Best Christkindlmarket Milwaukee

As others have said, this year’s Christkindlemarkt was an improvement from last year’s. Keeping in mind that this was only the second year of the fest, the number of vendor’s jumped from 7 to 23!
Mader’s was again, the food vendor, but there were two booths this year, one serving each of the main buildings (the new booth was out in the small garden by the statue of King Gambrinus). We didn’t eat there this year and, actually, I’m glad. The schnitzel looked pathetic and unappetizing. I didn’t see any other dishes, but I’m sure schnitzel wasn’t the only thing they were serving.
There were merchandise vendors out in the courtyard by the statue of Frederick Pabst and rooms that I had never been in before were opened and were home to others. The basement area in the main building had a full bar set up this year, and the story telling and other kids’ activities were moved down there as well. Again, the Pabst’s gift shop was open as well.
The music this year was pretty awesome. I wish I could remember the name of the band (apparently they’re kind of a big deal to those in the know!), but they were really great at mixing up the traditional and modern Christmas songs and adding in a few other non-​holidays tunes. The crowd was really engaged!
Saint Nick was walking around again and, like last year, there was an area to purchase gingerbread men and decorate them as you wished.
The only bad thing I have to say about this year’s market is that the selection of vendors was a little odd… there was a guy selling sheets (a la State Fair) and a lady selling (creepy) dolls. Not even themed dolls for the season, just regular dolls.
I get it, Jim was probably happy to get whatever vendors he could. After all, he IS hoping to make Christkindlmarkt a big to-​do here in town. You can bet that I will be telling every German-​themed business that I go into from now on about the market. We should all do that… community effort, you know?
I can honestly say that I AM looking forward to next year, already. I know this fest will continue to grow and get better!
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I didn’t go last year, but it must have improved because it was quite nice! There were only about 20 vendors, but everyone had a holiday theme and they were all local. Christmas music playing in the background and the decorations put me in the holiday spirit. It would be great it they would have live bands performing and a little more variety in their vendor choices, but overall I enjoyed my experience and will be back!

Bringing back a old-​world German Christmas tradition!
Great job on the second year evolution! If I had reviewed this event last year, which was the first year for it, I would have given the event two stars, and that would have been generous. This year, the organizers figured it out! The vendors were a great collection of small Etsy-​type purveyors. My wife bought a really cool necklace made from a Vatican City postal stamp. I bought some hand-​made German Christmas tree ornaments. You can get your Boy Scout wreaths here or hang out with Santa! By the way, he was one of the coolest Santas I have seen in a while. Be sure to get some Gluwein and keep the collectable mug! They’ll refill it all day for $ 5. There is no better cozy winter place to be in Milwaukee than Best Place! Parking is a breeze across the street for $ 1/​hr. The Pabst gift shop is open throughout the event for that hard to shop for hipster brother-​in-​law. In case any one is asking, I would love one of those 70’s era beer can knit hats, just saying. I even bought some sausage from Fritz Usinger himself!
God, I love Milwaukee, and this is one of the reasons why!

Sadly, Milwaukee– a fabulous German town with a huge German culture, fails miserably with the traditional German Christmas Market.
If you’re expecting pfeffernüsse and magenbrot, you’ll be getting cupcakes and cake toppers. Do you want German smokers and and music boxes? You’re going to settle for 700 thread count sheets (two rooms!)
And, most importantly for me, if the market is indoors, it just kinda sucks. It just seems like a craft fair, and nothing special. Sorry Best Place, I appreciate the fact you’re trying, but Milwaukee deserves better.

Definite improvements over last year!
*Things are far more spread out — there are vendors in both large halls, in some of the offices and in the courtyard. That means it’s far less packed than last year — you can actually move and see the items.
*A better mix of vendors. There’s still the handmade jewelry stuff but much more of the merchandise was Christmas themed. I scored some sweet German ornaments and an awesome postage stamp necklace. The Mister grabbed a box of beef sticks for the bar for just $ 13 (sold by Fred Usinger himself, thank you very much).
*Cute collectible mugs for the gluhwein, new this year
*Tasty, reasonably priced food by Milwaukee pretzel co and Mader’s/Usingers
*A really cool Santa hanging out wishing everyone Merry Christmas, plus entertainment from fun bands like the Squeezettes.
It’s still not Chicago, but they’ve made a lot of progress at the Best Christkindlmarkt in just one year. Already looking forward to next year!

