INDIANAPOLIS — A holiday festival returns to Downtown Indianapolis this weekend.
The Athenaeum Foundation will host its second annual Christkindlmarkt through the month of December.
You can expect to see decorations, live entertainment on the biergarten stage, warm raclettes & gluhwein and other traditional German food and beverages.
The Christkindlmarkt will be held here in the Rathskeller biergarten and will feature 12 vendor huts with local artisans and merchants.
"All local. Sourcing or making their products here locally. German handmade wax ornaments, we've got prints, candles, we've got it all," Athenaeum Foundation President, Craig Mince said.
Something that sets this Christkindlmarkt apart is its inclusivity.
The celebration expands to also include Hanukkah, Las Posadas and Kwanza.
Those dates are Dec. 9, 16 and 17, consecutively.
But before all of that you can enjoy all of that, the market will feature Krampusnacht on Dec. 2 and Sankt Nikolaus fest on Dec. 3.
Legend goes a mythical demon-goat beast arrives every year to scare and punish those who find themselves on the naughty list.
This traditional Krampusnacht celebration dates back hundreds of years to the towns and villages of the European alps and is immediately followed by the arrival of Sankt Nikolaus, a kind-hearted gift giver who arrives the following day to reward those who have been good.
This year's market is offering an expanded Christmas tree lot, courtesy of Digs Garden Center.
This is their first year in business, and Amy Lapka says they're filling a need in Indy's North Mass Ave. district and beyond.
"There's not a lot of places for people to buy plants. We're really filling a need for that downtown. Our garden center is four seasons. This is one of our seasons," Lapka said.
There are no tickets required to enter.
The market will be open Fridays through Sundays in December, starting on Friday, Nov. 24, and concluding on Sunday, Dec. 17.
