At 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, the doors open on the 38th Weihnachtsmarkt at the New Braunfels Civic & Convention Center. That evening the downtown lights come on over Main Plaza and Santa arrives. The Gruene Ice Rink opens the same weekend behind The Pomegranate. Downtown and Gruene each have a full holiday calendar this year, and that Friday is the only stretch where they land on top of each other.
Outside that weekend the two calendars barely overlap. Downtown packs its season into two evenings on Main Plaza. Gruene spreads its season across nearly every weekend from now until New Year's Day.
Downtown's season fits in two evenings
The City of New Braunfels runs two big holiday nights on Main Plaza at 500 Main Plaza, and both are free.
The first is Downtown Lighting & Santa's Arrival on Friday, Nov. 20, from 6 to 9 p.m. Photos with Santa are free if you bring your own camera. There's also Holiday Haus, a small tabletop market with a limited group of vendors, and the city gives priority to holiday treats and gifts when picking them. A free shuttle runs from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. It picks up at New Braunfels City Hall, 550 Landa St., and drops off on West Mill Street.
The second is Wassailfest on Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6 to 9 p.m. The city describes wassail as a warm, spiced apple drink mixed with cranberry juice, orange juice and other spices. Each recipe comes either "leaded," with alcohol, or "unleaded." Local businesses, nonprofits and organizations each pour their own recipe at stops around downtown, and local school choirs sing. Wassail stops are open at no cost to downtown businesses inside the event closure area, which set up in front of or inside their storefronts. Local nonprofits get assigned spaces. On Wassailfest night the downtown storefronts become the event.
Parking for Wassailfest is free at City Hall, and the shuttles run from 5 to 11 p.m. The city also posts a downtown parking map for anyone who would rather park closer.
Those are the two downtown nights. If you want the Main Plaza version of the holidays, put those two dates on the calendar and you're set.
Gruene runs on weekends, starting now
Gruene's holiday program on gruenetexas.com/holidays is already underway when this post goes up. Kringle Cash, a book of coupons good at shops around the historic district, runs from Nov. 5 through Dec. 20. Cowboy Kringle, Gruene's own Santa, poses for photos on weekends in two blocks. The November dates are Nov. 7–8, 14–15, 21–22 and 27–29. The December dates are Dec. 5–6, 12–13 and 19–20. Gruene recommends reserving a time slot ahead.
If this post reaches you on Thursday, Nov. 12, Come and Taste It – Wurst Edition is that evening from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Grapevine Garden at 1612 Hunter Road. It's free, with live music and complimentary Texas wine and craft beer tastings.
Thanksgiving week fills in a few more Gruene dates:
- Tuesday, Nov. 24: A one-hour East Coast Swing lesson at Gruene Hall starts at 6 p.m. and costs $12 per person. Two Tons of Steel plays its Thanksgiving show at 8 p.m., and doors open at 7.
- Thursday, Nov. 26: The 18th Annual Gruene Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk starts and finishes in front of Gruene Hall. Kids under 12 can join the quarter-mile Turkey Chase behind a turkey mascot. Proceeds benefit local charities, including the Comal County Sheriff's Green Santa Program and the New Braunfels Police Department Blue Santa Program.
- Nov. 27–29: Cowboy Kringle photos continue through the holiday weekend.
Most of Gruene's calendar is built for Saturdays and Sundays, which makes downtown's Friday and Thursday nights easy to add on top.
Nov. 20–22: the weekend everything happens at once
This is the one weekend where your choices really compete, because three events open within about 48 hours of one another.
The Weihnachtsmarkt. The Sophienburg Museum & Archives has held this German-style Christmas market since 1988, and all proceeds go to museum operations and educational programming. The market runs Nov. 20–22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Civic & Convention Center, 375 S. Castell Ave. Vendors sell German collectibles and ornaments, decorations, gifts, apparel and antiques. Community Impact lists admission at $15, or $35 for a weekend pass.
The market also hosts ticketed side events:
- The Gala, Thursday, Nov. 19, 6 to 9 p.m.: shopping with more than 60 artisans and vendors, dinner, a full bar and live music from the Dirty River Boys. The ticket also gets you into the market Friday through Sunday.
- The Brunch, Friday, Nov. 20, 9 to 10:30 a.m., and Kaffeeklatsch, the same day from 1 to 3 p.m. Kaffeeklatsch includes a floral-design class, coffee, a sweet treat and a Market Day pass.
- Breakfast With Santa, Saturday, Nov. 21, 9 to 10:30 a.m., with breakfast, arts and crafts, and photos with Santa.
