Carmel's Christkindlmarkt, Ice Rink and Holiday Trolley All Start on the Same Saturday This Year

Carter Green's holiday season starts at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21. That's when the Opening Ceremony of the Carmel Christkindlmarkt starts and when The Ice at Carter Green runs its first skate session. That afternoon, the free Holiday Trolley makes its first run of the year.

Three seasons start on one Saturday, and after that they split up. The trolley stops on Dec. 19. The market closes on Christmas Eve. The rink keeps going until Jan. 31. They also run on different days of the week, so the easiest way to get to Carter Green on a Wednesday is different from the easiest way on a Saturday. Once you know the schedules, it's easy to plan around.

Saturday, Nov. 21, Hour by Hour

The market opens a day earlier on the calendar than last year, when it opened Nov. 22, 2025. It still closes on Dec. 24. WRTV reports that this is the market's ninth season and that organizers expect more than 250,000 visitors.

The Christkindlmarkt events page also lists Wundernacht, the adults-only preview evening on Thursday, Nov. 19. WRTV reports that it's sold out, so for most people Saturday is the first day they can get in.

If you want to skate, the rink's FareHarbor booking page lists the opening 11:30 a.m. session at $15 with skate rental or $11 without for ages 11 and up. For ages 10 and under it's $13 with rental or $9 without. That's a $4 difference per skater, so bringing your own skates saves a family of four $16 per session. The rink's own tickets page has said online booking isn't up and running yet, so check the link before you plan your morning around it. Skating needs its own ticket. The market itself is free.

Your Day of the Week Decides How You Get There

All parking in Carmel is free. The bigger question is which ride options are running when you go. The free weekend shuttle and the Holiday Trolley don't overlap much.

The shuttle runs Saturdays and Sundays while the market is open. It picks up about every 15 minutes at the former CNO Financial campus, 550 College Drive, and drops riders near the market entrance on Third Avenue. It's accessible. It started in 2025, and organizers have expanded it for this season.

The Carmel Holiday Trolley runs Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 2 to 9 p.m., Nov. 21 through Dec. 19. It connects the Arts & Design District, Carmel City Center, the Indiana Design Center, Civic Square and the Christkindlmarkt. It's free, but it isn't ADA-accessible.

Here's how that works out over a week:

Saturday is the only day both rides are running. Friday has the trolley but no shuttle. Sunday has the shuttle but no trolley. On a Wednesday or Thursday evening you're parking in a garage and walking.

The walk is a nice one. The market's getting-there guide sends people along the Monon Trail, lit with holiday lights, and lists these garages with walk times:

• Civic Square Garage, 50 Red Truck Rd., 0.3 mile, 6 to 10 minutes
• Midtown South Garage, 580 Veterans Way, 0.5 mile, 6 to 10 minutes
• Midtown North Garage, 145 Elm St., 0.5 mile, 9 to 12 minutes
• Sophia Square Garage, 31 1st Ave. NW, 0.8 mile, 11 to 15 minutes, underground
• Proscenium Garage, 1225 Veterans Way, 0.6 mile, 11 to 15 minutes

Accessible parking for vehicles with qualifying tags or plates is at the Tarkington Garage on 3rd Avenue SW. The guide also says the ride-share drop-off spot near the northwest corner on 3rd Avenue isn't an official drop-off and can get very congested on weekends.

What's New Inside the Huts

The market has 60 wooden vendor huts this year, and two of the vendors are new. Ino Schaller Papiermaché sells handcrafted papier-mâché figurines made in Meilschnitz, Germany. Brathaus is the first vendor at the market to serve Nürnberger bratwurst, and it also sells Käsekrainer sausage and ham and bean soup.

Nine artisans from Germany will take turns in the Werkstatt, the market's workshop, demonstrating crafts such as woodworking and glassblowing. The Winter Pavilion has more than 160 hours of live music scheduled, with polka performer Alex Meixner, blues musician Duke Tumatoe, the Johnny Koenig Band, Midwest Alphorns and Mollie B. In WRTV's coverage, Carmel Christkindlmarkt Inc. CEO Jason Adamowicz credited the market's "stringent authenticity and quality requirements for vendors, performers and artisans" for what sets it apart.

Since the shuttle only runs on weekends and the trolley only runs Fridays and Saturdays, it helps to pick your day before you pick your bratwurst.

Three Closing Dates, in Order

Everything opens together on Nov. 21. After that, the three schedules end one at a time, and each date changes your options.

1. Saturday, Dec. 19: last Holiday Trolley. After this, the Arts & Design District, City Center and Indiana Design Center are no longer connected to Carter Green by a free ride. Before then, a Friday evening can mean dinner at Charred, the 21-and-over bourbon steakhouse that opened this year at 61 W. City Center Drive, and a trolley ride to the market. Charred opens at 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
2. Monday, Dec. 21, through Thursday, Dec. 24: holiday-week hours. The market usually closes Mondays and Tuesdays, but its hours page lists daytime openings Dec. 21 through 23 before its last day on Christmas Eve. It also lists special hours for Thanksgiving week, starting Wednesday, Nov. 25. The times on those days are different from the normal weekly schedule, so check that page before you go.
3. Sunday, Jan. 31: last day on the ice. The Ice at Carter Green stays open for five and a half weeks after the market closes. It's closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day and open only 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 24. The January schedule is different. The rink's booking page lists it as closed Jan. 4 through 8, then open Thursdays through Sundays from Jan. 10 to Jan. 31, so check the calendar before you head over after the holidays.

In January, a skating trip is just the rink, without the huts or the Winter Pavilion. That makes the December weekends the only time you can skate and visit the market on the same trip.

Dates Between Opening Day and Christmas Eve

After opening weekend, the market's events calendar picks back up the following Wednesday:

• Wednesday, Nov. 25, 4 to 6 p.m.: Sankt Martinstag Storytime, with sessions starting every 15 minutes
• Saturday, Nov. 28, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Shop Small, Shop Carmel across the city's central districts and Village of West Clay
• Saturday, Dec. 5, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: Sankt Nikolaustag, when Sankt Nikolaus and Knecht Ruprecht arrive. Children are encouraged to recite a poem or sing a song before getting a small gift at the Spielhaus
• Wednesday, Dec. 9, 7:30 to 9 p.m.: German Sing-Along and Ornament Exchange. No German needed. Bring a wrapped ornament worth $5 to $10
• Saturday, Dec. 12, 9 to 11 a.m.: Glühwein Gallop 5K, starting and finishing at the market, with a costume contest
• Sunday, Dec. 20, noon to 8 p.m.: Military Appreciation Day, with a ceremony in the Winter Pavilion from noon to 12:30 p.m.

Three of these are on Saturdays, so the shuttle and the trolley will both be running. The sing-along is on a Wednesday night, so plan on Civic Square or Midtown South and a walk along the Monon.

If the walk from Civic Square ever has you wondering what it would be like to live a few blocks from Carter Green, I'm always happy to talk it through over a cup of Glühwein. Andrew Prince knows these streets year-round, not just in December. Let's Connect.