{"id":115326,"date":"2022-12-23T19:43:18","date_gmt":"2022-12-24T00:43:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=115326"},"modified":"2022-12-23T19:43:18","modified_gmt":"2022-12-24T00:43:18","slug":"artsquests-christkindlmarkt-celebrates-record-attendance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=115326","title":{"rendered":"ArtsQuest\u2019s Christkindlmarkt Celebrates Record Attendance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Original Photo By: Kimberly Kanuck | CHRISTKINDLMARKT 2022<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

More than 107,000 visitors shopped at the annual holiday market featuring a<\/em>rtisans, vendors from across the region<\/em><\/p>\n

BETHLEHEM, Pa.\u2014\u00a0ArtsQuest\u2019s\u00a0Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem<\/strong><\/a>, presented by\u00a0Univest Financial\u00ae<\/strong><\/a>, had a successful 30th year this holiday season, welcoming 107,272 attendees to this year\u2019s market, breaking 2019\u2019s record setting number (almost 95,000), and surpassing last year\u2019s 93,500. Guests supported the market\u2019s unique artisan and retail vendors for five weekends from Friday, Nov. 18 \u2013 Sunday, Dec. 18.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s Christkindlmarkt attracted so many people eager to support and shop from some of the nation\u2019s finest artisans and small businesses,\u201d Kassie Hilgert, President and CEO of ArtsQuest said. \u201cWe thank all our partners, sponsors, donors, volunteers and supporters who contributed to the magic and merriment here in Christmas City. We\u2019re also pleased with how the Ice Rink at SteelStacks, presented by Lehigh Valley Reilly Children\u2019s Hospital, has enhanced Bethlehem\u2019s charm and attraction for so many visiting individuals and families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christkindlmarkt, voted one of the top two markets in 2022\u2019s\u00a0USA TODAY\/10Best Holiday Market<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0competition, twice named to\u00a0Cond\u00e9 Nast\u2019s list\u00a0as one of the 32 best places to spend Christmas around the world, and named one of the top holiday markets in the world by Travel + Leisure, offered guests a unique in-person holiday shopping experience. The 2022 festival featured more than 215 vendors. Along with local vendors, guests were able to shop from around the world from holiday favorites like Germany\u2019s K\u00e4the Wohlfahrt handmade ornaments and collectibles. Many new and returning vendors and artisans have told ArtsQuest they enjoyed the record crowds and record sales throughout the seasonally constructed market\u2019s five-week run.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crowds were amazing,\u201d Barbara Talijan of\u00a0Owl Be Beading said. \u201cI love the people, especially the ones who come back year-after-year and have become friends. I love being a part of family traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel Durantaye, co-owner of Sunflower Trading Hat Company reported an increase in sales this year and echoed Talijan\u2019s opinion of this year\u2019s Christkindlmarkt. \u201cHowever, when it comes to the more fun and personal aspects of the show that keep us coming<\/p>\n

back there are no shortage,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I had to pick, it would be the decorations and<\/p>\n

atmosphere. Too many events undervalue the small touches. The Christmas trees, lights, igloos and new skating rink at Christkindlmarkt -which we enjoyed a lot- make all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carly Hurtado and Vincent Braccia, artisans and owners of Skyseed Energy said Christkindlmarkt provided them a unique opportunity to engage with potential\u00a0customers. \u201cWe are so grateful to the team at ArtsQuest for providing a space for artists to get their art out to the public,\u201d said Hurtado. \u201cIt\u2019s so incredibly important to keep small businesses alive. Small businesses add so much value to our lives and country, enriching our lives and allowing us not to lose our uniqueness. ArtsQuest is keeping that fire alive for small business and art.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hurtado and Braccia shared that this year\u2019s bestseller was their Cape May Diamonds, quartz Crystal found in Cape May and naturally tumbled in the ocean. \u201cOur favorite part of Christkindlmarkt was seeing people connect with the gemstone,\u201d Hurtado said. \u201cEspecially at the holidays, to be able to provide a handmade product to customers that also holds extra meaning is very heart warming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early indications show food and beverage sales were up significantly when compared to 2021. Guests feasted from an array of seasonal eats like baklava, Strudel, German bratwurst, hand-rolled pretzels and a variety of dishes and drinks from 10 local food vendors. Attendees also got into the holiday spirit by enjoying beverages at the festival\u2019s additional bar and by sampling from local distillers and vintners.<\/p>\n

The success of Christkindlmarkt would not be possible without hundreds of ArtsQuest volunteers and the support from presenting sponsor Univest Financial and the corporate community. Thousands of visitors took advantage of the market\u2019s community hours Friday nights throughout the festival when all entry fees were waived thanks to ArtsQuest\u2019s partner\u00a0LehighValleyNews.com<\/strong><\/a>. Families also enjoyed photos and activities with jolly Old St. Nicholas, presented by\u00a0Just Born Quality Confections<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Crayola<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnivest Financial was proud serve as presenting sponsor of Christkindlmarkt for the fifth year,\u201d said Annette D. Szygiel, Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer at Univest Financial. \u201cWe are thrilled people embraced this favorite tradition. Sponsoring this annual event is a great way to bring the community together while also supporting local artisans and small businesses. Univest is dedicated to giving back to the communities it serves and we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with ArtsQuest to support the arts in the Lehigh Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ice Rink at SteelStacks<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0will remain open through Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. Christkindlmarkt 2023 is scheduled to begin Friday, Nov. 17. Visit\u00a0artsquest.org<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for more information on events coming up in the new year.<\/p>\n

About ArtsQuest<\/strong>
\nArtsQuest\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational<\/p>\n

experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest\u2122 supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events.<\/p>\n

Through festivals such as its flagship event,\u00a0Musikfest<\/a>; the\u00a0Banana Factory Arts Center<\/a>; and the ArtsQuest Center at\u00a0SteelStacks<\/a>\u00a0arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest\u2019s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization\u2019s programs and events, approximately 50% of which are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region. ArtsQuest is a proud member of NIVA, the\u00a0National Independent Venue Association<\/a>, IFEA, the\u00a0International Festivals & Events Association<\/a>\u00a0and NATO, the\u00a0National Association of Theatre Owners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nShannon Keith, ArtsQuest
\nCommunications Director
\nhttp:\/\/www.artsquest.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Original Photo By: Kimberly Kanuck | CHRISTKINDLMARKT 2022 More than 107,000 visitors shopped at the annual holiday market featuring artisans, vendors from across the region BETHLEHEM, Pa.\u2014\u00a0ArtsQuest\u2019s\u00a0Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem, presented by\u00a0Univest … Continue reading ArtsQuest\u2019s Christkindlmarkt Celebrates Record Attendance<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":115327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5717,69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bethlehem","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Christkindlmarkt-2022-w-logo.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115326"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=115326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/115327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=115326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=115326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=115326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}