Visited the Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem, and the decorations were beautiful, very festive, and perfect for the holiday season. Several vendor tents and domes offered Christmas-themed items and gifts, and free parking was available throughout the market, making visiting easy. That said, many of the items felt a bit pricey, and I didn't really find anything especially unique or standout. The food options were nice, but the prices were on the higher side. If you're looking for a place to take gorgeous Christmas photos, this is definitely the spot. And if your goal is to support small businesses and enjoy the holiday atmosphere, it's worth checking out. Just go in knowing it's more about the experience and ambiance than finding great deals. read more

Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

We always enjoyed coming here, but the vendors by and large have not changed and the products are not seemingly homemade or of great quality by and large. The Christkindlmarkt has become very stale. The entry fee is also a bit steep--especially if you are a family of 5 for instance. I wish this venue well and hope they will change and bring in new more interesting vendors. I will not go back as it is a repeat of disappointment since about 2018. read more

$14 to get into a market to go shopping seems steep! Especially when I still have to pay for every single thing I want to eat, drink or purchase once inside! I would understand maybe $5 as a contribution for the set up but $14 is a lot for what it is. Luckily kids under 5 didn't have to pay so it was just my husband and I that paid but still, my kid turns 5 next year and I would be upset to pay for her for what this is. This market is located at steel stacks which is a very nice view , there is onsite parking but it was a little difficult to find parking on a weekend , it was very full around 12pm and it is about a 10 minute walk from the cars to the market and in this winter weather it is a cold walk so bundle up! Luckily most of the market is inside tents so you'll get pretty warm pretty fast. The vendors once you're inside were not that great , it was like a flea market. I ended up only purchasing one thing and that was a Christmas ornament for $21 (seemed overpriced). As for food, there was a soup and grilled cheese stand outside the tents that I did try and it was delicious. I got the spicy sausage soup and a mix of the muenster and cheddar grilled cheese. There were 3 food trucks outside , one for Coffee , one for tacos and one for Mediterranean food. They missed the mark with this one because in the cold I would have liked to see some hot toddy's, something fast like a burger spot and then a dessert spot like maybe some churros or fried Oreos or funnel cake. Not to mention they did have 3 cute igloos outside but they were not heated, so essentially you had to eat in the freezing cold. There were two fire pits outside the igloos but too cold to sit around it. They had one photo opportunity where there was a big Christmas tree and that's it. There were 4 tents total but again the vendors were not great , nothing I wanted to purchase. In the first tent I did purchase hot wine, but it tasted like cheap wine, it was overly sweet. In the bigger tent there was a food hall with some more options for food and a bar but I didn't get to that until the end so I didn't know of the seating that was indoors until I got there at the end . I didn't get anything else from the food hall, nothing caught my eye. They did have an actual bathroom area and not just porta potty's ( I did like that ). They had an ice carving station and a glass making area which seemed pretty cool but no one was there to watch them so not sure it was that interesting or maybe they were missing a hype man to bring in the crowds to look. Overall I think they need more good vendors and at least some Christmas music playing in the tents to get us all in the Christmas spirit. They have the space to have more photo opportunities, some things for kids to be entertained , maybe live music and just lots of space to get creative. I honestly would not come back but I think it's okay to come visit once in your life to say you've been there. read more

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We went during the free time on Friday after 5pm. I had two kids 4 and under with me. They liked the lights and photo sites, but the tents and booths didn't interest them. I'm glad they did offer the free entry time. I would recommend it for shopping, but not the most kid friendly experience. I definitely would have been let down if I had to pay to get in, but since it was during the free entry time I can't complain. read more

I've traveled all over the country (and lived) and been to many of these types of events during the holidays. I'm giving this a 1 star rating because of 1. Price to enter, $15.50 a person to "browse" is absurd. 2 deeply disappointing overall holiday vibe- did not portray German holiday vibe whatsoever. 3. Food choices, well those were almost non existent and the ones they had were overpriced and taste terrible. Peanut butter pickle corn dogs?? Really?? Over priced "crafts" that looked like items were picked up down at the shipping port in bulk prices from China. Local Artists? Laughable. I would say most items were not "hand made" by any crafty local artist. So the one star is for lack of quality, lack of vendors, lack of food or festivities, lack of true German holiday vibe, lack of parking, but one thing you do get, are a plethora of "picture taking" set ups. Save yourself the money, and disappointment and take a drive to Peddlers village, the little shops up at Bird in Hand. This town of Bethlehem is all about ripping the public off with their vendors selling crafts that appear to be bought in bulk from China. If I could give this 10 thumbs down, I would! read more

Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem - This is one of the many picture taking set ups I paid $60 dollars for a family of 4 to enter this place for - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

We came to Bethlehem seeking out the Christmas City described in ads and tourist info and left having a good time, but feeling like for all the hype it should have been more. I did do my homework and read reviews ahead of time and feel like they did a good job of preparing me for what was to come. First off the cost, I definitely knew what to expect here from other reviews, I am understanding of charging a cover fee, but felt like it was a bit deceiving as the price indicated was higher because of fees, and the disclaimer that you could save money by paying online proved to be false. It was $14 a person for the weekends, this year in 2022. This year it was also free from 6 to 8 on Friday nights, we did pop in and were surprised that it was busy, but not insane. Next, the parking, despite the negative comments I had read, I found it easy, free and convenient. We actually stopped by both Friday and Saturday, we were there early both days and had no trouble finding a free spot and following signs to where we needed to go. I do imagine that it gets busier as the day goes on, especially on Saturday, but a friend of ours who arrived after us said she had no problem finding a spot, and when we left around 3 PM there were spots available. Inside there were many vendors, samples, photo ops, entertainment such as glass blowing, and ice carving set up inside 3 different tents and including some outdoor huts as well. There was a lot to do and see. Venders were certainly not cheap as stated in previous events, but there was some good quality items and vendors had deals for buying multiples. Overall we made the best and took advantage of everything there was to offer and had a good experience, but do expect to pay to get in, have it be busy and crowded and know that the vendors are not cheap. read more

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$35 for 2 of us to get in then pay for everything /lights were ok at best, did not feel Christmassy just shopping

Christkindlmarkt Is one of the best holiday markets in the USA all under a couple of high tents. If you're looking for a-one-of kind gift, you probably won't find it here. Just go for the splendor of it. There is a potpourri of vendors, from handmade works, food, demonstrations, to breakfast with Saint Nick. There are outdoor fire pits to warm the heart. This year marks the 27th anniversary of this family event. It runs from Thursday through Sunday from Thanksgiving week to Christmas. Cost of admission is $10 for adults. Free parking, a cinema across the street, a casino a half a mile away, all near the Steel Stacks. There's even a free Christmas city trolley. read more

There will always be folks complaining about having to pay to shop. I completely understand as a family of 4 can set you back $60. They charge because Artsquest is nonprofit and they use the funds to make next years festival even better along with other artsquest events throughout the year including Musikfest. The key is to get there early especially on the weekends. After 12 or some weekends 11 the lines to get in are very long. I hope next year they will add more exits since having both the entrance and exit in the same tent can get very congested. The vendors are unique and there really is something for everybody. My buddy and I love komikozees pickles. Everything bagel flavored pickles?! Sounds disgusting but actually very good. The yearly vendors to visit each time are: The candle man. His beard gets longer every year. Has plenty of flavors from seasonal to food type flavors. The nightlight guy inside the food court tent. Every type of nightlight you can think of from animals to nature to pop culture. The animal whistles. Great gift for the kids as wood shaped figures shaped like whichever animal and they whistle like that animal. Very unique gift. Also cant forget about the peanut butter guy, bacon stand in the main tent and the many candy and chocolate selections in the back tent If youre an Artsquest member you get discounted or free admission and a skip the line pass! read more

Biggest scam around. You pay to enter the "market" and once inside its extremely underwhelming. The vendors sell flea market type merchandise. The food is what you expect to eat at a carnival and the service is awful. Skip this tourist trap and head to the main stretch in town by hotel Bethlehem. read more

Christkindlmarkt is a fun way to kick off the holiday season! I agree with the other reviews, parking can be tricky- but it is free, and there's also a shuttle from the north side if that's more convenient. Holy vendors! There were SO many options of fun, meaningful, handmade holiday gifts. Each person has his/her own story, and everyone was friendly. Didn't feel pressured to purchase at any point during my experience. If you're looking for a winter twist w/musikfest flavor, there are food stands where you can grab your festival food favorites (and a bar with holiday drinks!) It does cost $10 to enter, but well worth it! read more

Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem - Christmas trees from around the world! - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

*Note* My Mother is one of the artisans that do this show, but I will give an impartial review. One of the best groupings of artisans in the area, and the BEST place to buy handmade xmas gifts. I love buying handcrafted items. My house if full of pottery, hand crafted wood items, handwoven scarves, etc. People need to avoid buying cheap objects that will not stand the test of time. Pay more for quality. Support local artisans because they are your neighbors - money is staying local. What don't I like about this market? Well, same as everyone else. The price is a bit steep. HOWEVER - what are you paying for? Music and entertainment. Christkindlmarkt is a full experience. It is difficult to not leave with a smile on your face after hearing local choirs or instrumentalists play your favorite carols. But my personal favorite? Watching the ice sculptors use their chainsaws to turn blocks of ice into masterpieces. I think my sons just like the chainsaws. So, think about it first... you do get what you pay for. Quality is NOT shortchanged here. You hate the current state of the economy and pray for this recession to end? Use your head. You can purchase imported items from big box stores where the dollar is passed to minimum wage employee over to big time multibillionaire CEO who opts to buys things for pennies on the dollar... or, buy direct from the person who made it with their own hands who may live just a few miles from you and shop at the same supermarket as you. read more

After just coming back from Germany, we literally missed the Christmas Markets by a few days. Wanting to experience what it might be like to shop around a German Christmas market, I found the Christkindlmarkt. I was REALLY surprised by the bad reviews, but I wasn't going to let that put a tangle in my tinsel. We drove 1 hour and 33 minutes, arrived here yesterday 20 minutes after they opened at 11AM. One star for the total lack of parking - seriously, how early to people come here to scoop up parking in the lots AND on the streets?! Out of total and random luck, I found parking on the street was like almost 15 minutes walking distance from the Market. I feel bad for people with bad knees. I would expect that most people must get their hours before to just make sure they are in a good spot; I have no idea. I was surprised that there were four tents of food, vendor, and live demonstrations along with getting to see Santa. We didn't know what exactly to expect, but we thought it was a great day out for a few hours. There are two lines - the line of agony - and the line of tech-savy. The line of agony, is for those that would rather wait on line to physically hand their money over to a live person than ever put their information out there on the internet. The line of tech-savy was for those that pre-ordered online or had season passes. I quickly ordered these while on the line of agony, and we bi-passed a HUGE line that was probably a good 30-40 minute wait; it was a MASSIVE line. Click click and scan scan and we were IN! Grabbed a map as more of a keepsake and we were sucked into the heated Winter Wonderful Wonderland. Soaps, teas, candles, jewelry, candy, ornaments, wood works - this place was LOADED! Prices are no different than if you were in Manhattan honestly - also, this is some of these peoples livelihoods, so I understood the mark ups. My favorite section of this whole market was exactly what we originally came for - the Kathe Wohlfarht. This delightful section had us back in Germany. We did notice that the prices were higher than what we saw in Germany, but with importing taxes and all, that's were the mark up came from. We bought 4 wooden gnome ornaments for ~ $25 each, and two incense burners that looked like my husband and I in kid form. We made a deposit of $224 in this section alone. My wallet hurt, but our hearts were full because these were things we seconded guessed while away. The food and entertainment tent had a lot to offer, but the German food stall that we decided upon was insane. For $20, we got two bratwurst sandwiches, german potato salad, and sauerkraut! The crew running the show here are slow; you're gonna have to wait. We also decided to get the potato pancakes too, that reminded us more of a hash brown than anything. Add on two waters, and it was $32.50. The food was good, but NOTHING like what we've experienced in Germany. Overall, we really had a great time here and were glad we made the trip. Will we come back next year? I really doubt it. read more

