Denver's Christkindl Market

Denver's authentic German-style Christkindl Market is a joyful place to see, shop, and dine.
(All photos in this post will enlarge if clicked on)

The market is free to attend and is located in Skyline Park in downtown Denver, right across the street from the Daniels and Fisher Clocktower on the 16 Street Mall that I showed in a previous post about the Christmas Illumination of the city of Denver. (click here to see that post).

It is open Sunday through Thursday from 11am until 7pm and Friday and Saturdays from 11am until 9pm. This year it will remain open until December 22, an extra day due to the inclement weather earlier in the month.

It was lovely to stroll from booth to booth and see the merchandise that was for sale.

Last year I visited the famous Christkindl market in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (click here to read that post), and while Denver's market is not quite as large, it was still full of a wonderful assortment of vendors

At one point during the evening, a group of students from a local school sang Christmas carols, which added to the shopping experience.

I liked the large, illuminated paper stars...

...and the glassblowers' display of mouth-blown glass ornaments.

This booth was selling handmade Polish Pottery...

...while this booth had gorgeous handmade lace pieces for sale

This collage shows just some of the variety of unique items for sale.

There were also food vendors, such as this one selling German and European cookies, candies and other treats such as Christstollen, Lebkuchen, and strudel.

This booth had German and other European deli items for sale.

There was also authentic German cuisine for sale, such as Sauerbraten, Brats, Spazele, Goulash, Schnitzel, etc., that you could buy and then sit inside at long tables in a heated tent. Inside the tent, you could purchase authentic German beers on tap to go with your meal, or spiced warm wine called"Gluhwein," (click here for a recipe!) plus non-alcoholic drinks.

The tent was large and brightly lit, with plenty of seating.

The main stage in the tent had authentic German music and entertainment. Click here for the 2013 entertainment schedule.

This is what I purchased at the market this year. The German glass and wooden ornaments on the left were gifts, while the clear glass blown ornament and icicles I purchased for my Christmas tree. Do you know the legend of the pickle ornament? It is supposed to be placed on the tree on Christmas Eve, and the child that finds it first on Christmas morning is supposed to get an extra little gift. Doing some research I found that this really isn't an old German custom, but rather a new one invented recently, but even so I thought my grandsons would like to search their tree for the pickle.