In 2025 the Christkindlsmarkt, a German-style Christmas market that spent 19 years in Excelsior, moved to City Square Park in downtown Waconia. Along with the Tree Lighting on the Friday after Thanksgiving and the Chamber's D.E.A.R. Day shopping event in early November, it gives Waconia a full holiday calendar. This guide covers each event and where to warm up between them.
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The Waconia Christkindlsmarkt
The market is held in City Square Park (104 E Main St). In 2025 it ran December 5 to 7 and 12 to 14. Its Chamber listing describes handcrafted gifts such as wooden toys, ornaments, nutcrackers, alpaca knits and leather goods, along with live reindeer and alpacas, music and German yodeling, face painting, a magic show and holiday treats. The 2026 dates had not been announced as of October 5, 2026. For updates, check the Waconia Chamber website (destinationwaconia.org).
Tree Lighting in the Park
The Tree Lighting is held at 6pm on the Friday after Thanksgiving at the City Square Park gazebo. In 2026 that is Friday, November 27. Small Business Saturday follows the next day.
November Shopping Days
D.E.A.R. Day (Divas Enjoying Awesome Retail), run by the Waconia Chamber, is Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 9am to 4pm, its 19th year. Participating businesses hide the letters D-E-A-R; find all four to enter a drawing for the Basket of Waconia, a prize the Chamber values at over $400. Shoppers wearing deer-hunting orange get extra offers. Local shops have also run a Pink Friday promotion in November; check the Chamber calendar for this year's plans.
Christkindlsmarkt Listing
Our event page will carry the 2026 dates once the organizer announces them.
Event details →Schram's Winter Lodge
Schram Vineyards runs its Winter Lodge from December through February, with live music nearly every weekend year-round. Check its website for hours.
Schram Vineyards listing →Between Events: Where to Warm Up
December in Waconia is cold, so plan indoor stops. Mocha Monkey (115 S Olive St) is close to the park for coffee. Pangea Cafe serves breakfast and lunch until 2pm, and Iron Tap and Bode Gray's cover dinner. Emagine Waconia, the downtown movie theater, and Garage Bar & Bowl work when the wind picks up.
Plan Your Holiday Visit
The Christkindlsmarkt, the Tree Lighting and a lake town in winter.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- When is the Waconia Christkindlsmarkt?
- It is held in December in City Square Park, downtown Waconia. In 2025 it ran December 5–7 and 12–14. The 2026 dates had not been announced as of October 5, 2026; check the Waconia Chamber website (destinationwaconia.org) for updates.
- Is there a Christmas market near Minneapolis?
- Yes. The Christkindlsmarkt moved to City Square Park in Waconia, about 35 miles west of Minneapolis, in 2025 after 19 years in Excelsior. Its Chamber listing describes handcrafted gifts, live reindeer and alpacas, German music and yodeling, face painting and a magic show.
- When is the Waconia Tree Lighting?
- At 6pm on the Friday after Thanksgiving at the City Square Park gazebo: Friday, November 27, 2026.
- What is D.E.A.R. Day in Waconia?
- The Waconia Chamber's Divas Enjoying Awesome Retail shopping day, Saturday, November 7, 2026, 9am–4pm, in its 19th year. Find the letters D-E-A-R at participating businesses to enter a drawing for the Basket of Waconia (valued at over $400); shoppers in deer-hunting orange get extra offers.