Grand Lake's Holiday Season Now Runs Past Christmas Day

At their October 12 meeting, Grand Lake trustees approved permits and fee waivers for a new event, the Grand Lake Christkindl Market. It is approved for December 18 through 27 at Heckert Pavilion and Town Park, closed on Christmas Day. Sky-Hi News reported that Isaac Elliott is developing the European-style market, with Rocky Mountain Folk School as its nonprofit sponsor. Plans include local artisans and craftspeople, live music, German-style food, beer and mulled wine.

The market changes the shape of December in town. Until now, Grand Lake's dated holiday events came on a few separate days. The market's approved window runs from December 18 to 27, straight through Christmas week, with only Christmas Day off. The same vote also covered the Thanksgiving weekend craft bazaar and December's Secret Santa Shop, and all three come from Grand Lake organizations: a family services nonprofit, an arts council and a craft school.

The season, in date order

The four dated events now link together into one stretch from late November to the last weekend of the year:

1. Friday, November 27: Tree Lighting Ceremony. The Grand Lake Chamber's event page lists carol singing, cocoa, cookies, Santa and reindeer. The Town's 2026 event announcement confirms the date.
2. Friday and Saturday, November 27–28: Olde Fashioned Holiday Craft Bazaar. The Grand Arts Council hosts it at the Grand Lake Community House, 1025 Grand Ave., in the center of Town Park. The Grand Lake Creative District listing gives hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, with about 20 Colorado crafters.
3. Friday and Saturday, December 11–12: Secret Santa Shop. Mountain Family Center runs it at the Grand Lake Center, where children pick out free gifts for their parents and pets. Setup is December 9–10.
4. Friday, December 18, through Sunday, December 27, closed Christmas Day: Grand Lake Christkindl Market. It takes place at Heckert Pavilion and Town Park.

Every event on that list falls on a Friday, and the first and last are three weeks apart. The bazaar and the tree lighting share the Friday after Thanksgiving. The Secret Santa Shop is two weeks later. The market opens the following Friday and runs past the holiday into the weekend after it.

Thanksgiving Friday may run later this year. Sky-Hi reported that Alan Walker said the bazaar's Friday hours would extend to 7 p.m. for the tree lighting. The Creative District listing still shows a 5 p.m. close. If the later close holds, the bazaar would still be open while the crowd gathers in Town Park for the tree lighting. The Town has not posted a 2026 start time for the lighting. Check the Chamber's Tree Lighting page for the evening's schedule closer to the date.

What makes a Christkindl Market different

Sky-Hi describes it as a European-style market, and the approved plan includes artisans, music, German-style food, beer and mulled wine. Trustees waived a separate $100 liquor-permit fee for the event.

The setting suits it. Heckert Pavilion and Town Park are next to the Community House, so the Thanksgiving bazaar and the late-December market use the same block of downtown. People who walked from the bazaar to the tree on November 27 will find the market in the same spot three weeks later.

The approved dates are an upper limit. According to the Sky-Hi report, organizers may shorten the schedule in the market's first year. Daily hours and a vendor list had not been published by mid-October. If you are planning for family visiting between Christmas and the following weekend, plan around the dates loosely until the organizers announce a final schedule.

How much the town gave up for each event

The board's fee waivers show how strongly the town is backing each event. For the Christkindl Market, the approved request covers $4,795 in permit, pavilion and electricity fees, plus the $100 liquor-permit waiver. That is the largest of the three holiday requests approved that evening.

For comparison:

The market's waiver covers the most ground. Its approved window is longer than the other two events combined, and the request includes pavilion and electricity fees on top of the permit. Sky-Hi noted that the final Secret Santa Shop amount still needs clarification because the memo and the draft resolution differ.

The same meeting covered the town's summer results. August's 4% General Fund sales tax brought in $397,031, about 6.6% more than August a year earlier. That works out to roughly $10 million in taxable sales for the month. Marina sales topped $500,000 for the first time, and the marina has since closed for winter. With summer's numbers counted and the docks closed, the board's next decisions were about December.

The craft school behind the market

Rocky Mountain Folk School is the nonprofit sponsor, and its own work explains what kind of market this is likely to be. The school describes itself as a 501(c)(3) offering year-round, hands-on classes in traditional arts and crafts. It says it has run more than 400 workshops and served nearly 1,000 students. Its About page gives 2021 as the founding year. Its ColoradoGives profile says volunteers started it in 2022.

The school has two addresses in town. The Main Building is at 315 Pitkin Dr. Grand Spirit Makerspace is at 1128 Park Ave., Unit A. Its class catalog covers metal and jewelry, leather, shoe repair and cobbling, woodworking and woodturning, pottery, gourds, glass, fiber, painting and drawing, and printmaking. Right now it also features an ice-sculpture workshop for adults at beginner and intermediate levels.

One class fits the season. The school's homepage features "Woodturning: Christmas Trees & Snowmen," a four-hour project. The Grand Lake Chamber lists a session on December 9 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Park Avenue makerspace. If that date holds, you could make an ornament the same week the Secret Santa Shop opens and see the market open nine days later.

A craft school behind the market means the stalls start out connected to local makers and teachers. The plan calls for local artisans and craftspeople. With the bazaar's roughly 20 Colorado crafters in late November, that gives the town two handmade markets a few weeks apart, each with a different organizer and a different setup.

Where to eat after dark in December

The market's food and mulled wine will help on its own dates. The rest of December depends on which kitchens stay open in winter.

Sagebrush BBQ & Grill says it is open year-round for breakfast, lunch and dinner, close to the lake and the downtown shops. Its to-go counter also serves espresso and lattes, which is useful for a cold morning at the Secret Santa Shop.

Wild Bear Tavern at 120 Lake Ave. posts a winter schedule on its About Us page with dinner Thursday through Monday and the bar open every day. Both Friday events, the tree lighting and the market's opening, fall on Wild Bear dinner nights.

The Chamber's dining directory also lists The Historic Rapids Restaurant, Miyauchi's, Mountain Market and Blue Water Bakery. Their winter hours are not posted on the directory, so call before planning a dinner around one of them on a December weeknight.

Dates still to be announced

Some details on the calendar are still open:

• Christkindl Market hours and vendors. Not published yet. The first-year schedule may come in shorter than December 18–27.
• Tree lighting start time. The date is set for November 27, but the Town has not posted the 2026 schedule.
• Bazaar Friday close. The listing says 5 p.m. Sky-Hi reported an extension to 7 p.m. to overlap with the tree lighting.

Crafters who want a table at the Thanksgiving bazaar can find application contact details on the Creative District's event listing.

If you are hosting family in Grand Lake between the tree lighting and the market's last weekend, or thinking about a place where Christmas week can look like this every year, Erin Life can help you find a home within walking distance of Town Park and the Grand Avenue boardwalk. Start Your Grand County Search.