent.

The event is organized by German American Events, a subsidiary of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, a Chicago-based nonprofit that organizes the German market in Chicago and Aurora. Christkindlmarket is modeled after the classic holiday markets with traditional candy cane striped huts in Nuremberg, Germany.

Regular hours of operation will be from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. On Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, the market will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and hours will be expanded to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16 to Wednesday, Dec. 18 and again on Monday, Dec. 23.