BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Grab a hot toddy and sing along to beloved holiday tunes at the SteelStacks campus soon.
ArtsQuest's Christkindlmarket, which has been a holiday tradition in Christmas City since 1993, offers holiday shopping, along with the chance to feast on German food in a festival atmosphere provided by professional Christmas carolers and high school chorales.
The festival will be open Fridays-Sundays for its first three weeks, then expand to Thursdays-Sundays (with an extra week this year) through Dec. 22.
Scheduled to perform at the spectacle — fashioned after the 16th century holiday markets in Germany — are chorus members from Emmaus, Dierfuff, Nazareth, Parkland, Saucon Valley and Brandywine Heights high schools.
Christkindlmarkt has been recognized by national publications, including USA Today (attendees can also vote in the USA Today 10Best Reader's Choice here).
This year's festival features over 150 vendors and artisans selling hand-crafted Christmas decorations, jewelry, clothing, toys and other items in heated tents.
Here's a rundown of the best bites and a lineup of this year's musical performers:
German roast, strudel, hot toddies
Traditional German food awaits attendees inside tent three.
Eleven vendors in total serve a variety of German foods including strudel, German bratwurst, German roasted almonds, German Mac and Cheese, hot poutine, mashed potato balls and Bavarian pretzels.
Some Christkindlmarkt favorites are the sauerbraten (beef roast served with gravy, spaetzle noodles, peas and carrots) for $18 and kartoffellpuffer (two German potato pancakes) with sour cream for $8.
Both meals are available from FoodStuff, a vendor which also serves Halupki (stuffed cabbage, $8), Haluski (cabbage and noodles, $7), Bierocks (German meat turnover, $10), Chicken Paprikash, Weiner Schnitzel (breaded veal cutlet, $20) and Rindergulasch (beef goulash).
The chefs from Heaven on a Bun cook pierogies with sauerkraut and onions, Hunter's bowls (assorted German sausages over noodles, $15), Currywurst bowls (German sausages with French fries), Bratwurst, Krainerwurst, Knockwurst, Vienna Hot Dog, German potato salad and pudding.
For those wanting smaller bites, MMG Concessions offers pretzels, paninis, turkey legs, tater tots, mashed potato balls, meat pies with mashed potatoes, German pulled pork, Gyros with German sausages, fried pickles and apple and pumpkin pie roll ups and hot apple cider.
For sweets enthusiasts, Islands Expressions serves muffin tops, scones, biscotti, cinnamon rolls, apple dumplings, apple krisp, hot brownie sundaes, cream brule, croissants, frozen cheesecakes and cookies (best bets are the red velvet and chocolate chip versions).
The vendor also sells cappuccinos, lattes, hot apple cider, espressos, hot chocolate, chai teas and cold beverages like sodas and ice teas.
A Musikfest favorite, Heidi’s Strudel serves whole ($13) and half strudel ($7 in apple, cherry, cheese, apricot and almond flavors), plus German roasted glazed nuts.
Pat's Pizza is also back at Christkindlmarkt offering personal pizza pies, cheesesteak strombolis, cheese curds and meatballs on a stick.
Outside, food trucks such as the Flying V Poutine (on-site during sessions three to six) will serve classic poutine, naked fries, bacon poutine, chicken bacon ranch poutine, veggie poutine and parmesan truffle fries.
Travelin Tom’s Coffee, also outside, carries iced drinks such as cold brew coffees and iced macchiatos and Tilt Nitro energy drinks, plus hot drinks like macchiato, americano, espresso, mocha and cinnamon apple cider.
Bar locations are located in tent 1, tent 3 and tent 4.
Fill your souvenir mug with of choice with these must-try sips at Christkindlmarket ($13) including the spiced cranberry (Sprite winter spiced cranberry and Jack Daniels), Cookies and coconuts (Oreo, Coke Zero and Barcadi coconut rum), Jingle Juice (cranberry, apple and raspberry cocktail with vodka), Caramel apple (apple cider with caramel syrup and choice of Jack Daniels or Vodka), Peanut Butter Cup (hot chocolate with Screwball peanut butter whiskey), and Sparkling Poinsettia (cranberry juice and prosecco).
Draft beers on tap are Yuengling Lager or flights ($9), Deschutes Brewery fresh squeezed IPA ($11) and Well Crafted Chocolate Porter ($11).
Christmas carolers, high school chorales
The holiday concert schedule is as follows:
- Emmaus High School Chorale will perform at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 22.
- Olde Towne Carolers at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23
- Galena Brass at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24.
- Yuletide Slides at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1
- Lower Macungie Middle School Cadence Choir at 11 a.m. on Dec. 5
- Dieruff High School Choir at 11 a.m. on Dec. 6
- Yuletide Slides at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 8
- Nazareth High School Chorus at 11 a.m. on Dec. 12
- Brandywine Heights Middle School Band and Select Chorus at 11 a.m. on Dec. 13
- Parkland Strolling Strings at 1 and 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 14
- Christmas in Gibbsville at 1 and 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 15
- Saucon Valley Middle School Choir at 11 a.m. on Dec. 19
- Brandywine Heights High School Chorus and Jazz Ensemble at 11 a.m. on Dec. 20
- Covenant Brass Quintet at 1 and 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 21
- Galena Brass at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 22
