Old World Christmas Market

Phenomenal event. The vendors are fantastic. It's warm inside the tent. It is heated by the port-a-johns. The tent does leak and dip on you. So pay attention to where your pausing to look at items. Do not wear nice footwear! The parking is so horrid that it ruins the experience. You will probably be parking on a narrow road that has no shoulder or parkway because of the snow. So you will be putting yourself and all of your passengers a snowy ice covered road. You'll have to cross the street to find a sidewalk and then cross the street again to get to the event. If you have strollers or wheelchairs, you will be loading and unloading on the road, in the slush and ice.

Larger than it was years ago. Parking is rough. On street, no parking lot. Potato pancakes were yummy but schnitzel was more of a fried pork sandwich (too thick), and brat was average. Vendors were very nice and helpful. Some of the items were absolutely beautiful. We went on a Wednesday, so not packed, inside the tent was very comfortable. Port-a-potties so no place to really change littles diapers. Overall, good experience and glad we came!

The market itself is great. The food? Not very good. The schnitzel was dry, cold and way over cooked. The sauerbraten was also very dry. The spaetzle was served without any gravy so you are basically eating plain pasta - and it was all stuck together in a big clump. Seriously for Osthof sponsored chefs, this was poor. Maybe eat before going to the market....

Good show with lots of variety and reasonable prices. We thought the $8 per person entrance fee was a bit steep and were extremely disappointed in having a city parking ticket on our windshield when we left. The signage was up high and we didn't notice it when we pulled into the forbidden space behind another car doing the same thing about 10:00 AM on Sunday, 12/7/2025. We think signage should be added at eye level and suggest colored cones be placed in the parking spots for special events. Parking tickets for out of town visitors are NOT conducive to return trips to your beautiful town and hotel. Post better signage and lower your entrance fee a few dollars and you would earn a 5 star rating from us.

This market is very nice. Great to see so many local businesses with booths. Had a wonderful time until we left the property and found parking tickets on our cars in an area where the no parking signs are very high on lamp posts and not visible to someone sitting in a car or walking, Not at eye level. Why is that area not coned off for no parking, you would definitely see . Not a great way to promote tourism in your community. Very disappointed in Elkhart Lake Police Department for $50 tickets in an area where their parking signs are not visible to people driving a car and watching for traffic. I would rather have spent the money at the Holiday market then for a parking ticket that made no sense. Bah humbug…

The market was festive. It was really cold inside the tent. We didn't choose to eat there because it was too cold. There is an $8.00 admission fee.

Every year, they have the most amazing vendors, beautiful ornaments, a very warm enclosed area. Great items to purchase, snack on wine to purchase, its amazing.

We really enjoyed it!! Beautiful artistry all over the place. The food options were delicious. Santa was great! We highly recommend!

Luckily we found a parking spot close to the event. Everything was way over priced. The crowds did not let us enjoy much. They should limit the people to go inside.

Spiced wine, German beers, good food. Let your wife shop and look at Christmas junk and you can get be merry! Lots of free samples! Booths from all over, both local and international. Come on a weekday. I heard weekends are crazy packed.

Every year, the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake hosts the Old World Christmas Market for a few weeks in mid-Dec. It's no Christkindlmarkt but there are certainly things to like. Minus Points: *A fair amount of crafts, specifically old-lady scarves/jackets/jewelry *Admission fee $6 - really? It's like Christmas has become a commercial event or something. Geez. *Though held indoors, the tent was collecting a lot of condensation and raining on people (like a lot, not just drops) Plus points: *A fair amount of Christmas product, and a nice mix of local suppliers as well as some from farther away *Ample availability of beer, spiced wine regular wine - really, a lot of alcohol all around *Great food. Real Nuremburger brats with real mittlescharf senf, and a great schnitzel sandwich for just $5 *Held in a heated tent - pretty sweet, considering it was like no degrees today *I scored a super sweet handmade Bavarian Krampus figure. Any ill-behaved kids better check themselves, 'cause Krampus is watching!