I read through some of the reviews before going to this, and found some of the reviews utter nonsense. Some of these people should never have left home. It's Christmas time. Yes, it's going to be crowded! No, this isn't Germany and it's not a German Christmas market there. It is designed to be a place to shop for unique Christmas gifts, and there's a whole area of handmade jewelry and other craft items, so no, it doesn't have Walmart prices! Who goes to a place like this expecting that? What the Christkindlmarkt does have is free parking in close proximity to the venue. This was my first time there, as it's more than an hour drive to get there, so I was not at a prior location in Bethlehem but the location at the Steel Stacks and the PNC Plaza was very convenient. Everything is heated, though some are in giant tents, and there are 3 or 4 venues with hundreds of booths to explore. The renovated steel mill is a very cool location. I found some favorite artists and vendors from other shows and found lots of great gifts for others, as well as myself, and found all price ranges. Nothing was very expensive, but then I usually shop for one-of-a-kind items and and am aware that a handmade item will usually cost more. There is a large area where other items are sold, and you can find plenty of affordable items. It was not near as expensive as a place like the Sugarloaf Craft Festival, and there were lots of great talent and friendly faces. One thing that is expensive is food. One slice of pizza and a bottle of water was $8.50! Eat before or after you go. You can find plenty of things for anyone on your shopping list as well as many nice items for yourself. I enjoyed it and will make sure to make it back there again. read more

This is my first time visiting the market. I was super excited to see all things winter and Christmas. From what I hear it is pretty authentic although I am not sure if they would sell items like bacon jam and peanut butter in Germany. Parking was free but very sparse. We had to stalk a couple walking to their car. When we finally parked there was a line outside the entrance to get in. We paid 20 dollars for two. I hear this is not very authentic. In Germany they just let you in and roam around. Things being sold ranged from dog treats to a Maserati. Not sure if that's authentic either. There were several tents and vendors spread out everywhere. Some of the spaces are tight so watch for foot traffic. I found things like Christmas ornaments to be over priced but have to take into consideration that most things there are handmade. I saw glass blowing, ice carving and some pretty cool painting. I bought peanut butter, bacon jam and a really cool hat. As for food treats there were plenty but honestly, they didn't look that clean so I passed. All and all I had lots of fun roaming around pointing at things. Not sure if it was worth 10 bucks to buy 8 dollar peanut butter though. read more

Definitely not what it used to be. Even though there were "Christmas things" I expected more. Dog treats, "Jason" on a wood hanging are not really Christmasy to me. Sooo crowded in the tents you can hardly move! Food lines were really long. Felt more like a craft fair. Parking was very difficult,drove around for quite awhile to find a spot. Instead of all vendors in tents,put more outside. I get that the weather may not be perfect. Also felt paying $14 just to get in is steep. I used to love going here,but probably won't go again. read more

Oh Christikindlmarkt... I only came to know you because this was my husband's childhood and he looks back on it so fondly. We go every year during the holiday season to this event and every year it disappoints. I always try to go with high hopes, maybe I'll find some Christmas gifts this year, maybe fun new vendors will be around, maybe it won't be so crowded, but every time I am wrong. The highlight of Christkindlmarkt is Santa, and I am happy to bring my daughter to see him. He looks like a real Santa, with old fashioned garb and a real beard. I appreciate him, and he is always really friendly. But that's about it. When I went this 2017 season, the place was packed and we could hardly move. We couldn't spend too much time at each vendor because if a hole opened up, we would want to move through it as fast as we could. My mother-in-law said it wasn't crowded when she went, which was the weekend right after Thanksgiving. That's probably the best time to go. The vendors are nice, I never found any of them to be overly pushy at all. There are some unique gifts I found the first time I went, but now it's just all the same. Luckily, family members buy a season pass and share it with each other so we don't have to pay the crazy entrance fee each time, and we don't have to stand in line to buy tickets. I know I'll be back again to take pictures with Santa, but I also know I will be disappointed again. read more

You have to accept that this place is a tourist trap to really have any fun here. Is your money going towards a true starving artist? No. That being said, you're still supporting the revitalization (gentrification?) of Bethlehem. At the very least this is an aesthetically pleasing place to get into the Christmas spirit. It's somewhat unlikely you'll find anything to buy for gifts here, but you'll probably see a lot of decor you'll want for yourself. Most of what's being sold is decorations, be it floral arrangements, ornaments or figurines. The prices leave a lot to be desired, and most of it can be bought elsewhere at a discount. Go for the sights, sounds and smells of the season. Don't go expecting to pick up an amazingly unique gift. Set your expectations low and it will be fun. read more

The number of people allowed in at one time should be monitored. Extremely over crowded, could not even shop. This is like low rent Sugar Loaf Craft Festival. We walked in, fought to get through the first tent, couldn't get in the second, went to get some food and it was an hour wait. So we ditched quickly. Almost $60 for 4 people to attend and didn't get to enjoy it at all. read more

