In 1997, Kerstmarkt was 10 booths in Centennial Park. This Sunday, November 1, its booths, equipment, name, website, social media accounts and vendor lists become property of the City of Holland. Starting with this season, the market will be run by the same office that runs Downtown Holland's events and the Holland Farmers Market. Its home at 150 W. 8th Street is also where the Parade of Lights ends.
Downtown Holland's holiday season used to be several separate traditions run by different groups. More and more, it's a single calendar centered on one block of 8th Street.
The Vote Nobody Pulled Off the Consent Agenda
The change got almost no attention. At the October 7 Holland City Council meeting, the Kerstmarkt transfer was bundled into the consent agenda alongside Holland Ice Park sponsorship deals and a Dolly Parton Imagination Library agreement. According to WHTC's report on the meeting, nobody moved it to separate discussion, and council approved the whole slate unanimously.
The city's action request explains how it came about. Earlier this year, Kara de Alvare, Holland's Principal Shopping District coordinator and director of the Holland Farmers Market, offered to have the city take over ownership and organization of the market. She spent the past six months on the Kerstmarkt planning committee, helping plan the 2026 market while working out the transfer agreement with the City Attorney's office.
The report gives two reasons for the move:
"to allow the Kerstmarkt to continue to expand and become an increasingly popular attraction for both City of Holland residents and visitors alike to benefit the local economy and b.) to allow for greater collaboration and coordination of both operations and marketing between the Kerstmarkt, Downtown Holland, the Holland Farmers Market, and the Holland Civic Center Place."
The second reason is the one you'll notice on a December Saturday. The market, the Farmers Market, the downtown shopping events and the building behind the booths now report to the same person.
What Changes on Paper, and What Doesn't Change This Year
The money side is already done. Council approved a budget amendment on August 5 that moves Kerstmarkt revenue and expenses into the city's General Fund starting in fiscal year 2027. From here on, de Alvare and the PSD and Farmers Market staff she oversees will organize and manage the market.
The longtime volunteers aren't being pushed out. The report says de Alvare will seek to set up an official City of Holland Kerstmarkt board, committee or commission so current committee members can keep helping plan the event. That group doesn't exist yet.
For this season, the market will look familiar. The 2026 market was planned by the existing committee, and the official Kerstmarkt schedule gives no sign of a new layout. Programming includes the Dickens Carolers, bell ringers, dog sled visits, Santa and the Sinterklaas Shuffle.
Here are the basics for 2026:
- Dates: Five Friday and Saturday weekends, November 20 through December 19
- Hours: Fridays 3 to 7 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Location: Civic Center Marketplace, 150 W. 8th Street, at 8th and Pine Avenue
Some older event listings online still show Friday hours running to 8 p.m. The 7 p.m. close comes from the market's current schedule.
Who's in the Booths for Year 29
The organizers call 2026 the market's 29th year, and every vendor slot is filled. Seventeen full-season vendors will be there all five weekends. Several are well-known stops for people stocking up on gifts and treats: deSoto Nuts for caramelized nuts, Marzec Chocolates for hand-dipped chocolates and candy apples, Flagel's Sugarhouse for maple syrup and maple cream, Rachel Brace Glass for hand-blown glass decorations, and Shore Gems for Michigan stone jewelry.
The full-season list has changed a bit since 2025. Bella Vista Farm is new, selling jams, salsa, dried flowers and gift boxes. deSoto Nuts, Earth Signs Fine Minerals, Merriment Creations and Rachel Brace Glass were weekend-only vendors last year and are now there for the whole run.
