The ice rink at Riverside Crossing Park covers 3,200 square feet of the lower plaza, on the east side of the Dublin Link pedestrian bridge. It opens for the 2026-2027 season on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 4 p.m. Three days later, on Saturday, Nov. 21, wooden huts selling raclette, Glühwein and Black Forest cuckoo clocks open around it for the first season of Christkindlmarkt Dublin. The market runs through Christmas Eve, and admission is free.
Two different operators run these two attractions, and each publishes its own hours. Put the schedules side by side and most of the season lines up. On most of the evenings the market is open, you can also skate, and the exceptions follow a pattern you can plan around.
Two operators, one plaza
The market grew out of a plan the City of Dublin started in 2022. City Council approved the final feasibility report in March 2025 and issued a request for proposals in April 2025, according to the city's November 2025 release. A selection committee drew members from city departments, Visit Dublin Ohio and the Downtown Dublin Strategic Alliance. After reviewing proposals and interviewing applicants, it recommended Christkindlmarkt Consulting LLC. The city's August 2026 announcement names Christkindlmarkt Dublin, LLC as the company chosen to develop and run the market.
The way the contract splits the work explains why there are two calendars. The November 17, 2025 Council minutes make the operator responsible for the huts, setup, staffing, entertainment, vendors, security and decorations. The city supplies restrooms, power, water and the park's existing decorations, and it keeps running the rink. The first term ends in April 2031, with an option for five more years, and the minutes project $542,000 in revenue to the city over the full 10 years.
In practice, the huts belong to the market and the ice belongs to the city. The market's media page lists outdoor skating as an extra-fee experience, and the city charges $15 per person with skate rental included. Bringing your own skates doesn't lower the price.
Where the two schedules match, and where they don't
The market's regular hours are 4 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. It's closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The rink's regular hours, from Nov. 20 through March 14, cover only Friday through Sunday. The rink's special December hours fill most of that weeknight gap.
| Date | Christkindlmarkt | Ice rink |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 18 | Not yet open to the public | 4–8 p.m., season opener |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Opens at noon, runs to 9 p.m. | Noon–9 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Noon–9 p.m. | Noon–8 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 26, Thanksgiving | Closed | No hours listed |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Noon–9 p.m. | Opens at noon |
| Wed.–Thu., Dec. 2–3, 9–10, 16–17 | 4–9 p.m. | 4–9 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Noon–9 p.m. | Noon–9 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Noon–9 p.m. | 5–9 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Noon–9 p.m. | Noon–8 p.m. |
| Sundays | Noon–8 p.m. | Noon–8 p.m. |
| Mon.–Wed., Dec. 21–23 | Noon–9 p.m. | Noon–9 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 24 | Noon–4 p.m., final day | Noon–4 p.m. |
| Sat.–Wed., Dec. 26–30 | Season over | Noon–9 p.m. daily |
Each of the six regular December Wednesdays and Thursdays has matching 4 to 9 p.m. hours on both calendars. The last three days before Christmas match too, ending with a shared noon-to-4 close on Christmas Eve. Most of the differences fall on Friday afternoons. The market opens at noon every Friday, but on a regular-hours Friday like Dec. 11 the rink doesn't open until 5 p.m. If you want an hour on the ice and a crêpe afterward on a Friday, plan on an evening visit. The city's rink page lists noon as the opening time on Friday, Nov. 27, and doesn't print a closing time, so check it before heading out that day.
On Sundays, both close at 8 p.m. One Sunday has its own event. On Dec. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., the market marks Sankt Nikolaustag, the traditional St. Nicholas Day, as part of its holiday programming.
What's inside the huts, starting with familiar names
The September vendor announcement leads with local businesses. Dublin's Die Creperie, also known as Holy Crepes, and Der Französische Laden, or The French Store, have huts. So do Columbus-based Say Yes Pretzels and The Red Stable from German Village. BrewDog Brewing Company is pouring a private-label Christkindlmarkt Dublin Dunkel, a dark lager sold in cans. BrewDog will also have its Winter Staycation Pecan and Toffee Stout and an Ohio Pilsner.
