Holiday festival markets are flourishing in central city squares across America, following the model of the great Christmas markets of Germany and other European countries.
Neal Peirce shares examples of dozens of outdoor markets across the country: "The biggest and possibly most spectacular may be Union Square in New York, where over 100 merchants have been on hand this season offering delights ranging from hand-blown glass housewares to hand-tooled leather belts to 'German delights sweet and savory treats, cider and cappuccino to keep you warm."
But despite their growing popularity, Peirce notes, America's holiday markets are unlikely to ever equal Europe's winter markets in "cities like Vienna, Salzburg, Munich, Stuttgart and Strasbourg, where people flock by the tens of thousands, from late morning into the icy evenings, enjoying city blocks set aside for artisans' stands, puppet shows, candies and gingerbread houses, miniature steam train rides, hot spiced gluhwein and much more."
FULL STORY: Outdoor Holiday Markets Spread Across America
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research