The weekend vendors rotate, so each weekend has a different mix. These names weren't on the 2025 roster:
| Weekend | Dates | Names new to the roster |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov. 20–21 | Grace Hollow, John Jurries Art, Piece by Piece Designs |
| 2 | Nov. 27–28 | Adventures of Grumpy Gnome, KJH Ceramics, Ridgewood Artisans |
| 3 | Dec. 4–5 | Erik's Kaotik Garden, July Sky Candle Co, Original Lisa, Sandra Jensen Studio |
| 4 | Dec. 11–12 | Not Your Grandma's Crochet, Sassy Designs by Joleen |
| 5 | Dec. 18–19 | Canvas Solutions, Christina Vera Creative, Geeky Goodies Gourmet Marshmallows, Jules Jewelry, Quail Run Cottage |
If you're shopping for a Christmas tree, Osman's Flowers & Firs has a booth the first three weekends, selling trees, wreaths and greens. If your list leans toward pottery, weekend 2 has KJH Ceramics, and Kate's Ceramics is there on weekends 3 and 4.
One Block, Most of December
Line up the season around 150 W. 8th Street and you can see why the city wants these events under one office. Most of downtown's big holiday moments either happen at the market's address or fall on a market weekend.
- Friday, November 13, 6 to 9 p.m. Shop 'Til You Drop kicks things off a week before Kerstmarkt opens. Participating downtown shops and restaurants stay open late, with discounts of up to 30%.
- Friday, November 20. Kerstmarkt opens at 3 p.m.
- Tuesday, December 1, 6:30 p.m. The Parade of Lights starts at 8th Street and Columbia Avenue and heads west on 8th to Holland Civic Center Place, 150 W. 8th Street. That's the same address as the market. 8th Street closes at 2 p.m., and Downtown Holland lists free parking in the 7th and 9th Street lots and decks and at the Civic Center. Parade entries are already full.
- December 1 through 5. Tulip Time's Dutch Winterfest returns for its second year, with Sinterklaas events, Proost! tasting tours, Delft Downtown, Holiday Huis Tours and the Holland Ice Park on the program. New this year, Dutch Skate puts skaters in Dutch attire on the ice at Holland Ice Park, 6 to 6:30 p.m. December 1 through 4 and 2:30 to 3 p.m. December 5.
- Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5. Kerstmarkt's third weekend falls during Winterfest. The ticketed Sinterklaas Shuffle runs Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It's a downtown scavenger hunt with lanterns, passports and five stops, starting at the Tulip Time office at 42 W. 8th Street. On those same nights, Magic at the Mill opens at Windmill Island Gardens, with 1,000 LED tulip blossoms set to holiday music, running Fridays and Saturdays through December 19, 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets must be bought in advance.
- Saturday, December 12, 8 to 11 a.m. Shopping Jam opens participating downtown shops two hours early, with discounts that start at 30% off at least one item and drop each hour. Kerstmarkt opens at 9 a.m. that morning, in the middle of the Jam.
- Saturdays in December, 1 to 4 p.m. Strolling Santa visits downtown shops and restaurants, a few blocks from the market booths.
- Saturday, December 19. Kerstmarkt's last day, open until 7 p.m.
The busiest stretch is the week of December 1. In five days you get the parade ending at the market's address, all of Winterfest, the new Dutch Skate, the Sinterklaas Shuffle and a full Kerstmarkt weekend. That first week of December is exactly the kind of overlap the city cited when it asked for "greater collaboration and coordination" between the market, Downtown Holland, the Farmers Market and Civic Center Place.
The 30th Market Is the First One Planned at City Hall
According to the market's vendor page, vendor selection for 2027 hasn't started yet. That means the 30th Kerstmarkt, a round-number anniversary for a market that started as 10 booths in Centennial Park, will be the first one planned from start to finish by city staff, with whatever volunteer board de Alvare is able to set up. The city has already said what it wants from the market: more growth, and a schedule that works with everything else at 150 W. 8th Street.
Whether you're picking up maple cream at Flagel's Sugarhouse or watching the parade arrive at the Civic Center, Kerstmarkt is a big part of a lakeshore December, and I love seeing it get a steady home for its next 30 years. If you're thinking about a home within walking distance of 8th Street, or you want to hear how downtown's year-round calendar affects life on nearby blocks, Suzanne Bladek would be glad to talk it over. Contact Capt'n Sue for a private consultation.