Here's what the food and drink lists look like if you're planning a cold evening around them:
- Hot food: raclette scraped from the wheel onto crusty bread, Döner kebab, schnitzel, Käsespätzle, bratwurst, Bavarian pretzels, Kartoffelpuffer, Flammkuchen and Baumstriezel
- Mulled wine: German red, blueberry, cherry and elderflower, plus Feuerzangenbowle, where a rum-soaked sugar cone is set on fire above the wine
- For skaters and kids: Kinderpunsch, Belgian and seasonal hot chocolates in gingerbread, raspberry and merry mint, hot apple cider, a cider latte, and Santa Clausthaler, a zero-proof cranberry-cinnamon beer
- To take home: Black Forest cuckoo clocks, beer steins, hand-painted Polish pottery, German nutcrackers, Erzgebirge folk art, paper star lanterns, mouth-blown glass ornaments, and the limited-edition inaugural boot mug and ornament
The 2026 boot mug is the first in a series, and the city's August announcement says each year's design will be sold only during that season. Founder and CEO Maria Adele Rosenfeld explained the idea behind the market in Christkindlmarkt Dublin's vendor announcement:
"I want guests to leave saying, 'Now I understand what the word Gemütlichkeit means,' and to want to come back and experience the market again."
The market's entertainment page still lists the performance schedule as coming soon.
Getting there, and what stays inside the market
The city's announcement points visitors to on-street parking and the Downtown Dublin garages, including Bridge Park, Bridge Park West and the Rock Cress Parking Garage. The market's Plan Your Visit page, updated Oct. 14, says parking, rideshare drop-off and wayfinding details will be posted there. Check it the week you go.
If you'd rather skip the garages, COTA's Sept. 7 service change extended Line 1 Kenny north to OSU Wexner Medical Center Outpatient Care Dublin, with buses every 30 minutes, seven days a week. The Dublin Park and Ride also moved to Dale Drive and Bridge Park Avenue, with free parking in the Theodore Garage, the city reported.
Here are a few rules from the market's FAQ. Pets aren't allowed. Vendors take both cash and credit cards. Two complimentary wheelchairs are available first-come, first-served, with ID required.
Then there's the Glühwein. Parts of Riverside Crossing Park are inside Downtown Dublin's DORA. Under the city's rules, though, a DORA drink has to come from an approved participating establishment and can't leave the DORA boundaries. The market isn't on the city's current participant list. Neither the market nor the city has said whether market drinks can be carried across the Dublin Link. The city's DORA page has the full rules, and market staff can answer questions on site.
On a cold night, it helps to know the upper plaza pavilion has universally accessible restrooms, a gas fireplace, seating and a river overlook. The lower plaza, where the rink sits, has a water feature and a boulder play area.
The rest of the season, around the plaza
Some of Dublin's other holiday dates fall on market days, and some fill the days it's closed:
- Thursday, Nov. 26: Both the market and the rink are closed, but the Flying Feather Four Miler starts Thanksgiving morning, 8:30 a.m. to noon, at the Club at Corazon, 7155 Corazon Drive.
- Thursday, Dec. 3: The city's Tree Lighting at Coffman Park runs 6 to 8 p.m., with Santa, caroling, performances and ice sculpting. The market and the rink are both open 4 to 9 p.m. that night, so you could do both on the same evening.
- Saturday, Dec. 26 through Thursday, Dec. 31: The market's season has ended, but the rink opens daily at noon, closing at 9 p.m. except on Dec. 31, when it closes at 4. It stays open on weekends through mid-March.
Before the huts arrive, North Market Bridge Park hosts its Autumn Fest on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with more than 25 local vendors at 6750 Longshore St. One week after that, the market opens at noon on Nov. 21.
Whether you're working Glühwein nights into your December or making a list of what to fix before a spring sale, Leah and Elyssa at I Care Home Group are glad to sit down with Dublin homeowners and talk through what the season means for your plans. Call us for a free home valuation, and we'll bring the numbers to that conversation.