When in the Christmas City during the holidays, a trip to Chriskindlemart is always a must. The event has grown in size since my youth and moved from under the bridge downtown to the Arts Quest area near Steel Stacks on the Southside. The parking situation is crazy. We came Saturday right at opening and the lots were all full. We had to park near the community college and walk over. At $9 a person entry fee I was hoping to get more bang for my buck. Already dishing out a lot of money to even walk inside the tents we were going to be wise with how we spent our money inside. It was a bit disappointing to see that more and more non-holiday related stands are popping up, things like home repair and gutter cleaning companies really do not belong in this type of event in my opinion. I noticed that there was a lot of redundancy this year as well. There were 6 stands selling soap for example, that is overkill. However, there were some unique stands for example the hot plates made from herbs and spices were very cool and I could spend hours sampling chocolates at Chocolate Moonshine company, so good!!! The entertainment is nice but there's not enough room to sit and enjoy especially at the glass blowing and ice carving areas, which are especially tiny. It's nice to see this event growing but I think they need to be more selective in who they allow in as vendors and try to stick with the holiday theme and gift items. I also feel that $9 quite steep for admission and it seems that $5 would be more reasonable. read more

I "get" that this venue isn't Germany, and we can't expect uninterrupted shopping bliss. Check. Duly noted, previous reviewer. However, is this not marketed as a Christkindl market? What you actually get, folks, is a series of tents filled with polished sales driven vendors. If you just want to shop, show off your handbag and drink overpriced coffee, then pretend your at the mall and come on down. This is not a Christkindl type experience. It's hustle bustle, big city credit card driven sales tents with a $10 admission fee. It feels corporate and has little flavor or charm. Hungry at lunchtime? Your a captive audience, so remember that your paying ballpark pricing for the food you purchase. It's painful. Plus if you have kiddies, there's one small table in a corner of one of the tents for their "entertainment". Pretty lame. Overall, it was friendly, well organized, and I'm glad I went for the experience and time spent with family. However, next year we will be back at Jim Thorpe or Wellsboro. read more

This whole thing is nothing more than a idiotic tourist trap in the worst kind of way. First of all the idea of having to spend money for the "right" to go into a heated tent just to spend more money is quite possibly the stupidest idea ever. You seriously need to be a mental midget to actually want to go and spend money just to spend more money on overpriced trinkets. They use to offer BOGO coupons but now the best offered is a measly one dollar off. There is nothing authentic about the food offered. Most of the stuff is the same swill offered at Muskiest like Heaven on a Bun. Yuck. The only thing even remotely worth it is the guy who plays St. Nicholas is fantastic and he truly puts children at ease and a picture with him is better and more authentic than the average loser mall Santa. But that said, unless someone is paying for you to go stay away as your wallet will thank you for it. read more

My wife and I come every year. The reviews are all previous years. $24 for entrance is outrageous. There are less than 1/4 the venders of previous years. My wife loved the strudel but none this time. The food was sky high. Save your money, maybe next year they will get back next year. read more

Wanted to check this out despite some bad reviews & I agree this could have been much better. Really not a German Christmas market at all. More of a run of the mill ordinary arts/craft fair. The vendors (besides maybe a dozen) were not unique at all. Also the signage was lacking to direct you to the exact location. It lacked much in way of Christmas at all besides the outdoor tree & lights. Luckily we went on a free night, but would have been upset if I had paid $12 to get in. read more

Let's get this out of the way right from the start. Christkindlmarkt, like every other craft vendor sale I've attended, has an entry fee. From Sugar Loaf to the local craft fairs, I have yet to attend a craft vendor event that didn't charge for entry. Considering the size and scope of this show, I'm not at all surprised at the price, either. Sugar Loaf charges about as much. Heck, my local craft fair that has far, far fewer vendors charges a fee to enter AND you have to pay to park in any of the local lots. So yea, it's not an uncommon trend that we now suffer through to go to such events. As for Christkindlmarkt itself, there's a lot to take in. We have been seeing more and more non-artisan vendors over the years, which is disappointing but not surprising since they pop up at damn near every event with vendors. Still, there's a ton of great handcrafted items for sale in every price-point. Most of the vendors there are truly great artists and we have a lot of respect for the time, energy, and talent it takes to create the unique items they offer for sale. It's amazing watching some of them work! We never go in expecting to get all of our holiday shopping done. We go for the experience of seeing these great artists and feeling the Christmas spirit. Are there things that could be better? Sure. In the end, though, going in expecting nothing more than a few hours surrounded by wonder and joy, it truly is a day well spent. read more

