Event Update:
Festival Canceled
Unfortunately, the elected trustees and staff of the Village of Barrington did not share the vision for what the ChristKindl Fest could have become for Barrington.
Read Moreshop eat drink be merry
International Food & Drink • Live Music & Entertainment • Live Reindeer
Unique Hand-Crafted Merchandise • Kids’ Activities • Carnival Rides & More
Downtown
Barrington, IL
Heated Event Tent
In the Harris Bank parking lot
(Between Grove Ave. and South Cook & Station Streets)
December
4-7, 2014
Thursday
10:00 am — 11:00 pm
Friday
10:00 am — midnight
Saturday
10:00 am — midnight
Sunday
11:00 am — 5:00 pm
Please bring food for the Barrington & Cuba Food Pantries.
food, drinks & shops
Trumaker ›
Re-De-Find ›
Amber Treasures ›
Selling finely crafted, distinctive Amber & Silver Jewelry from some of the world’s finest designers. They offer a variety of styles and designs directly from Poland.
Alpine Products ›
Offering hand painted Austrian 24K gold Christmas ornaments, hand blown Austrian glass ornaments, Austrian Nativity scenes, Coisterwork ornaments and polish pottery.
Tacos El Norte ›
Featuring fresh, delicious, authentic Mexican cuisine in a family friendly atmosphere at affordable prices.
Mandiles Restaurant ›
Chocolate Enrapture ›
Selling christmas themed truffles, pecan and macadamia turtles, chocolate bars, salted caramel, caramel pecan chocolate apples, nut and fruity chocolate bark, peppermint bark, pretzel rods, turtle apple wedges, chocolate dipped oreos and marshmallows and gourmet gift baskets.
Brunkow Cheese ›
A 4th generation artisan cheesemaker from rural Wisconsin, featuring 8 flavors of Finnish cheese with a sweet, crispy exterior and a rich, buttery inside, served warm. Also serving warm honey crisp apple cider.
Little Europa ›
Serving authentic family dishes from across Europe, particularly Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Poland.
Honey Bee Enterprises ›
Offering natural products in the tradition of Germany and Bavaria, like french Lavender Honey from Provence, dark forest honey, creamy mixtures of Hazelnut and Ginger Christmas-Honey and Swarovski jewelry.
Universal Ark ›
Selling hand crafted wares, demonstrating a genuine appreciation for one of a kind original paintings and distinctive, beautiful jewelry, comprised of beads from all over the world.
Edelweissde German Deli ›
A family-owned delicatessen specializing in German cuisine and giftware, offering the finest German food in the Chicago area, but also aspiring to promote German, Scandinavian and European traditional tastes and ways of living.
Pallay Crafts ›
Seling ethnic hats, animal hats, ethnic purses, and scarves
My Perennial ›
Offering specialty items for Women, children and the home, featuring delightfully modern hats, Christmas stockings and hair accessories.
Studio V ›
Offering artisan jewelry, pottery, and glass items crafted by hand. These unique items make perfect holiday gifts.
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
History of the ChristKindl Market
The Barrington, IL ChristKindl Holiday Festival was inspired by the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany, which began in 1545, the Christkindl Festival brings a cherished German and European tradition with international flair and local charm to Barington, IL, just outside Chicago in the northwest suburbs. Built on the local tradition of producing tinsel angels, the market had a young girl in an angel costume open the city’s Christmas Market for the first time. The crowned, golden-haired girl, known as the Christkindl Fairy is still the symbol of Christkindl markets today.
A Christmas market, also known as Christkindlmarkt, is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during advent. The history of Christmas markets goes back to the Late Middle Ages in the German speaking part of Europe where markets called Nikolausdult were held. At these markets, farmers came to town to shop and offer their wares. The oldest recorded market dates to 1310 in Munich, Germany. These early markets were usually held in front of churches and were looked at as part of a church visit.
The reformation of the church in the 16th century brought changes to the Christmas markets. Nikolaus was replaced by the Christkindl (Christchild) as the gift giver and the Nikolaus markets became Christkindl markets. Now mostly held on a town square throughout Germany and many other cities throughout the world, Christkindl markets sell food, drink and seasonal items from open-air stalls. Entertainment includes traditional singing and dancing.