If you're looking for something to do and have lowered expectations this might be a decent option. This is NOT what I'd consider a true Christmas Market. It was more of a flea market in cramped, overcrowded tent space. Massive amounts of heat piped in so wear layers. I absolutely enjoyed chatting with the vendors about their products and found a few things I purchased. There were some nice quality products (Alpaca products, wool products, Christmas decor) & a masterful watercolor artist. A lot of craft items. Some vendors had nice baked goods & snack options for a get together or additions to charcuterie boards. Pickled popcorn was a nice surprise (tasty sample). Smoked trout & salmon as well as cheeses. Note: Eat before you go instead of dining there is recommended. The food from the one meal booth was mediocre at best with only a few options and forget about a true apple cider, mulled cider or real hot chocolate - instant (or instant tasting) is all you'll get. There were decent beer & wine options to accompany the meal. Only port a potty (with a protruding mens urinal at elbow height) as an option for a toilet- no wash basin - and didn't see a changing table. The entrance fee was maybe a little steep at $7 ($6 with a coupon). Took less than thirty (30) minutes of wading through the packed crowd, make some purchases and grab a so-so potato cake w/jar applesauce and container sour cream and the $3 instant apple cider that I would absolutely avoid (from a winery booth). Additional note: The staff & vendors I spoke with were quite nice.

Great food . My group had a cheeseburger, onion rings, Nashville chicken wrap, flatbread, & a chicken sandwich. All were very good. The burger I had was outstanding. We'll be back next year

We drove an hour to come here, and I think it was worth it. Admission is $6, which seems a bit chintzy, but keep in mind that the market is held in a GIANT heated tent, so it's actually quite comfortable to walk around. They also have a nice seating area, so you can get a bite to eat or just take a break from walking around. Vendors are a mixed bag -- everything from food to eat there, packaged food to take home, knitwear, jewelry, ornaments, scarves, fur, wine, tchotchkes... Some are clearly exotic, like the German guys selling German stuff and the Russians selling beautifully painted wooden items, while others are more pedestrian -- I recognized a lady selling machine-knitted hats who is usually at the Oshkosh Farmers Market. Salesmanship varied as well, with some vendors sitting back and waiting until I'd picked something up to purchase, while others actively accosted me (no, not interested in weird alternatives to earrings, thanks). Many vendors did say that they were offering special prices for the market, which was nice. I also appreciated the food vendors who labeled their wares with the ingredients, since it was little annoying to pester folks about what *exactly* was in some things (relatives with food allergies). I think it's safe to say that there's something for everyone, in every price category. The boyfriend went after deerskin mittens while I browsed for food gifts and our friends got cashmere scarves and cookies. If you're looking for more one-of-a-kind gifts, it's pretty handy to have all these vendors in one place. It's not nearly as large as Chicago's Christkindlmarket, but definitely a lot warmer and closer to home!

Save your time and money. This one of the worst Christmas markets I've ever been to. First of all $6.00 to get in. Seriously? It maybe takes 20 minutes to walk through. That's mainly because there are so many booths that have nothing to do with Christmas. With the new authentic German Christmas village now open in downtown Milwaukee ( run by the same people that run the famous Chicago market), this one might as well fold up its tent

Had a great time at the Old World Christmas Market. The vendors had high quality items and the food and beer was an added bonus.

I attended this event today. First: Try to go on a weekday or get there as soon as they open on a weekend. $6 admission fee, not sure where that money goes, but not many things are free today. There were numerous booths. Wood carvings, russian nesting dolls, home made german doilies, lotions, soaps, a coffee place, a lot of mittens, hats, scarves, Christmas ornaments, wine and beer booths, sugar roasted nuts, fudge, salsa, cheese, dips...all of which you can sample. The prices for the majority of things actually was a little cheaper than I thought they would be. I ate a schnitzel sandwich with a side of german potato salad. $7 for both and both items were huge. They had german stew, potato pancakes, brats...etc. The food was alright, nothing to brag about. You could actually get full off all the samples if you stopped at each booth. They had a beer booth and none of it was german! Who wants to drink capital one brewing beer at a Christmas market? I got a small glass of gluwein for $4, my friend got a glass of the BEST raspberry wine you've ever had, however, she paid $5 for a 3 or 4 ounce glass! It really wasn't that dang good! They had 2 booths that sold gluwein and 1 sold a bottle (good sized) to go for $7. I drove an hour and a half to get there. Was it worth it?? Yes. It isn't a very big christmas market though and it really shouldn't be compared to a german Christmas market. Nothing can come close to that. But, having lived in Germany for 2 years, it's the closest thing to it that I've experienced in the states. There's a section for porta potties in the back of the tent. Most vendors do take credit cards. Will I go back next year?? Yes, with a few friends on a weekday. Fun experience. Santa is at the entrance so everyone can take their picture with him.