Dublin's First Christkindlmarkt Runs On A Five-Day Week

The lights at Riverside Crossing Park come on for the market at noon on Saturday, Nov. 21. On most weeks after that, the gates are closed Monday and Tuesday and don't open until 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Christkindlmarkt Dublin, a traditional European holiday market in its inaugural season, runs at the base of the Dublin Link through Christmas Eve. The City of Dublin's announcement lists free admission and German food, drink and gifts.

The planning goes back several years. The city started with a 2022 feasibility study, then ran a competitive selection process, and Christkindlmarkt Dublin, LLC was picked to build and operate the market. The release pitches it as a draw for day-trip and overnight visitors from across Ohio and the surrounding region. If you live in Dublin, the schedule is what decides when you go. It gives you short midweek evenings, crowded weekends that overlap with Bridge Park's December programming, and a skating rink that stays open about three months after the last Glühwein is poured.

The week starts on Wednesday

These are the regular hours, from the market's published schedule:

The holidays change things in a few places. Thanksgiving week, the market opens at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 25, and closes on Thanksgiving Day. In the last week before Christmas it opens at noon Monday through Wednesday, Dec. 21 to 23, so Dec. 21 and 22 are the only Monday and Tuesday it opens all season. On Christmas Eve it closes at 4 p.m.

Midweek, you get five hours, starting around the end of the workday. Those Wednesday and Thursday evenings are the easiest time for a local to walk over, eat something hot from one of the huts and get home at a reasonable hour. Visitors coming in for the day are more likely to show up Friday through Sunday, when the gates open at noon.

What fits into a 4 p.m. visit

The food is set up so you can eat as you walk. The hut directory lists Das Wursthaus, Schnitzel & Käsespätzle, Kartoffelpuffer & Frikadellen, Flammkuchen, Raclette, Fischbrötchen & Pommes Frites, Döner Kebab, Baumstriezel, Das Apfelhaus, Gebrannte Nüsse, Belgische Waffeln and Schmalzkuchen & Kaffee. The menus include bratwurst, smoked Krakauer, currywurst, potato pancakes and cream puffs, and some huts mark vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or dairy-free options.

Several of the vendors are from Central Ohio. The market's vendor announcement names Die Creperie, run by the people behind Holy Crepes, along with Der Französische Laden, also known as The French Store, Say Yes Pretzels and The Red Stable.

The drinks list has Glühwein in four styles, red, blueberry, cherry and elderflower, plus Feuerzangenbowle. BrewDog's Christkindlmarkt Dunkel, Winter Staycation stout and Ohio Pilsner are on the list of beers in cans. Kinderpunsch, hot chocolate, hot cider and the zero-proof Santa Clausthaler cover the non-drinkers and the kids.

The shopping huts sell beer steins, Black Forest clocks, Polish pottery, German glass ornaments, Erzgebirge folk art, scarves and gloves, imported pantry goods and German sweets. Vendors take cash and credit cards.

There are two collectibles this year. The inaugural boot mug costs $10, is sold only at the market and could sell out. A three-piece, 24K gold-plated ornament of the Dublin Link costs $30. The organizers describe the mug as the first in a series of annual designs, each sold only during its own season. If you want the 2026 boot, a midweek evening early in the run is your best chance to get one.

December weekends get crowded

The open hours line up with Downtown Dublin's other holiday events, and on the busiest dates two or three of them overlap within walking distance. Here are the stacked dates, pulled from Bridge Park's holiday calendar and the city's own listings:

1. Thursday, Dec. 3. The City Tree Lighting runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Coffman Park, 5600 Post Road, with caroling, ice sculpting, reindeer and a 30-foot tree. North Market Bridge Park holds Holiday Disco and Donations with Eco Haus Market from 6 to 9 p.m. the same night, and the market is open 4 to 9.
2. Saturday, Dec. 5. Bridge Park's Merry Market runs from noon to 3 p.m. and Santa in the Park from 1 to 3 p.m. Both overlap with the Christkindlmarkt's first afternoon hours.
3. Sunday, Dec. 6. Fado has a Santa brunch from 10 a.m. to noon. That evening the market holds Sankt Nikolaustag, its St. Nicholas Day program, from 6 to 8 p.m.
4. Saturday, Dec. 12. North Market Bridge Park's Holiday Market runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Ugly Sweater Crawl covers Bridge Park and Historic Dublin from 6 to 9 p.m., the market's last three hours that night.
5. Saturday, Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 20. Santa in the Park returns from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday. VASO's Santa brunch runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday and needs a reservation.

The market's days off are the other half of the calendar. North Market Bridge Park schedules Holiday Music Trivia on Tuesday, Dec. 1, and Holiday Movie Trivia on Tuesday, Dec. 8, both from 6 to 8 p.m., on nights when the market gates are closed. On Thursday, Dec. 10, the Grizzell Middle School Choir is caroling there from 6 to 6:30 p.m., which leaves time to walk over to the huts before they close at 9. Across the river, the Twelve Elves of Dublin is a free scavenger hunt at participating Historic Dublin businesses starting Dec. 1. It works on a Monday or Tuesday afternoon, when the market is dark.

For Saturdays, the market doesn't open until noon, so there's room for breakfast first. HangOverEasy opened at 6757 Longshore St. on May 2, Columbus Underground reported, and Bridge Park described it as a breakfast and brunch restaurant with its own coffee bar.

Getting there: parking and pets

There's no shuttle this year. Parking is on the street and in the Downtown Dublin garages, including the Bridge Park garages, Bridge Park West and the Rock Cress Parking Garage. The market's FAQ says most on-street spaces and garages are free. Bridge Park West is the exception at $2 an hour, up to $35 a day. Accessible parking is on the street and in the Bridge Park and Bridge Park West garages. The market suggests the GoDublin app for checking garage space in real time.

If you live close enough to walk, the dog has to stay home. Pets aren't allowed on the market grounds.

The rink stays open into March

The ice rink at Riverside Crossing Park is a separate operation from the market, and it's open longer. It opens Nov. 21 with the market and, according to Bridge Park, stays open through March. Admission is $15 per person, skate rental included. The price is the same if you bring your own skates. Sessions last an hour and are capped at 60 tickets. You can book online or buy at the rink if any tickets are left.

After Christmas Eve the huts close for the year, and the rink is the one part of the season still running at the foot of the Dublin Link in January, February and March, with the same 60-ticket sessions and no market crowd around them.

In the city's announcement, Maria Adele Rosenfeld, CEO of Christkindlmarkt Dublin, LLC, said the goal is a holiday tradition that families and friends want to recreate year after year. The first chance to start one is Saturday, Nov. 21, at noon.

The Perez Team follows how places like Riverside Crossing Park change what living in Dublin feels like through the year. If you'd like to know how Downtown Dublin's growing calendar fits into your home's story, Angel Perez and the team are glad to help. Get a free home valuation and talk it over with us.