Since yesterday, Ionia Avenue SW has had a holiday market at each end. The fourth annual Christkindl Markt opened at the Downtown Market, 435 Ionia Ave. SW. Up the street at 123 Ionia Ave. SW, the Piazza at Studio Park opened its first Holiday Market. The two markets are run separately. They have different vendors, different weekday hours and very different parking costs. On three Saturdays, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. runs a free shuttle between them.

Together they make downtown's holiday season a stretch of street to move along, and a day out works best when it is planned around both ends.

The Number Behind The Second Market

MLive reported in August that Christkindl Markt drew about 250,000 visitors from 49 states in 2025. In its July report on the Studio Park launch, MLive said that with the new market added, downtown is expected to draw more than 300,000 visitors in November and December. That projection is about 50,000 more than last year's Christkindl count. Both markets will be dealing with those crowds on the same blocks.

The Studio Park market calls itself a separate operation, set up "neighboring the regionally-beloved Christkindl Markt" with "its own distinct character and mix of vendors." Here is how the two compare.

What Each End Of Ionia Is Selling

Christkindl Markt has more than 50 permanent stalls plus eight pop-up vendors, according to MLive's preview. Food vendors include Wurst Haus, The Schnitzel Haus, Crepes by the Lakes and Casa de Churros. Craft vendors include Heather Lane Pottery, Grayling Ceramics, Winterborn Alpaca and The Nutcracker Haus. New this season are porchetta sandwiches, chimney cakes, German market-style mushrooms, nutcrackers and mechanical wooden puzzles. The official vendor directory also lists Baked Cheese Haus for raclette, Chewie Bitez for soups and stews, and Brewery Vivant, which is serving Bavarian pretzels and its own root beer and orange cream soda.

There is an enclosed German-style beverage hall pouring glühwein, beer, hot cocoa and hot cider. The market also has curling and heated Alpenglobes you can book for groups of up to eight for three-hour sessions. This year's four new commemorative glassware pieces are out. If you saved glassware from a past year, bring it for refill pricing. Eggnog is back. Santa and Mrs. Claus visit every Wednesday, and Oompah bands play through the season. Inside the building, the Downtown Market's 21 food merchants include Field & Fire Bakery, Rák Thai, Juju Bird, Sushi Market and Rudy's Sub Shop.

The Holiday Market at Studio Park features Michigan makers selling handmade goods, artwork, jewelry, home décor, specialty foods and apparel. Molly Ketchum, executive director of The Arts Marketplace at Studio Park, told MLive that the goal is to "encourage shoppers to think local when making purchasing decisions." She also said, "Many of our vendors count on holiday sales." For many of the makers in the chalets, these five weeks matter a lot to their year. Emily Loeks, Studio Park's director of community affairs, described the goal in the same article as "a festive and nostalgic vibe, both inviting and a bit playful." On site you'll find outdoor fire stations, seasonal drinks, live music and holiday film clips on the big screen.

Christkindl draws people for food, drink and imported tradition. Studio Park is a gift-shopping market built around local makers. Many households will want a little of both on the same day.

The Weekday Clocks Don't Match

The Christkindl Markt opens two hours before Studio Park on weekdays. Its hours are Wednesday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Studio Park market runs Wednesday 1 to 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday 1 to 9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

That gives you a simple plan for a weekday lunch break or a day off. Start at the Downtown Market end and work north toward Studio Park after 1 p.m. Both markets close at the same time each evening, so whichever end you finish at stays open as long as the other.

Both markets are closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and both close on Thanksgiving. The calendar splits apart in the last week. Studio Park adds Monday through Wednesday hours, Dec. 21 to 23, from 1 to 9 p.m., and closes for the season after that. Christkindl stays open through Christmas Eve. If you leave a gift until the 24th, it will have to come from the south end of Ionia.

Parking Is Where The Shuttle Earns Its Keep

The biggest difference between the two ends is parking. Christkindl's plan-your-visit page lists limited event parking in the Downtown Market lot at $25. The McConnell lot across Ionia is $15. Studio Park's attached ramp at 120 Ottawa Ave. SW is open 24 hours, and Studio Park lists it as free parking.

The free Shop Local Holiday Shuttle runs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays Nov. 21, Nov. 28 and Dec. 5. It travels between Monroe Center and the Downtown Market, mostly on Ionia and Division avenues, and a round trip takes 20 to 30 minutes. DGRI counts about eight public lots and ramps within a block of the route, along with more than 30 shops and more than 40 restaurants. On those three Saturdays you can park once at the north end and ride to Christkindl instead of competing for the Downtown Market lot.

"We try to make it as easy and welcoming as possible for people to support our great local businesses," Lauren Suidgeest, DGRI's operations coordinator and the shuttle's project lead, said in DGRI's announcement. Route details for each date are on the Holiday Shuttle linktree.

The shuttle runs until 10 p.m., an hour after both markets close on Saturdays. That last hour is for dinner at one of the restaurants along the route before you ride back to your car.

November 21 Puts Everything On One Saturday

The shuttle's first day is also the day of the Gentex Grand Rapids Santa Parade, so DGRI is changing the route that evening to work around the parade. Here is how the day runs:

1. 10 a.m. Christkindl Markt opens.
2. 11 a.m. The shuttle starts and the Studio Park market opens.
3. 5 p.m. The parade begins. The route sheet puts step-off at about 5:15 p.m. at Division Avenue and Michigan Street.
4. About 6:30 p.m. Santa arrives at Rosa Parks Circle.
5. 6:45 p.m. The City of Grand Rapids lights the tree at Rosa Parks Circle.
6. 9 p.m. Both markets close.
7. 10 p.m. The last shuttle runs.

After the tree lighting, both markets are still open for more than two hours. A family can shop in the afternoon, watch the parade and then go back to Ionia for glühwein or a chalet you missed earlier.

The Rest Of The Season, In Order

The shuttle's other two Saturdays fall around more downtown events, all listed on DGRI's calendar:

• Tonight, Nov. 19: 3rd Thursday Shop Hop. Avenue for the Arts describes it as an evening of downtown galleries, retailers, boutiques, restaurants and cultural institutions, with special exhibitions, events and sales.
• Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday, with the second shuttle day.
• Dec. 4: The Rosa Parks Circle ice rink at 135 Monroe Center St. NW opens, and the daily menorah lighting at Calder Plaza begins. It runs through Dec. 11.
• Dec. 5: The third and last shuttle day.
• Dec. 17: The December 3rd Thursday Shop Hop.
• Jan. 8: World of Winter begins.

Dec. 5 is the best-timed Saturday on the list. The rink has been open one day, the menorah lightings are in their second night, and both markets and the shuttle are running. Downtown's winter events all overlap that day, within walking or riding distance of each other.

Many of us at Polaris Real Estate will be on Ionia Avenue this season too. If you'd like our favorite places near the shuttle route for dinner after the markets close, or want to talk about anything else downtown, Ask Us Anything.