On the Friday after Thanksgiving, Water Street between Lake Street and Third Street becomes a holiday market. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. the street fills with artisan booths, a live music tent, roving carolers, Santa and a few reindeer. The same setup runs again Saturday. Christmas in Excelsior returns November 27–28, 2026. It's free, and it's the second year the Excelsior Lions Club has put it on.
For nearly 20 years, Thanksgiving weekend in Excelsior meant the Christkindlsmarkt. That market now runs in December in another city. The weekend itself stayed in Excelsior, and its market now sits directly in front of the shops it was first created to help.
A Market Built for Black Friday
The Excelsior Christkindlsmarkt began in 2005 to help downtown's small stores compete with big-box retailers on Black Friday, the Sun Sailor reported. Residents on a city Christmas committee came up with it, and Linda Stoeckicht brought the idea from Chicago's own Christkindlsmarkt. Myrle Mackenzie, president of Excelsior Christkindlsmarkt Inc., described the goal to the paper:
"It really started to try and help bring people into Excelsior on the weekend after Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving weekend, to help the stores and restaurants and also give a really nice activity or experience to the residents."
Over the years the market moved around town. It started as a small setup in Lyman Park, the site that's now the Excelsior Library. By 2021 it had outgrown a downtown parking lot and moved to Excelsior Commons beside Lake Minnetonka, according to SWNewsMedia. That year it ran over two weekends, November 26–28 and December 3–5, opening the day after Thanksgiving with a parade on Water Street. The market kept its German traditions throughout, with Father Christmas, German food, caroling, reindeer and alpacas.
The Market Moved West
In 2025 the Christkindlsmarkt left town. On June 2 of that year, the Waconia City Council approved a special use permit for the market to set up in City Square Park on two December weekends, the Sun Sailor reported. Mackenzie told the paper the new park would offer more space than the Excelsior site.
The same story shows what the market had grown into. Weather cut its final Excelsior run to a single weekend, and that weekend still drew about 12,000 people. In Waconia, the 2025 market ran December 5–7 and December 12–14. The move took the market out of Thanksgiving weekend as well as out of town.
The Lions Kept the Weekend
The Excelsior Lions Club, which has served the city since 2016, kept that weekend in Excelsior. "We wanted to help continue the holiday tradition, so we created Christmas in Excelsior as a brand new event," Lions Club President James Flattum told the Sun Sailor in its 2025 year-in-review. The first one ran November 28–29, 2025, and brought Santa, llamas and the Silent Run Adventures Huskies to Water and Lake streets. KSTP covered it as a free event benefiting charity.
The new event is shorter than the old one, two days instead of two weekends, and its booths sit on Water Street instead of the Commons. The Lions' October 6, 2026 announcement says 100% of net proceeds will go to local charities. Flattum describes the second year in that release:
"Christmas in Excelsior is all about bringing people together and celebrating the spirit of the season in a truly special setting."
The release also notes that food will come from vendors and from nearby restaurants. With the booths on Water Street, the market runs right past the doors of the stores and restaurants it was started to help in 2005.
How the Two Days Run
The organizer's site lists the artisan marketplace, Santa, the indoor kids' activities at Santa's Workshop, the outdoor games at Frosty's Funland, and adult games like Hammerschlagen and giant Jenga for the full 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. The animals and rides have shorter windows. As currently posted on the Christmas in Excelsior schedule, here's how a day breaks down:
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Red Stable Reindeer
- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Silent Run Adventures Huskies
- Noon to 3 p.m.: Brand Valley Shires carriage rides
- Noon to 4 p.m.: Carlson's Lovable Llamas
- 5 p.m.: the fire dancer
If you're bringing kids for the animals, the window when everything is out at once runs from noon to 2 p.m. The 2026 release confirms the reindeer, llamas, huskies, carriage rides along the banks of Lake Minnetonka, and a fire dancer to close out each day.
On parking, the organizer's FAQ points to the ramp between Second and Third Streets and the lot behind the brewery. Both are free. Street parking in the village is a mix of paid and unpaid, and the FAQ doesn't mention a shuttle.
The Season Continues One Saturday at a Time
Water Street stays busy for the next three weeks. The market's Saturday is also Small Business Saturday. That's the first day of the Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Chamber's Celebrating the Season campaign, which runs November 28 through December 19 with themed Saturdays and hours set by each business. The Chamber's schedule runs like this:
- November 27–28: Christmas in Excelsior, plus Photos with Santa at Excelsior Masonic Lodge #113, 249 Water Street, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.
- November 28: Small Business Saturday. Participating businesses hand out the Holiday Gift Guide.
- December 1: Giving Tuesday, focused on local nonprofits.
- December 5: Stocking Stuffer Saturday, highlighting finds under $20. Santa photos at the Masonic Lodge, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- December 12: Gift Guide Saturday, with Santa photos again from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- December 19: Deck the Halls Downtown, a tour of decorated storefronts using the Chamber's map.
The campaign ties a receipt drawing to all of this. Snap a photo of a receipt from a Chamber member business for a December purchase and submit it for a chance at one of eight $25 Community Cash gift cards. A November 28 receipt from the market weekend falls just before that window. Purchases on December 5, 12 and 19 fall inside it.
Christmas in Excelsior opens at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 27, between Lake Street and Third Street.
Thanksgiving weekend on Water Street is a good reminder of what a downtown Excelsior address puts within walking distance. If you own a home nearby and have wondered what it's worth before the new year, Mark Geier has followed Excelsior's market for more than 30 years and can give you a clear, local answer. Request Your Free Home Valuation.
