BETHLEHEM, Pa - Bethlehem's Christkindlmarkt is currently topping the leadership board for USA Today’s 10Best Outdoor Holiday Markets.
- Bethlehem's Christkindlmarkt is currently number one on USA Today's 10Best Outdoor Holiday Market List
- It opens on Nov. 18 and features over 150 vendors
- Historic Hotel Bethlehem was also voted Best Historic Hotel by USA Today this year
The old-world market is set against what was once one of the largest steel factories in the country. It opens Friday, Nov. 18, and features over 150 different vendors.
Highlights are a hot glass experience where you make your own ornament, a Crayola creativity station and breakfast with St. Nicholas. Germany’s Käthe Wohlfahrt will be returning with handmade ornaments, nutcrackers and other collectibles.
Also on USA Today's 10Best list this year was Historic Hotel Bethlehem, voted Best Historic Hotel for the second year in a row. It opened in 1922 and celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. Famous guests include Thomas Edison, Amelia Earhart, the Dalai Lama and Muhammad Ali, as well as four U.S. presidents.
In 1937, there was a nationwide letter-writing campaign to make Bethlehem the Christmas City officially. People from all over the country sent more than 185,000 Christmas cards to the Bethlehem Post Office to help the city earn this title.
Right now, the city is on track to become a World Heritage Site by 2024. If all goes as planned, it will join American landmarks like Independence Hall, the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon.
Also in the running for best holiday market are Carmel Christkindlmarkt in Indiana and Denver Christkindlmarket in Colorado. The winner will be announced Friday, Dec. 16.
The market is located at 101 Founders Way, at the SteelStacks campus in Bethlehem. It runs every weekend from Nov. 18 to Dec. 18. More information can be found on its website.