Christkindlmarket on Broadway

By Samantha Daggett, Beca Delvaux, and Josh Buntin

The Christkindlmarket on Broadway is in full swing. It is a new annual holiday tradition in downtown Green Bay. Since 2022, the market has been held in downtown Green Bay’s Broadway District in Red Sculpture Park on Hubbard Street. The event, a traditional German-style market, began on November 17 and will be held every Friday and Saturday until December 23. The street market hosts festive food and drink and unique gifts and programming to celebrate the holiday season while also honoring Wisconsin’s German traditions. There is hot chocolate, arts and crafts, a gingerbread workshop, ice skating, and caroling. Nearly 36 percent of Brown County residents have German ancestry. Local businesses and organizations partner with On Broadway to put on the event, such as the Wisconsin Public Service Foundation, Fox Communities Credit Union, and WIXX 101, among others.

The 2023 Christkindlmarket is only the second such event after the inaugural 2022 market. The market is significant because the Christkindlmarket is usually held in larger cities such as Milwaukee and Chicago, making it unique to be held in Green Bay. A number of vendors were at the market, almost all of whom were new this year. One vendor, Lia Van Roy, and her business, Pet Friendly Art, marked her first time at a market of any kind. She was invited to the market after one of her posts on Facebook was shared by multiple people. As Van Roy spoke, she was petting her dog, Houston, whom people could pet as they visited her booth. “I think especially with being able to bring my dog, and it helps with what I do. Yeah I know this another I would definitely it’s nice hours like the four hour 4 hours to sit and chat with people and kind of let them know what you do,” Van Roy said. She added that she was appreciative of being included in the market and for the chance to meet new people and raise awareness for her business.

Another local business in attendance at the market was Mr. Burns, which produces hot sauce, barbecue, salsa, and hot corn. Mr. Burns himself was not present, but his parents “Mama and Papa Burns,” were managing his booth. They explained how their son makes his product. Mr. Burns grows his own ingredients and uses other locally produced resources. Mr. Burns was at the first market, and Mama and Papa Burns appreciated the camaraderie among the local businesses who took part. “We’ve lived in this area for about 28 years and downtown Green Bay has done a fantastic job of always having something going on, which it’s really nice to see in the partnerships that he’s built. He’s working with some of the non-profits. He’s partnering with different vendors to come together to make the different products like the popcorn and some of the other stuff,” they said. Mr. Burns is also involved with the non-profit Rooted In Inc. Patrick, Angela, and Jan Neary also visited the market. They appreciated the food, which was traditional German sausage. “It’s a nice opportunity for a little shot of craft and time to come out with a good winter activity,” Patrick Neary said.

The event is hosted by On Broadway. Allie Thut, Director of Special Events, was responsible for organizing the 2023 market after the organizer of the 2022 market left her position, which Thut now occupies. She explained how she brought new things to the second market and used the Christmas market in Rochester, New York, where she used to live, as an influence when planning the market. The 2023 market is expanded from the first one, with it being held on 12 days total, up from six from the previous year. The market has also grown in size, according to Thut, with more tents added and part of Hubbard Street closed down. “It’s to support the community in regards to our vendors and vendors that are here. You know, the holiday time is a good time for them because people are shopping. So it’s helping a lot of our like small businesses and the community. But then the biggest reason why we do it is to support the Broadway district, which is what, On Broadway, who I work for, a non-profit, does is we support the Broadway district and the businesses that are here,” Thut explained about the significance of the event. She went on to explain how events such as the Christkindlmarket are designed to bring people to the Broadway district in the hope they shop, eat, and overall patronize the businesses in the area.

The Christkindlmarket has a long and storied history in other parts of the world. The origins of the Christmas market can be traced to Vienna in 1296 when Duke Albrecht I granted permission for 14-day fairs to be held in December. Even with the date of these events, the fairs didn’t seem to have any religious overtones and had nothing to do with Christmas. In Bautzen, Germany, there is another early example of an Advent month market that isn’t specifically related to Christmas. Bohemian King Wenceslas IV granted the city permission to have a free market in 1384, enabling butchers to sell meat until Christmas.

Although Christmas markets originated primarily in Germany, they later extended to areas of Italy, Switzerland, and France where German is spoken. This pattern is consistent with the overall origins of Christmas customs: It is said that in Germany, the custom of decorating a tree for the occasion originated in the sixteenth century. Theologian Reverend Robert Kolb of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis claims that a 1527 document from the German city of Mainz contains the earliest known written mention of the Christmas tree. Giving gifts was more strongly linked to December 6, Saint Nicholas’ Day, than it was to Christmas during the Middle Ages. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, was said to bestow presents for good behavior. Contrarily, Christmas signified the conclusion of Advent, a time for fasting and introspection, and the start of a 12-day festival.

The Christkindlmarket will be held until December 23, just before Christmas. It runs from 5 PM to 9 PM on Fridays and 11 AM to 3 PM on Saturdays. Krampus was at the market on December 2, whom shoppers could take pictures with. Allie Thut said that the Grinch would be at a later market. She added that she hoped the market could see an influx of college students to take part. It is part of larger holiday festivities in Green Bay, such as the Winter Wine & Beer Walks, which are held concurrently on Fridays in December with the Christkindlmarket. Another event in the 12 Days of Christmas, running from December 1 to December 12, which promotes local businesses in Green Bay, also happening semi-concurrently with the market. The Downtown Green Bay website suggests residents and tourists “make a weekend out of it and venture to see all that Greater Green Bay has to offer.”