The Minneapolis Christkindl Market returns for a second year with five weekends of glühwein, handmade gifts and live music, and it makes a very good excuse to book a night in a historic mansion. Here is how the weekends work, what to plan around them, and where to warm up afterward.
When is the Minneapolis Christkindl Market in 2026?
The market runs November 20 to December 20, 2026, over five weekends: Nov. 20–22, Nov. 27–29, Dec. 4–6, Dec. 11–13 and Dec. 18–20. Per the market’s own website, hours are Fridays 4 to 9 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is an outdoor market of alpine-style wooden huts at North Loop Green, 350 North 5th Street.
The site lists more than 42 local vendors selling handmade and European goods, plus German glühwein, Swiss raclette, spätzle, Spanish honeys and fresh waffles. Entertainment includes live music, dance performances, lantern parades and Christmas karaoke, and Santa visits every Sunday. Admission and parking are not listed on the page, so check the site before you go.
Which weekend should you pick?
If you want the longest day, any Saturday gives you ten hours (11 a.m. to 9 p.m.). If you would rather see the huts after dark, Friday evenings run 4 to 9. The Nov. 27–29 weekend lands right after Thanksgiving, and we have mapped that long weekend separately in our Thanksgiving weekend guide. The December weekends are the ones to book early if you are planning a gift-shopping trip.
Why stay at 300 Clifton instead of a standard hotel room?
A market day is a cold, happy, on-your-feet kind of day, and the best part is coming back to somewhere that feels like a holiday card. 300 Clifton is the historic Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion in Loring Park, a Georgian-style home on the National Register, and it dresses up for the season. Guests choose from distinct rooms, including the Crystal Mansion and the Grand Edwardian, rather than a row of identical doors.
After an afternoon of glühwein and waffles, the four-season garden hot tub is the obvious next stop. We wrote up how that works in our hot tub guide. If your group wants something spookier, ask about the haunted hotel side of the house and the heated-recliner movie room.
How do you get between 300 Clifton and North Loop Green?
We will not guess at a travel time. Put 300 Clifton Avenue and 350 North 5th Street into the Metro Transit trip planner or your rideshare app for your exact day and hour, and check the market’s own notes for parking. Bring warm layers either way.
What else can you fold into a Christkindl weekend?
Make it a full holiday trip. The Guthrie’s A Christmas Carol opens in November, and the Mia exhibition Paris Couture runs through January 17, 2027; we covered that in our Paris Couture stay guide. Prefer a night on wheels? A heated holiday lights trolley boards at the Pillsbury Club mansion, and you can read how that works in our holiday lights trolley guide or on the Minneapolis Trolley Tours holiday ride page.
Book direct and you also get a little extra: per our vouchers page, direct reservations include a $20 Pillsbury Club dining voucher and a $20 Minneapolis Trolley voucher per stay, valid during your stay only.
Ready to pick your weekend?
Choose your Christkindl weekend, then book your room at 300 Clifton before the December Saturdays fill. The hot tub will be waiting when you get back from the market.
Keep reading: Where Should You Stay for Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Minneapolis? Dec. 27 at Target Center