I was so excited to go and had such high hopes for this event but was sadly disappointed. I found it odd that there were so many sellers (like 90%) that didn’t have anything resembling German or Scandinavian items. I saw at least four booths with jewelry, two with ornaments, and some room with creepy dolls. It was kind of a letdown.
The worst part for me was the way it is set up. Most of the vendors were in cramped little spaces that become quickly crowded with only one way in or out of the tiny rooms. If I had wanted to spend time looking at the items, it would have become an issue for the others that were following behind us.
I liked that there were three bar areas because that allowed for plenty of elbow room and quick service. The food, as much as I LOVE Maders, I expected more of a variety of food vendors based on information from the website. There was a vendor with kringles and pastries, but I wouldn’t include that in items that you could eat on the spot. They looked good though.
Perhaps I’m spoiled by the event held in Chicago, but for a German Christmas market, this one needs work. I know it’s in its infancy, but for me to want to spend more than 20 minutes here in future years, they need to rearrange how it’s laid out and get a better variety of vendors.

Milwaukee has been missing something like this, and after attending a few pretty fantastic events at Best Place recently my hopes were high. It really is an impressively unique and genuine space, regardless of your level of fondness for the brew of choice (PBR’s just not my cup of tea). I’m glad to see that the team at this location is taking the bull by its horns and trying to do new things. Maybe in a couple of years, this will be an event that becomes a staple of the MKE holiday season, but it’s not quite there yet.
The food was decent, reasonably priced and promptly served. Bavarian classics such as brats, schnitzel, pretzels, sauerkraut and the like gave it a welcome Oktoberfest-​goes-​to-​overtime feel. The drink selection was a little disappointing in both range and value. There was an option to buy a small mug of glühwein for $ 7 with $ 5 refills, which just didn’t feel like a mind blowing offer given the serving size. Beer was similarly pricey and also on the small side. For Chicago’s market — sure, but this isn’t even downtown Milwaukee, so you’d hope for a little better value.
The vendors and entertainment were full of local spirit and authenticity. The sight of a few middle aged gents wearing short, tight lederhosen on a brisk November evening shows an impressive albeit slightly unnecessary level of commitment to the craft. Ein prosit to you, good sirs, and may we see you again next year, hopefully alongside a few more vendors, a less cramped layout and cheaper drinks.

Okay, this was the first year for the Christkindlmarket in Milwaukee, so I’m giving it:
THREE STARS!
I was there on Saturday evening at 6pm and it was PACKED! In fact, it was way too crowded.
PARKING: free angled parking and a very reasonably priced parking structure.
On a side note, the cobbled accents to the streets and pedestrian crossings add a nice ‘Old World’ feel to the area. Be sure to check out the gigantic copper beer vats upstairs in the adjacent hotel.
LOCALE: The Pabst Brewery complex/​area is a great locale for this, but come on people… Christmas markets are outdoors! The narrow walkways, multiple stairs and cramped indoor areas made the space overly congested for everyone and especially families! Christmas markets are outdoors!
THE GOOD: The good thing is there is a lot of potential to expand and where better than to the gravel lot in the middle of the complex! It’s a perfect square for those cute little wooden huts, a beer/​Glühwein tent, etc. and the German vendors that produce those amazing handmade ornaments, wooden toys etc. This area would provide enough space for people with children, strollers etc. to get around easily without rolling over the feet of others!
Father Christmas walking around was a nice touch and the storytelling room with Mrs. Santa Claus was a GREAT idea! Although, she guarded it like a fortress!
THE FOOD: You can’t go wrong with Mader’s as a vendor, that’s for sure, but there is definitely room to expand the whole food fare… again outside in the gravel lot!
THE FUN: I mean, come on. Who doesn’t like a Christmas market to get into the spirit of the holidays? The live music was definitely nice in the main hall and the Pabst Blue Ribbon room.
Now, take it all outdoors and you’ve got a big winner!