All you need to know to make Cullman Christkindlmarkt a new holiday tradition

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Ho, ho, ho … Frohe Weihnachten! We are here to gift you with a new holiday road-trip tradition (if it’s not already). While Cullman Christkindlmarkt is less than an hour’s drive, we believe you’ll want to stick around awhile once you get there.

Equal parts dazzling, delightful and delicious, the festival transforms the city’s Depot Park into a traditional German Christmas market for five weeks.

This season’s production opens Nov. 20, expanding once again for more space, features and fun. Read on for how to plan your visit.

The facts: Cullman Christkindlmarkt

• What: Cullman Christkindlmarkt, a traditional German Christmas market recognizing Cullman’s heritage + its founding by Col. Johann Gottfried Cullmann + German immigrant families in the 1870s
• Where: Depot Park, 107 Arnold St NW, Cullman, AL 35055
• When:
  • Thursday, Nov. 20 – Wednesday, Dec. 10
    • Thursday through Saturday, 11AM-9PM + Sunday, Noon-8PM
    • (Closed Thanksgiving)
  • Thursday, Dec. 11-Tuesday, Dec. 23
    • Monday-Saturday, 11AM-9PM
    • Sunday, Noon-8PM
• Cost: Admission + parking are free!
• Opening events, full schedule + more: Website | Facebook

26 hours in Cullman for Christkindlmarkt

With a nod to how Germans celebrate two days of Christmas extending to Dec. 26, we’ve put together a 26-hour itinerary for your visit.

Daytime

🎡 11AM-3PM: Arrive, stroll, shop + snack

Grab a coffee, hot cocoa or cider and get a lay of the land.

📸 A few special things to see

• Weihnachtspyramide: Translating to “Christmas pyramid,” you’ll definitely see it, even if you can’t pronounce it. Cullman has the largest of these traditional German structures in North America.
• Schwibbögen: This traditional carved piece translates to “floating arch,” and the one here is larger than life, representing a traditional German window decoration popular in wintertime.
• Christkind: An angelic character who represents the spirit of Christmas with a story that goes back centuries in German folklore. She’ll play a big part in the festival’s new goal to raise $100,000 for children’s charities

🛍️ Shop the market
Browse the market’s dozens of curated vendors + pick the perfect gifts for everyone on your list (and yourself).

👉 NEW! 🤗 The city’s 3,500-square-foot Festhalle Farmer’s Market is enclosed to host Käthe Wohlfahrt store, a premier retailer of high-quality, traditional German Christmas decor.

🥨 Midday meal
Choose among vendors selling pretzels, waffles, schnitzel, juicy brats, spiral-cut potatoes, chimney cakes, springerle cookies + more.

Afternoon

🏩 Check into your hotel
From uniquely Cullman experiences like The Flying Fifty boutique hotel or Palomino RV Resort, the community has excellent options. Check them out here.

🤗 3-5PM: Activities for all ages

🧸 Crafts, characters + story time
Kinderplatz is the place for meeting mascots, making toys + more.

⛸️ Get moving
Glide on ice skates, spin around the carousel, roll on the Christkindl Express Train, slide down the Winterbahn or revolve on the Ferris wheel.

Evening

✨ 5-8PM: Enjoy more local light displays

👉 NEW! 🚎 If you’re there Thursday-Sunday, leave your car + hop on a free tram service that will run between Christkindlmarkt, Ave Maria Grotto + the Winter Wonderland light display at Sportsman Lake Park! Tram hours are Thursday-Saturday from 11AM-PM + Sunday from Noon-8PM.

🍽️ Dinner time + breakfast plans
Go back for any vendor goodies you may have missed at lunchtime or choose among Cullman’s many excellent restaurants, here. (Pick a spot for the morning, too!)

☀️ Day 2: Morning

🚙 Before you head back to Birmingham …
After breakfast, swing back through Christkindlmarkt for another round of shopping. (We know you need that beautiful handcrafted clock you thought about all night!)

Ready to go? Get complete details + a schedule, visit the Cullman Christkindlmarkt website + Cullman Christkindlmarkt Facebook page for the latest updates.

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