Lots of artisans and craft vendors in a very cool setting in the shadow of the steel mill

Went yesterday. Went to be immersed in the Christmas spirit and was disappointed. Hardly any decorations. No tress. Carolers replace with giant tv's showing soccer and football. Live entertainment gone. Just a money grab now. read more

$14 to go shopping. That is the dumbest thing ever. Do not suggest you go. The door guards were giving dirty looks. read more

Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

I went here today with my in-laws who are from Bethlehem and it was simply magical! Beautiful items and ornaments from vendors, many HT chocolate and food booths, and very festive looking with lights. Parking was a bit challenging so might be best to come earlier. Only service dogs allowed. read more

CHANGING SANTA?? Shame on those in charge of the Chriskindlmarkt event this year. We have been taking our 9 year old boy to see the Santa there since he was born. He knows this is "the real" Santa. We've been told stories that kids coming out of college keep coming back to see "their" Santa. This man is sweet, authentic, spends a ton of time talking to each kid as long as they need to. He's a bit of humanity in the mess that the holiday season has morphed into. We were shocked this year to see--what we perceived as--a fake Santa, complete with phony looking shiny hang-on beard (where "our" Santa wears his own beard). We thought the gentleman who normally plays Santa was sick or worse. We were then shocked and angry to hear what the real story was... This in fact was "our" Santa. He apparently had a small skin cancer removed from his face a short while back but according to the woman we talked to (the main "elf") the suits running the Chriskindlemarkt told him the kids would be scared and made him wear this atrocious looking fake beard to cover up his small scar. He was furious about this. His beard has grown back fully and there was no reason to hide his sweet face. The beard made him look like the tacky Santa at our local firehouse breakfast. These kids would never have been scared by this sweet kind man. SHAME ON YOU ALL. YOU HAVE NO HEART OR HUMAN COMPASSION. read more

This was my first time visiting the market. Like some of the other reviewers, I thought the $8 entry fee was expensive. There are one dollar off coupons available, I found this out because a kind lady let me and my wife use hers. The market was so-so. I did like that local craftspeople, and some not so local, were able to sell their wares. I'm all for supporting local merchants and US made products. There were some nice crafts there but many were quite pricey. Outside there was a nice ice carving demo and some other craftspeople demonstrating their craft. While eating at the food court, we were treated to a very good choir singing holiday songs. I thought the market would have been a bit larger than this and I wasn't thrilled about the entrance fee. On a side note......I was glad to see that the area around the market is starting to come alive. I remember driving through Bethlehem 10-15 yrs ago, seeing the empty Bethlehem Steel Mill closed down. The area looked depressed. I hope that something good comes from the building of the Casino and hotel and the SteelStacks area. read more

I'm not going simply because there is an entrance fee!! What a ripoff! It's like going to music fest with a fee. Give me a break.

This was a total bust. Don't bother. I was so disappointed. It was not charming, not unique and you will be charged to go into the market. Booths are run of the mill. Food boring and the setting is bizarre. If I could give it zero stars I would. read more

Christkindlmarkt as the previous poster described is an indoor craft market with a German theme. As a local, I have gone nearly every year. This year I was a bit jaded about it though because the admission jumped to $10 a person, and buy one get one free tickets were not honored during the craft market (the only point of going) which is open Thursday through Sunday. Seems I am not the only one, as crafters and local news reports say visitors are down this year, and I just received an e-mail offering deep discounts on Christkindlmarkt and surrounding activities. That said, it is an enjoyable few hours and if you are from out of town it is an absolute must-see. My friend from Jersey absolutely loved it. It is very quaint and you can pick up some Pennsylvania crafts like pottery, beeswax ornaments, and Schnerenschnitte (sp? cut work). Unlike the previous poster, I am not big on the food here. It is primarily made up of typically overpriced festival fare, and I personally think the strudel is disgusting. I would grab a bite up on Main Street before entering. The liquid fireworks were ok. They can't hold a candle to the ones down in Kennett Square at Longwood Gardens. They were neat, but did not meet my high, hyped-up expectations. The event is relatively kid-friendly with Santa Claus and crafts to keep them occupied. Check it out. read more