- Holiday Tea, Sunday, Nov. 22, 1 to 3 p.m., an English afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones, desserts and loose-leaf tea.
Downtown Lighting fills Main Plaza Friday evening, as described above.
Gruene's side of the weekend. The Gruene Ice Rink opens that weekend and stays open through Jan. 3. It measures 100 by 40 feet and sits behind The Pomegranate, near H.D. Gruene Jr.'s Private Office, at 1622 New Braunfels St. You can rent skates, and hot cocoa, cookies and souvenirs are for sale. Skating times can be reserved through the rink page. You don't need a reservation to shop, eat or hang out around the rink, and free parking is available throughout the historic district. Old Gruene Market Days runs Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21–22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nearly 100 vendors sell handcrafted items and packaged Texas foods, and admission is free. Cowboy Kringle is taking photos both days too.
Because the events keep different hours, you can fit most of them into the weekend:
- Friday daytime: The Weihnachtsmarkt is the only one of these events open Friday before evening.
- Friday 6 to 9 p.m.: Head to Main Plaza for the lighting. The shuttle from City Hall saves you from hunting for downtown parking.
- Saturday: Old Gruene Market Days and Cowboy Kringle photos, plus an ice rink session if you booked one.
- Sunday: Back to the Weihnachtsmarkt if you bought a weekend pass, or Holiday Tea at 1 p.m.
The Weihnachtsmarkt and Old Gruene Market Days are both open 10 to 5 on Saturday and Sunday. That puts two large holiday markets on the same weekend, so if you're doing gift shopping, plan on one day for each.
December splits cleanly between a Thursday and a Saturday
The first week of December puts a full downtown evening and a full Gruene day two days apart.
Wassailfest takes over downtown on Thursday, Dec. 3. Then Saturday, Dec. 5, fills Gruene's calendar from morning to night:
- 10 a.m.: The 25th Annual Gruene Pony Express Ride arrives. Riders from the Heritage Trail Ride Association of New Braunfels carry a "Christmas Greetings" message from the Governor of Texas. A temporary post office next to Gruene Outfitters cancels stamps with a commemorative Gruene design, so bring your Christmas cards stamped and ready.
- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Christmas Market Days, which also runs Sunday, Dec. 6, with nearly 100 vendors and free admission.
- All day: The December run of Cowboy Kringle photos begins.
- 5 p.m.: A brass band performs in the street.
- 6 p.m.: The Gruene Town Lighting. Cowboy Kringle rides into town on horseback and hands candy canes to the kids. Admission is free.
With Wassailfest on Thursday and the Gruene Town Lighting on Saturday, you can make both in the same week without a schedule conflict.
After Dec. 5, the calendar is all Gruene
Downtown's two evenings are done by early December, and Gruene carries the rest of the season:
- Dec. 12: The Annual Jingle Bell Run/Walk, a 5K plus Kid's Ks benefiting St. Jude's Ranch for Children, sponsored by the New Braunfels Running Club.
- Dec. 17, 5 to 8 p.m.: Come and Taste It: Holiday Edition in The Grapevine garden, free, with live music and Texas wine and craft beer tastings. The Grapevine posts this year's featured wineries and breweries on its holiday page.
- Dec. 22 and 29: Two Tons of Steel holiday shows at Gruene Hall, with the 6 p.m. swing lesson beforehand.
- Dec. 31: New Year's Eve with Pat Green at Gruene Hall. Advance tickets are recommended through GrueneHall.com.
- Jan. 1: Hair of the Dog Day, with free live shows all day at Gruene Hall.
- Through Jan. 3: The ice rink stays open.
The Kringle Cash coupons expire Dec. 20, so the last weekend of Cowboy Kringle photos is also your last chance to use them.
Book these before the weekends fill up
A few events need some planning ahead:
- Cowboy Kringle photo slots are reserved through Gruene's photo page, and Gruene recommends booking ahead before slots fill.
- Ice rink skate times are reserved through gruenetexas.com/rink.
- Weihnachtsmarkt tickets, including the Gala, Brunch, Kaffeeklatsch, Breakfast With Santa and Holiday Tea, are sold through the Sophienburg's market page.
- New Year's Eve at Gruene Hall recommends advance tickets.
Both downtown nights, both Gruene markets, the Pony Express Ride and the Gruene Town Lighting are free and need no tickets.
If family is visiting for the holidays and starting to talk about moving to the New Braunfels area, or you're thinking about your own next move in the new year, The Mark Lemmons Group would be glad to sit down with you once the lights go up. Schedule A Consultation whenever the timing is right for you.
