BETHLEHEM, Pa. - A centerpiece of the Christmas City saw big crowds Saturday as the holiday season ramps up.
While cars lined up to park and people lined up to get tickets, those at Christkindlmarkt said it was great to see the festival back at full strength, echoing the growth in attendance seen at MusikFest his year.
- Christkindlmarkt is seeing large numbers of attendees with pandemic concerns from recent years no longer creating lessened crowds
- The new ice rink is seeing support from attendees and has become a welcome addition
- Christkindlmarkt continues Thursdays-Sundays until Dec. 18, and the ice rink remains open until Jan. 1
Shannon Keith, communications director for ArtsQuest, which manages the event, said she is blown away by the holiday merriment she sees there.
"For many families, you know, this is a tradition for them to come and spend the day here on campus and take in every different vendor and food offering and experience that embodies what Christkindlmarkt has been for several decades now," Keith said.
"There's a lot of people here, and I anticipate this coming weekend and then as we approach our final weekend, that the crowds will become even more we'll get even larger."
Once tickets were purchased, attendees went on shopping sprees, took in the sights or could be found waiting in lines to get a photo with Santa Claus or to get their hands on some of the various foods available.
"Where else in Christmas City can you go to see all this — it's really amazing to see," festival goer Cathy Coleman said. "And to get to support all the crafters out in this, you know they work hard for this. So we had to come in and support it."
Dan DeRicco agreed, saying supporting small and local businesses was a great part of Christkindmarkt.
"It's better to support local than the big box people and Amazon, so this is where you can support everyone," DeRicco said. "It's amazing here."
Mike Riehl, who has run a booth at the festival for eight years selling his hand-painted ornaments, said this year is exciting and has been very busy, with people from all over coming in.
"I think people are finally comfortable enough to go out and enjoy the holidays," Riehl said.
At Riehl's booth and others in the various retail and craft booth spaces throughout the market, shoppers and sightseers from the Lehigh Valley and beyond were gazing at and buying various Christmas-themed items on display.
"We see a lot of our repeat customers come through," Riehl said. "I'd say we've become a family tradition over the years, so that's kind of exciting."
"Post-pandemic, people are eager to come out and be a part of the different things that we have going on here on the SteelStacks campus," Keith said. "Folks who are thinking about what to do in the Christmas City, in addition to all of the things going on in North Bethlehem, really have an incredible array of choices here."
The ice rink is a new addition to the SteelStacks campus this year, and skaters of all ages are taking part.
Lia Mandagio traveled with her family from Solebury Township, Bucks County, for the event, and was at the wall teaching her young daughter how to stay up on the ice.
"Post-pandemic, people are eager to come out and be a part of the different things that we have going on here on the SteelStacks campus."Shannon Keith, ArtsQuest Communications Director
Mandagio said they were having a lot of fun with the first-time activity and appreciated the red plastic skating aids available to rent.
"It's fantastic, it's wonderful, they should keep doing it," Mandagio said. "They need more of these red things, though, because the adults need them, too. I'm telling you, everybody would rent one, they're great."
"We're having a lot of fun. It's really festive, and it was pretty easy."
Special events for the Ice Rink are advertised on the Christmas City event website, including a Skate with St. Nick event Sunday, Dec. 11 and a sensory-friendly skate on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
Keith said that for ArtsQuest, the relatively warmer weather of recent weeks has not been a burden to keeping the ice rink running.
"The warm temperatures, if anything, have brought more people out to enjoy the outdoor rink," Keith said. "The ice stays frozen because of its design."
Keith said that only instances of severe rain or snow would stop the hand-maintained and machine-refrigerated ice rink's ability to be opened for the day.
LehighValleyNews.com partners with ArtsQuest to provide free admission to the marketplace from 6 to 8 p.m. on Fridays.
Tickets for the market and ice rink are available in advance for those looking to skip the line.
The ice rink will remain open until Sunday, Jan. 1 and the Christkindlmarkt continues Thursdays-Sundays until Dec. 18.
