Leavenworth Christkindlmarkt 2026: Is It Happening?
Top photo courtesy Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce.
Last verified: October 30, 2026.
No. The Leavenworth Christkindlmarkt is not running in 2026, and it didn’t run in 2025 either. Leavenworth’s official festival pages no longer list it, and the market’s old website no longer loads properly. If it comes back, we’ll update this page the same day.
What Leavenworth does have is Christmastown: the Village of Lights, every day from Thanksgiving weekend to Christmas Eve, with food vendors in Front Street Park. It’s not a Christkindlmarkt, but it’s still worth the drive.
The short answer
- Christkindlmarkt: not running in 2025 or 2026.
- Christmastown (Village of Lights): Nov 27 to Dec 24, 2026, free. The lights stay up through February.
- Food: vendors in Front Street Park daily, 10 AM to 7 PM.
- Reservations: none needed. Parking is the hard part (see below).
- Want a real German style Christmas market? The closest is the Seattle Christmas Market at Seattle Center, Nov 20 to Dec 26.
What the Christkindlmarkt was
For years it ran Thanksgiving weekend in Front Street Park and the Festhalle: a German style market with a lantern parade, the Christkind and St. Nicholas. It was the reason a lot of people still search for it every November.
What happened to it
It hasn’t held a 2025 or 2026 edition. When we asked in October 2026, the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce told us the town has no holiday market this year; its Christmastown events run all month instead. Independent Christmas market guides list the Christkindlmarkt as canceled until further notice, and Leavenworth’s festival pages dropped it. We’re not going to guess at why. We’ll say plainly what’s running.
What’s on in Leavenworth this Christmas: the Village of Lights
- When: Nov 27 to Dec 24, 2026 (lights through February).
- Cost: free. A few concerts charge.
- Food: vendors in Front Street Park daily, 10 AM to 7 PM.
- The Festhalle: free to walk in. Sunday to Thursday noon to 4 PM, Friday and Saturday noon to 6 PM.
- The lights: on from 6 AM to 11 PM, more than half a million of them.
- Also: alphorns, choirs and Santa downtown.
- Where: Front Street Park and the Festhalle, Front St · Map
Verdict: go on a weekday if you can. Weekends are when the town fills up.
Parking and getting in
- No reservation system for visitors.
- Downtown lots charge. The Park and Rides are free, and Link Transit’s free Route 32 shuttle runs into town.
- The drive: from Seattle it’s US 2 over Stevens Pass. Traction tires or chains can be required from November on; check the WSDOT pass report before you leave.
- Weather happens. A December weekend was canceled in 2025 because of flooding, so check the town’s page the morning you go.
Coffee first
J5 Coffee and Argonaut Coffee and Biscuits are both downtown, a short walk from Front Street.
If you want a market, not just lights
- Pybus Public Market, Wenatchee: the Great Holiday Market over Holiday Kickoff weekend, Nov 27 to 29, with a tree lighting Saturday at 5 PM. Half an hour from Leavenworth, and you can do both in a day.
- Mistletoe Madness, Twisp: a Black Friday evening street market, Nov 27, from 4 PM.
- Seattle Christmas Market: the real German style market, with glühwein, bratwurst and a carousel. Nov 20 to Dec 26. Ticketed, timed entry.
- Every other market in the state: Christmas Markets in Washington State, by region →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Leavenworth Christkindlmarkt canceled?
It isn’t running. There was no 2025 edition and none is scheduled for 2026, and Leavenworth’s festival pages no longer list it.
What is Leavenworth Christmastown?
Leavenworth’s Village of Lights: the whole downtown lit up daily from Thanksgiving weekend to Christmas Eve, with food vendors in Front Street Park, music and Santa. It’s free.
When is Christmastown in Leavenworth in 2026?
Nov 27 to Dec 24, 2026. The lights stay up through February.
Do you need a reservation to visit Leavenworth at Christmas?
No. Downtown parking lots charge; the Park and Rides are free and the free Route 32 shuttle runs into town.
Where is the closest real Christmas market to Leavenworth?
For a full German style market, the Seattle Christmas Market at Seattle Center. Closer to Leavenworth, Pybus Public Market in Wenatchee holds its Great Holiday Market over Thanksgiving weekend.
Updates
- November 1, 2026: first published.
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