The Carmel Christkindlmarkt drew 297,100 visitors in 2025. That was fewer than in 2024 and fewer again than in 2023. The days got busier anyway. The market's annual report shows the median day rising from 9,500 visitors in 2023 to 10,900 in 2025, while the number of days open fell from 28 to 24. Total attendance has stayed close to 300,000, but each season has had fewer days to hold it. The 2026 season opens November 21 at Carter Green. For anyone who lives a few minutes away, the useful question is which day to go.
| Season | Total attendance | Days open | Median daily attendance | Average daily attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 321,900 | 28 | 9,500 | about 11,500 |
| 2024 | 302,500 | 25 | 10,400 | 12,100 |
| 2025 | 297,100 | 24, with 2 lost to weather | 10,900 | about 12,400 |
A plateau, by the market's own account
Organizers aren't treating the drop in total attendance as a decline. When the market presented its annual report to the Carmel City Council on June 15, 2026, CEO Jason Adamowicz said attendance is stabilizing.
"We're not growing exponentially every year," Adamowicz said, as reported by Current in Carmel.
Adamowicz is a Carmel resident. The market named him CEO in February 2026, and he started February 23. The money tells the same story. Revenue rose from $1.9 million in 2024 to $2.1 million in 2025, even though about 5,400 fewer people came through. The 2025 season also lost two days to bad weather, and Adamowicz said the market would use its revenue to prepare for this year's event and to create a "snowy day" contingency fund. Losing days to weather is now part of the market's planning, and every lost day pushes the same crowd onto the days that remain.
The 2026 calendar, counted out
The 2026 season runs November 21 through December 24. Regular hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. The market is generally closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission is free, and no ticket is needed for the market itself.
By our count of the posted calendar, that comes to 25 scheduled days. In 2025 there were 26 scheduled days, counting the 24 open days and the 2 lost to weather. A handful of dates break from the regular weekly pattern, and they are the ones to circle:
- Wednesday, November 25. The market opens at noon instead of 4 p.m. and stays open until 9 p.m., the day before Thanksgiving.
- Thursday, November 26. Closed for Thanksgiving.
- Monday, December 21, and Tuesday, December 22. Normally closed days, open noon to 9 p.m.
- Wednesday, December 23. Noon to 9 p.m., a longer day than the usual Wednesday.
- Thursday, December 24. Noon to 4 p.m., the last day of the season. The market is closed Christmas Day.
Ten of the 25 days fall on Saturdays and Sundays. The regular Wednesday and Thursday sessions are the shortest of the week at five hours each, which squeezes their visitors into an evening window. The annual report gives medians and averages but doesn't say which days are busiest. So the calendar tells you how many hours a day offers, not how crowded those hours will be. With a median day of nearly 11,000 visitors in 2025, the hours available matter.
The season begins two days before opening day. Wundernacht, the 21+ preview evening, is Thursday, November 19. General admission runs 6 to 9 p.m. and VIP 5 to 9 p.m. General admission is $100. The $200 VIP tier is listed as sold out. The general admission package lists Johnny Koenig, ice skating if weather permits, Santa with live reindeer, and children's crafts.
Getting to Carter Green when every day is busy
A busier day puts more pressure on parking. The market's main fix has been the free weekend shuttle. In 2025 it carried 11,000 riders between the former CNO campus and Carter Green. That's roughly 4 percent of the season's 297,100 visitors. Most visitors still arrive some other way.
For 2026, the market's shuttle page lists two buses. One seats 29 people. The other seats 40 and is ADA accessible. The shuttle runs Saturdays and Sundays during market hours from the lot at 550 College Drive, with a target of a drop-off on 3rd Avenue every 15 minutes. Riders catch the same bus back to the lot. In June, Adamowicz said organizers hoped to add a second shuttle this year, and the current page shows two. The shuttle doesn't run Wednesday or Thursday evenings, or on the special Monday and Tuesday dates in December.
All parking in Carmel is free. For days without the shuttle, the market's "Getting to the Carmel Christkindlmarkt" guide suggests five garages, each a short walk from the market along the Monon Trail:
- Civic Square Garage, 50 Red Truck Rd., 0.3 mile, about a 6 to 10 minute walk
- Midtown South Garage, 580 Veterans Way, 0.5 mile, about a 6 to 10 minute walk
- Midtown North Garage, 145 Elm St., 0.5 mile, about a 9 to 12 minute walk
- Proscenium Garage, 1225 Veterans Way, 0.6 mile, about an 11 to 15 minute walk
- Sophia Square Garage, 31 1st Ave. NW, 0.8 mile, about an 11 to 15 minute walk, underground
The same guide says accessible parking will be available at the Tarkington Garage on 3rd Avenue SW for drivers with qualifying tags or plates.
One construction project sits right on the usual route. Since August 3, northbound Range Line Road between Executive Drive and City Center Drive has been under construction for a new multi-use path and on-street parking. The posted detour uses 3rd Avenue SW, and southbound Range Line stays open. In its July 29 release, the city estimated completion before the market opens in November. Mayor Sue Finkam said the design was guided by years of feedback from residents and riders. As of the city's October 2 newsletter, the northbound lanes were still under construction with lane restrictions in place, and all businesses along Range Line were open. That update didn't restate the completion estimate. Until the city confirms the work is finished, plan any drive from the south on the assumption that the detour is still in place.
What's different inside the huts
The official 2026 map lists more than 60 huts. It labels one vendor as new: Ino Schaller Papiermaché, which sells papier-mâché ornaments and figurines, including richly decorated Santas. This year's collectible Glühwein boot mug is royal purple, and Current in Carmel reported it will sell for $8 while supplies last. On a busy day, the mug may be the item most likely to sell out early.
The opening ceremony at the Winter Pavilion includes remarks and music from the alphorns. The Midwest Alphorns perform on six 12-foot Swiss alphorns, playing German cultural songs and Christmas favorites.
The rink keeps going after the huts close
Of everything at Carter Green, The Ice at Carter Green has the longest season. It opens with the market on November 21 and stays open until January 31, 2027. Its hours are Wednesday and Thursday 4 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., with shorter hours of 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on December 24. The rink is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas and closed most Mondays and Tuesdays for private rentals.
That gives the rink more than five weeks after December 24 with no market crowd around it. Skating requires a ticket. The rink's site advertises advance session tickets and time reservations, but in early October its online ticketing still wasn't running. Prices and booking for this season are best checked closer to opening.
If you're hosting relocating family or colleagues this December and want help planning their first visit to Carter Green, or if you're thinking about how a holiday-season listing would fit around the market calendar, Tina Smith is glad to talk it through with you. Request a Private Consultation.
