7 Outdoor, Socially Distant Holiday Markets Across the US to Visit in 2020

A Pennsylvania holiday institution, families flock to Bethlehem for the ice sculptures, live holiday music, and sweet treats that have all become synonymous with the December holidays. Featuring work from 50 American artisans spread across distanced kiosks, the Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem shopping possibilities are endless. Debuting a new layout this year to comply with distancing regulations, the market will still be decked out with lights and ornaments reminiscent of a German Christmas market. 

D.C.’s Downtown Holiday Market opens November 20 and runs through December 23, 2020. The market has expanded this year to offer wider aisles and more space between vendors, laying claim to two blocks of F Street NW between 7th and 9th streets. Shoppers will be required to wear protective masks as they peruse the wares of 70 small business owners, including many Black and minority-owned local businesses, featured within the market. 

The vendors at Denver Christkindl Market have classic holiday offerings and eclectic Colorado gifts—there is something here for everyone’s palette. Whether you’re after cashmere scarves, plant-based beauty products, or glass ornaments, you’ll find it all at Denver’s Civic Center Park. The holiday market moved to Civic Center Park this year to offer more room for distancing, per state and CDC guidelines. And this year, the market—which runs from November 20 to December 23—will operate in a “continuous loop” such that customers can follow an “one-way directional flow.”

Related: How to Spend the Perfect 24 Hours in Denver

If you’re aching for the delicacies served at the best Christmas markets in Germany, you may be surprised to find them within the 50 states. Sure enough, they’re serving up classic German snacks in Alpine Helen, Georgia at the 13th annual Christkindlmarkt on the Marktplatz. The market will run for two weekends this year—November 28 to November 29 and December 5 to December 6—and admission is free for those looking for charming, one-of-a-kind gifts and holiday decorations.

Unfortunately, the Union Square Holiday Market is canceled this year, but on the bright side, all your holiday needs are covered in Manhattan’s Bryant Park. You’ll notice a few changes as you walk through the Winter Village and Holiday Shops at Bryant Park. There are fewer stalls this year, and they are further spread throughout the park, high-contact surfaces are now regularly sanitized, and a capacity limit will be enforced when necessary. The food vendors and businesses that make New York City great will still be out in full force, with gifts, snacks, and a hearty dose of holiday cheer.

Reminiscent of the famed Nuremberg, Germany Christkindlmarkt, the Christmas Village in Baltimore is a combination indoor-outdoor market with 50 vendors selling European-inspired holiday treats and beautiful gifts for the holidays. The open-air section of the market will line the Walter Sondheim Fountain and the Inner Harbor Promenade—plus, the market will feature a heated, decorated tent with additional stalls. The market will open on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (November 28) and run through Christmas Eve.

In downtown Pittsburgh, the Peoples Gas Holiday Market returns for its ninth year with a revamped take on their annual festivities. Small businesses will post up in “festive chalets around Market Square” in a distanced capacity this year, and as visitors walk through the market, they’ll still be able to enjoy live music, though there will be fewer musical acts on the mainstage this year to comply with health regulations. The open-air market promises to illuminate downtown Pittsburgh and raise money for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, as it does every year, while prioritizing guest’s health and safety.