After realizing that this was our 3rd Christmas in the LV and we'd not yet ventured into downtown Bethlehem for the holiday, we felt obligated to go out in the cold and go. The Christkindlmarkt is fine. My favorite area was the part with all the authentic German ornaments and Christmas decorations. There were a lot of other nice vendors, and a lot of things that just seem out of place. It does feel strange to pay $7 to basically shop, though. I'm not sure we'd go back, but it was worth the trip. read more

$9 to get into Christkindlmarkt (sigh)...I am a native of the Lehigh Valley, so will try to give as honest a review as possible: good and bad... Good: It's a really nice way to spend a few hours, as long as you come with no expectations of finding bargains. The entertainment is mostly very good and home-grown - some impressive local talent in the various choirs and individual performers. Some of the vendors have fair prices on their items, other than a handful of individuals, (those that would obviously rather be ANYWHERE else), most are more than happy to answer questions, provide info as to inspiration, info on making of products, etc. Ice sculpture - really talented and fun to watch. Same with the glass-blowers. BAD: the parking is abysmal. Enough said. $9 to just get into the tents...at least hand out a cheap ornament or a beeswax candle or SOMETHING to make that not hurt so bad. Can't imagine having to pay for a family. 80% of the vendors (not scientifically proven, lol!) are WAY overpriced. Artisan-priced items, while some impressive, some are not so much. Like another reviewer said, a lot of redundancy. Soap, spices, crafty stuff - check Pinterest and do it yourself! Or, good old Amazon. Bath fitters and others that hawk you when you walk outside past their booths, others of the same realm that can also be quite obnoxious. Food is mostly ok, depending on vendor, time of day (if food is HOT), and seating availability. You may need to stand to eat. Overall, if you want to kill an afternoon before enjoying something else and also see a few unique items from some really talented people, this is the place. I don't know how long Artsquest can continue to raise the ticket price for what is offered, however. I know exactly where to find certain vendors...not much change from year to year. I guess some find that to be a good thing, you know where to go for this or that - it's just for those of us who go yearly (it's my daughter's "thing") finding the same old in the same place year after year is disappointing and kind of boring. Especially for the home improvement stuff. However, if you go, enjoy! Nothing wrong with going and walking around to enjoy the spirit of the season! read more

This market is soooooo overrated and i cant't believe they charge to get in. Luckily we got discount tickets to get in (still not worth it). We made it through the entire thing in less than 30 min, prob 20. Overpriced home crafts, very expensive. Food was bad carnival food and expensive ($6 for a small burger that 2 angry teenagers would make you. The german theme was non existent, i saw a strussel booth but heard they were bad so we didn't buy any. I can't believe there is radio ads for this, but i guess they can afford it with charging at the door. Main st in town has much better looking store and you don't have to pay to get in. Don't waste your time or $. It actually made xmas depressing that this is called xmas city usa. read more

I've been interested in coming here for several years and finally made it - on a really freezing day! The two big negatives were parking and admission fees. Despite arriving for the 11 am opening, the parking lots in the immediate area were filled. It would have been really helpful if there were some staff people outside directing visitors to parking and/or providing info on where the shuttle buses were. We debated parking in the ice rink lot next to the tents (there were signs posted warning against doing this) but ended up with a spot on the street that was a 10 minute walk away. The $10 admission is steep (although we used the $1 coupon). The four tents did offer a wide variety of crafts people (and people selling home services) and their prices seemed comparable to what I've seen at other craft shows. We didn't eat there - prices seemed high and the lines were long (plus I really wanted to sit down someplace warm)! There are lots of really nice restaurants within a very easy drive from the facility. Overall, a three star event and I probably would look for a different market next year. read more

Supposedly it was new and enlarged this year but it was only re-arranged. A place that used to feature interesting and quality craftsmen now features bamboo pillows, kitchen remodeling, basement sealing and more. The commercial crap has become the norm. Arts quest has gone for money making rather than quality crafts. We've had season tickets to this event for many years and won't be doing that again. Save your $ and don't go. read more

One stop shopping for me - I love to do my holiday shopping this way rather than Amazon and support talented artists. Have met so many nice people year after year but please find a way to heat the tents. The cold dampness forced us to leave earlier than we wanted to yesterday. Also - didn't get the name of the jazz band that played Friday but they were very enjoyable ! read more