Christkindlmarkt SLC
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
Christkindlmarkt SLC offers a beautiful, free, and family-friendly event designed to provide a glimpse into traditional German Christmas Markets. It features unique shopping opportunities and various food vendors in a charming, magical atmosphere, especially at night.
Key Highlights
- ✓Free entry to the event
- ✓Offers a cultural experience like German Christmas Markets
- ✓Magical atmosphere at night (requires dressing warm)
- ✓Wide variety of unique goods for shopping
- ✓Diverse food options available from vendors
- ✓Event is described as 'beautiful' and 'super cute'
Standout Features
- ⭐Free admission makes it an accessible event for all families
- ⭐The aesthetics and decoration are 'beautiful' and 'well done', creating a unique ambiance
- ⭐Variety of unique vendors for shopping, offering diverse goods
- ⭐Different food options available for purchase
- ⭐Availability of overflow parking with a shuttle service to the event
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →Dress warmly if planning to visit at night due to the cold
- →To avoid extreme crowds, visit on a weekday if possible
- →Arrive right at opening time (11 am) to experience fewer crowds
- →Consider arriving late (after 8 pm), as some shops reportedly still sell goods for an additional half hour
- →Factor in significant travel time to the venue, especially on weekends
Things to Consider
- ⚠Overwhelmingly crowded, leading to difficulty moving and seeing vendors
- ⚠Zero crowd control, creating a 'non-moving crowd' and 'accident waiting to happen' feeling
- ⚠Vendors can be hidden or inaccessible due to dense foot traffic
- ⚠Food lines reported to be over an hour long
- ⚠Event space is perceived as too small for the number of attendees
- ⚠Long waits for restrooms (up to 20 minutes)
- ⚠Severe traffic congestion leading to the event (up to an hour just to reach parking)
- ⚠Parking itself is problematic and time-consuming
Price & Value
The event is free to enter, which is a significant positive. The main costs would be for food and goods from vendors, which are optional. However, the free entry comes with the potential 'cost' of an extremely challenging experience due to crowds and long waits for amenities.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accessibility accommodations mentioned. The reported 'non-moving crowds' and long restroom lines suggest potential difficulties for individuals with mobility challenges, strollers, or special needs.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •Various foods are available for purchase from vendors. Long lines for food are a major complaint, sometimes exceeding an hour. No mention of outside food policy.
🚗Parking Info
- •Parking is described as problematic, with significant traffic delays (up to an hour) just to reach the parking lot. Overflow parking with a shuttle service is available, which is a positive, but getting to that point can be challenging.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Extremely crowded, especially on weekends and Saturday afternoons
- •Described as 'insane crowds', 'non-moving crowd', 'unbearably crowded', and 'literally can't move'
- •Getting 'more crowded each year'
- •Less crowded on weekdays, and early (right at 11 am) or late (after 8 pm) on any day
🛡️Safety Features
- •Explicitly stated concern about '0 crowd control'
- •One review noted it 'felt like an accident waiting to happen' due to the density of people
- •No specific positive safety features or measures were mentioned in the reviews
⏰When to Avoid
- • Saturday afternoons, as it is 'unbearably crowded' and 'crazy'
- • Weekends in general, particularly during peak hours
- • Visiting at night if it's a weekend, due to extreme crowding where movement is restricted
- • If you dislike dense crowds, long lines, or significant traffic congestion
- • If you have young children who cannot tolerate long waits or being in very crowded spaces
Pricing/Package/Events
📅Booking Policy
- • Sign up by Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024, using a Google Form to participate in the St. Martin’s parade.
- • Registration is needed to receive a specific meeting location for the St. Martin's parade.
🚗Parking Information
- • Parking is available at This is the Place Heritage Park; early arrival (e.g., by 4:00 PM for a 6:00 PM parade) is recommended to beat traffic.
What People Say
What's Great
- Great for birthday parties (mentioned in 4 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 3 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Can get crowded during peak times (mentioned in 6 reviews)
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 5 reviews)
Recent Reviews
S Freeman
4 months agoThis is one of our favorite events each year with our friends and family. It is free to enter, fun to experience, and provides a glimpse into what the Christmas Markets are like in Germany! We love the magic at night, but be sure to dress warm. It is fun to shop all the different goods and eat the various foods. Thank you to the committee who plans this wonderful event every year! Note: it is getting more crowded each year, so come on a weekday, come early - it opens at 11 am each day OR come late, closes at 8 pm but many shops still sold us goods for an additional half hour. Hopefully, the market will be extended to two weeks to accommodate the demand and utilize more of the park.
Christina Renee
4 months agoIf you want to fight traffic and stand still in insane crowds with 0 crowd control, then go to this event. It was horrible to try and walk through a non-moving crowd. The vendors were hidden by the flow of people walking in opposite directions or standing in the walkway. The lines for food were over a hour long. The space is not big enough for the number of people who were allowed in. I would avoid this event until they organize it better. It felt like an accident waiting to happen…
Lillian B Carmody
3 months agoDo not go if you don't like crowds and traffic. Don't get me wrong—it's a very cute event and it's nice that it's free! But we came from out of town and went on a Saturday afternoon and it was unbearably crowded. The traffic situation to get there was crazy. We were stuck in the traffic to get there for almost an hour. Thankfully, there were spots in overflow parking and a shuttle that you could take to and from the event. I was also shocked that there were no additional facilities at the event. We had to wait in line for the restroom for at least 20 minutes when we got there. The vendors and the market itself are super cute! Overall, I wouldn't be opposed to going again, just for the vendors and the food, but I would not recommend going on a Saturday!
Steven Braithwaite
5 months agoWay too crowded (could only shuffle along amidst the crowd), parking was problematic (getting to the parking lot once on Sunnyside took forever, about as long as the stay at the event 😞), lines at vendors were too long to merit waiting. The idea of it all sounded great...the reality was disappointing. But don't take my word for it. Go and experience it for yourself. See if my review was fair...and then feel free to copy and paste the above in your review 😉
Patty Reese
4 months agoIt's absolutely beautiful, and so well done, but too crowded to see anything. Do yourself a favor and DON'T GO at night or during the weekend!! When I say it was crowded, I mean you literally can't move where you'd like, let alone get in to anything. I could have just gone limp, and the crowd around me would still have moved me along. They need to keep it open for many more days because it's beautiful!! I really wanted to see everything - so very well done.