Carmel Christkindlmarkt announces special events, entertainers & German artisans

The Carmel Christkindlmarkt staff have announced the lineup of special events, entertainment acts, visiting German artisans, and general Market hours for the 2024 season.

The Market will be open from Nov. 23 through Christmas Eve. General Market hours for 2024 will be as follows:

• Monday & Tuesday: Closed
• Wednesday & Thursday: Open 4 to 9 p.m.
• Friday & Saturday: Open noon to 9 p.m.

Additionally, the Market will be open for special holiday hours:

• Wednesday, Nov. 27: Open noon to 9 p.m.
• CLOSED Thursday, Nov. 28 for Thanksgiving
• Monday & Tuesday, Dec. 16 & 17: Open 4 to 9 p.m.
• Monday, Dec. 23: Open 12 to 9 p.m.
• Christmas Eve: noon to 4 p.m.
• CLOSED for Christmas

Special events for the 2024 season will include some old favorites as well as several new offerings:

• Wundernacht – Nov. 20, 6 to 9 p.m.
• Opening Ceremony – Nov. 23, 11 a.m. to noon
• Sankt Martinstag – Nov. 30, 7 to 8 p.m.
• Indianapolis Colts Fest – Dec. 1, noon to 8 p.m.
• Christkind ChoralFest – Dec. 4, 4:30 to 9 p.m.
• Sankt Nikolaustag – Dec. 6, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
• KulturFest – Dec. 7, 12:30 to 3 p.m.
• German Sing-Along and Ornament Exchange – Dec. 11, 7:30 to 9 p.m.
• StudentenFest – Dec. 13, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Glühwein Gallop 5K Walk/Run – Dec. 14, 9 to 11 a.m.
• Military Appreciation Day – Dec. 15, noon to 8 p.m.
• Carmel Christkindlmarkt Bier Competition – Dec. 20, 5 to 6 p.m.

To learn more about all of these special events, please visit CarmelChristkindlmarkt.com/activities/events.

The Market will feature more than a hundred entertainment acts throughout the season as well, including the following:

• Jay Fox & Jammin Germans (Fort Wayne) – Polka – Nov. 23 & 30, Dec. 7
• Midwest Alphorn Retreat (Michigan) – Traditional alphorns – Nov. 23 & 24
• Johnny Koenig (Pittsburgh & Philadelphia, Pa.) – Polka – Nov. 30, Dec. 1
• Jennie DeVoe (Indianapolis) – Soul/blues singer-songwriter – Nov. 29
• Duke Tumatoe & The Power Trio (Carmel) – Blues – Original guitarist for REO Speedwagon – Dec. 5, Dec. 20
• Matt Tolentino Trio (new this year) (Cincinnati, Ohio) – Polka – Dec. 5
• Alex Meixner Band (Texas) – Polka – Grammy-nominated musician & producer – Dec. 6 to 8
• Mollie B., Ted Lange, & The Squeezebox Band (Minnesota) – Polka – 2022 International Polka Association – International-Style Female Vocalist of the Year – Dec. 13 & 14
• Brasshaufen (new this year) – Polka / German & Czech brass band (St. Louis, Mo.) – Dec. 15
• Mike Schneider Band (Milwaukee, Wis.) – Polka (25-year touring polka band) – Dec. 21 & 22

For the full entertainment schedule, please visit CarmelChristkindlmarkt.com/activities/winter-pavilion.

Finally, the Market will also welcome German artisans back into the Werkstatt (Workshop) this year, including:

• Ringo Müller – Nov. 23: Ringo Müller is a fourth-generation woodturner from Carmel’s Sister City, Seiffen, Saxony. Müller’s Schwibbogen and Christmas pyramids from the Erzgebirge have been a staple in German households and abroad for over a century.
• Markus Wagner – Nov. 23 to Dec. 1: Markus Wagner is the last remaining woodcarver at the Oberammergauer Schnürlkasperl. His witty creations and masterful artwork come alive as delighted kids and adults pull the strings of the beloved jumping jacks. Oberammergau is a small village nestled at the foot of the Alps and is famous for its Passionsspiele (“passion play”).
• Falk Bauer & Katrin Zapf – Dec. 4 to 8: Falk Bauer and Katrin Zapf are joining the Market from the historic glassblowing community of Lauscha in Thuringia. No Christmas tree is complete without glass baubles and intricate Baumschmuck from Lauscha. Come try your hand at glassblowing and marvel at the delicate detail these artists can coax out of molten glass.
• Holzspielzeugmacherschule Seiffen – Dec. 11 to 15: The Market will welcome the next generation of wooden toy makers from the Holzspielzeugmacher und Drechslerschule (BSZ1) from Carmel’s Sister City Seiffen. These students will demonstrate their woodworking skills and enthrall your family with their handiwork and future outlook of the industry. (Translation of Holzspielzeugmacherschule und Drechslerschule: wooden toy maker and woodturner schools)
• Anja Werner – Dec. 16 to 24: Anja Werner is an instructor at the Kunsthochschule in Schneeberg – the region’s most prestigious art institute – where she learned the art of woodcarving and furniture making from the old masters. Frau Werner took the old-world techniques and applied a modern twist to create her unique Holzgestalten (“wooden shapes”).

You can learn more about the artisans at CarmelChristkindlmarkt.com/activities/werkstatt.

For more information, including the full Carmel Christkindlmarkt schedule and vendor map, please visit CarmelChristkindlmarkt.com.