Downtown Green Bay starts its holiday season eight days before the Green Bay Botanical Garden turns on a single light, and the Garden keeps going for eleven days after downtown packs up. Christkindlmarket on Broadway opens Thursday, November 19, and closes for the season Saturday, December 19. WPS Garden of Lights opens Friday, November 27, and runs through December 30.
Each has its own calendar, its own ticket system and its own busiest nights. Choose a date first, and that date decides which version of the season you get.
The Week Downtown Has the Season to Itself
From November 19 through the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the only holiday event in the city is the Christkindlmarket on Broadway. It's a German-style holiday street market set up in Red Sculpture Park and along East Hubbard Street. It runs Thursdays from 3 to 8 p.m., Fridays from 3 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it is closed on Thanksgiving Day. The market began as a pilot in 2022, according to Fox 11. The Greater Green Bay Chamber billed this year as its fifth annual season.
That first Saturday, November 21, is the busiest morning downtown will have all season, because the 42nd Annual Green Bay Holiday Parade lands on the market's first weekend. The parade is free. Downtown Green Bay, Inc. presents it, HSHS St. Vincent Children's Hospital sponsors it, and this year's theme is "A Tropical Holiday in Green Bay." The parade listing lays out a morning that starts well before the first float:
- 8:30 a.m. The North Pole opens in the Adams Street Garage parking lot, northwest of the Doty and Adams intersection. It's new this year, sponsored by Mission Drywall Co, and offers a holiday movie, hot chocolate and reindeer until 10 a.m.
- Before the parade. Run Run Rudolph, a one-mile fun run from Golden Made Events, goes straight down the parade route. It's open to runners and walkers of all ages and benefits The Salvation Army.
- 9:15 a.m. Frank and Amy of Let Me Be Frank Productions play a holiday set outside the Brown County Courthouse until 10.
- 10 a.m. The parade steps off and runs until 11.
- After the parade. Santa and his reindeer go to the YWCA at 230 S. Madison St. for a free meet and greet until 1 p.m. The reindeer head home at 12:30.
The market is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day, so it runs alongside the whole parade morning. November 21 is also the first day of Mini Boss on Broadway, which On Broadway runs as a chance for kids 15 and under to run a small business. Young sellers will be at the market every Saturday through December 19, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Igloos Fill First
Walking the market requires no planning. The Cozy Igloos are another matter, and they are the part of Broadway that most rewards booking early. The igloo reservations are heated, seat up to six people and come in 90-minute sessions. Food and drink add-ons have to be ordered 24 hours before your reservation. The market's own page says reservations are limited.
New this year is a shorter Saturday-morning option built for families, offered from 10 to 10:45 a.m.:
- Up to six people for a $140 reservation, which the listing calls a $200 value
- Warm cinnamon rolls, hot chocolate, and orange juice and mimosas
- Coloring books, crayons and games
- A 10-minute visit with Santa
The listing's suggestions for regular sessions are simple ones: bring your own blanket, a deck of cards or a cribbage board, and a holiday playlist on your phone. Saturday mornings are also when the Mini Bosses are selling a few steps away, so a family package on a Saturday puts the two most kid-focused parts of the market in the same hour.
Where the Two Calendars Overlap
Once Garden of Lights opens the day after Thanksgiving, the city's two big holiday events share a calendar for about three weeks. The market keeps its Thursday-through-Saturday schedule. The Garden is open November 27 to 29, then December 3 to 6, 10 to 13, 17 to 23 and 26 to 30, from 4:30 to 9 p.m., with last entry at 8:30.
| Night type | Christkindlmarket on Broadway | WPS Garden of Lights |
|---|---|---|
| Thursdays | Open 3 to 8 p.m. | Walking Only Thursday: $15 adult, $10 child, no wagons |
| Fridays and Saturdays | Open 3 to 9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday | $17 adult walking, $23 adult with wagon ride |
| Sundays | Closed | Theme Night Sundays, included with admission |
| Last date | December 19 | December 30 |
For anyone trying to fit both into one outing, Thursday is the night the table points to. The market closes at 8 on Thursdays, the Garden lets people in until 8:30, and Thursday is the Garden's cheapest night for the general public. On Walking Only Thursdays, horse-drawn wagons stay off the paths and the Garden describes the evening as a more relaxed way to see the lights. In 2026 those Thursdays are December 3, 10 and 17.
The wagon ride is the reason to choose a Friday or Saturday. Wagon tickets include admission plus a horse-drawn ride through part of the Garden. They are sold every night except Walking Only Thursdays, in limited quantities. Without a wagon, public walking tickets cost $17 for adults and $10 for children ages 3 to 12. Wagon tickets cost $23 and $15. Children 2 and under are free. Garden members pay $14 and $10 to walk, $20 and $15 for the wagon, and $12 for an adult on Thursdays.
Why the Garden Rewards an Early Booking
Garden of Lights tickets opened to members on October 26 and to the general public on November 2. The Garden recommends buying ahead because advance tickets get the fastest entry, a guaranteed date and time, and the best chance at wagon tickets. Walk-up tickets are sold in limited numbers each night, first come, first served.
The fine print rewards picking your night carefully. Refunds are not available. You can move to another available night for a $5 rescheduling fee per order, if space allows. A service fee may apply at checkout. Parking on site is free and first come, first served. Overflow parking is across and down the street, and there are no shuttles.
This year is the 30th season. The first WPS Garden of Lights opened in 1996, the same year the Green Bay Botanical Garden opened to the public. The one-mile walk has new displays, including Skybound Oak. Aurora in Bloom and Lake of Lights both return with new music and visuals. The Garden's September to December 2026 newsletter calls the event its largest annual fundraiser. Ticket sales support Garden operations, educational programs and future growth, and setup is well underway by the end of September.
Sundays and the Last Week Belong to the Garden
The market never opens on a Sunday, so every Sunday of the season is a Garden night. Each one has a theme, included with regular admission. The program runs from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., and guests can stay among the lights until 9.
- November 29, Snowy Movie Magic. A family movie night among the lights. With the code KIDSFREE, each adult walking ticket comes with two free child walking tickets for ages 12 and under, good that night only.
- December 6, Meet Winter Princesses. Photos with princesses, and royal attire encouraged.
- December 13, Color with Mrs. Claus. A coloring contest with a small prize.
- December 20, Reindeer Rendezvous. Real reindeer and a chance to learn about them.
- December 27, Glowin' Since '96 Party. The 30th-anniversary celebration.
Heritage Coffee sells lattes, hot cocoa, smoothies and Italian sodas on theme nights, and Nothing Bundt Cakes sells individual Bundtlets.
After the market's last day on December 19, the Garden has the season to itself. It is open every night from December 20 through 23, then again from December 26 through 30. The anniversary party on December 27 falls right in the middle of that last stretch. Anyone planning a Garden visit with holiday guests can buy those tickets now, because a booked night costs $5 to change and cannot be refunded.
Here at Sandra Ranck Real Estate Collective, we love how this season shows off downtown Green Bay and the Botanical Garden, from the first market Thursday on Broadway to the last walk under the lights. If a holiday visit has relatives wondering what life in Brown County is like, or you're thinking about how your own home would show in the new year, we'd be glad to talk it through over coffee. Request a complimentary home valuation, or schedule a listing consultation, whenever the timing suits you.
