California Secures Two Spots on America’s Most Popular Christmas Markets List

California’s holiday season is in the spotlight this year, with two Christmas markets in the state appearing among the top 10 most popular ones in the country, according to a new study.

Cambria’s Christmas Market and Solvang’s Julefest ranked fourth and 10th, respectively, on the analysis this year by Winna. Cambria’s Christmas Market logged 10,568 average monthly searches, while Solvang’s Julefest clocked 2,038 searches. 

California is the only state to be featured twice in the top 10, highlighting the popularity of Christmas tourism in the state. 

With 44,445 average monthly searches, Chicago’s famous Christkindlmarket claimed the top ranking on the study, generating almost three times more interest than any other market in the nation.

Philadelphia’s Christmas Village took the second spot, with 15,681 searches a month. This was followed by Carmel’s Christkindlmarkt. 

Here are the top 10 most popular Christmas markets in the U.S.: 

1. Christkindlmarket, Chicago
2. Christmas Village, Philadelphia
3. Christkindlmarkt, Carmel
4. Christmas Market, Cambria
5. Columbus Circle Holiday Market, New York City
6. Christkindlmarkt, Cincinnati
7. Dickens of a Christmas, Franklin
8. Christmas Market, Georgetown
9. European Christmas Market, St Paul
10. Julefest, Solvang

Nostalgia is a significant driver for these searches, Paul Mertens, CEO of Winna, said in a statement. 

Whether it is a German-style market in the Midwest or a small community event in a mountain town, the demand reflects people’s interest in a “little escape with good food and warm drinks,” he said.  

“There’s something about Christmas markets that taps into that cozy, old-world feeling people crave during the holidays,” Mertens added.

How the List Was Curated

For the America’s Most Popular Christmas Markets list, 22 different Christmas-market search terms, such as “market hours” and “market location”, were analyzed to identify the most popular festive destinations.

Monthly average search data was taken from Google Keyword Planner for the past 12 months. The combined data for each Christmas market’s search terms was assessed and then used to rank the markets. 

Cambria’s Christmas Market

Cambria’s Christmas Market takes inspiration from the traditional German winter market, which dates back to the 1300s. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Cambria Christmas Market (@cambriachristmasmarket)

The outdoor event features local vendors selling ornaments and gifts, along with a special German booth with incense smokers, nutcrackers, and glass-blown ornaments brought in from Germany. 

Set to open on November 28, 2025, the event will offer live music, seasonal and festive food and drinks, and train rides. 

Solvang’s Julefest

The month-long, Danish-style celebration begins on November 28, 2025 and runs through the festive season. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Visit Solvang, California (@solvangusa)

Events include a tree-lighting ceremony, a parade with marching bands, horses, festive floats, and dancers down Solvang’s streets, a ‘Maker’s Market’ similar to European night markets, among others. 

The Julefest celebration ends with the Solvang Tree Burn on January 9, 2026, supervised by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and one of the largest fire safety demonstrations in California’s Central Coast.