Naperville may no longer have its own version of the Christkindlmarket but it’s getting a new holiday event in its place.
Naper Settlement said it plans to launch a Yuletide Festival and Fair on its grounds, featuring live entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, wintry food and beverages, lights and more.
Though details surrounding the event are still being planned, according to officials, it will take place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays December 6-22.
Naper Settlement announced in April that the popular German holiday festival, the Christkindlmarket, would not return after two years in the suburb.
"It was a great event and we take this moment to thank all our visitors for coming to celebrate the holidays with us," Naper Settlement President and CEO Rena Tamayo-Calabrese said in a statement, adding that the outdoor museum wished German American Events, the company that puts on Christkindlmarket, "the very best in their future endeavors."
The statement gave no reason for the festival's departure from Naperville, but said Naper Settlement was "in conversation to develop a new holiday experience" for the winter.
The Yuletide Festival and Fair isn't the only new event being planned in the Chicago suburb.
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The group is also planning a Naperville Pride for next August and a wine festival dubbed Naperville Uncorked for July 25, 2020.
The events still need to be permitted and approved by the city, according to Naper Settlement spokesperson Abbey Bobzin, but that process will start in December.
“Part of our mission is to serve as a community gathering place, as requested by Caroline Martin Mitchell when she bestowed these lands to the City,” Bobzin said in a statement. “Bringing dynamic events, old and new, to Naper Settlement’s grounds not only generates revenue for the museum, but provides a place for the community to connect with their families, friends, and neighbors.”
