BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Christkindlmarkt, the holiday market on the SteelStacks campus that ended Sunday, had record attendance, presenter ArtsQuest said news release.
The event's 31st year, featured which had retailers, artisans and food drew more than 117,500 people during its run from Nov. 17 to Dec. 17, ArtsQuest said.
That was up more than 9% from last year's record attendance of 107,000.
“We are so grateful to everyone that came out this year, making Christkindlmarkt our largest and most successful event to date. We love being able to support small businesses which in turn positively impacts the entire city.ArtsQuest Senior Events Manager Eric Bauder
This year, Christkindlmarkt offered Free Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m., which allowed for an extra hour of admittance from last year.
Attendees were able to use this extra time to see the more than 150 vendors who occupied four giant tents, a small number of sheds and their own food trucks.
According to the release, the ArtsQuest Glass Studio sold out its Glass Blowing Experience for the entirety of the weekends early on, with 336 tickets sold. In addition, more than 500 people attended the Breakfast with St. Nick event.
Music, film projects, ice skating
The release touted live performances from a variety of musical artists, as well as the filming of two separate holiday-themed TV and feature film projects, both of which will air in 2024.
“We are so grateful to everyone that came out this year, making Christkindlmarkt our largest and most successful event to date,” ArtsQuest Senior Events Manager Eric Bauder said.
“Christkindlmarkt is just one of the many events that makes the Christmas City so special and unique during the holidays.”ArtsQuest Senior Events Manager Eric Bauder
“We love being able to support small businesses which in turn positively impacts the entire city.
"We’d also like to thank our volunteers who helped spread holiday cheer every weekend along with the support of the Bethlehem Police Department who made safety a priority for the entire festival.
“Christkindlmarkt is just one of the many events that makes the Christmas City so special and unique during the holidays.”
The SteelStacks Ice Skating Rink presented by Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, also run by ArtsQuest, will run until Jan. 15.
