Christkindlmarket Chicago at Daley Plaza

The Christkindlmarket returns to Daley Plaza on Friday, November 20, 2026 and runs daily through Christmas Eve. This is the market’s 30th season downtown, according to the organizer, and it keeps the format that made it a Loop fixture: red-and-white striped wooden huts selling ornaments, cuckoo clocks, nutcrackers and wool goods, plus bratwurst, potato pancakes, pretzels and the annual souvenir mug of Glühwein.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with shortened 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Admission is free, and food and drink are priced per item. The market map and vendor list are posted on the organizer’s site closer to opening.

Two sister markets open the same day: one at Gallagher Way in Wrigleyville (through December 31) and the largest of the three at RiverEdge Park in Aurora (through December 24), per the organizer’s announcement reported by NBC Chicago.

Plan your visit

Daley Plaza is served by nearly every L line: Washington on the Blue Line is under the plaza, Clark/Lake (Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple) is a block north, and Washington/Wabash and Monroe on the Red Line are a short walk east. Skip driving; Loop garages run $30 and up on weekends. Weekday lunch hours and weekday evenings after 6 p.m. are the easiest times to move through the aisles, while weekend afternoons from Thanksgiving on are shoulder to shoulder. The plaza is open air, so dress warm and bring cash or a card for the mug deposit lines.