What To Eat (And Drink) At This Year’s Christmas Village

Last week, we told you about the snacking options available for those of you hanging out at Dilworth Park now that the ice rink is open. But starting on Thanksgiving Day, there’ll be another option for those of you hanging out near City Hall because that’s the day that Philly’s annual Christmas Village lights up for the season.

Yes, usually Christmas Village is a Love Park thing, but due to construction this year, the whole deal has been moved to the City Hall courtyard. And guess what? There’s a LOT of food and drink available including (but not limited to) doner kebab and Belgian frites, strudel, jerky, bacon jam, waffles and mulled wine. So if Christmas Village is a part of your usual holiday rounds, here’s everything you need to know about the food, the drinks, the new happy hours, theme nights and more.

First, the boring, important stuff. Christmas Village officially opens on Thanksgiving day and runs through Christmas Eve. The hours are are Friday and Saturday, 11:00am to 8:00pm, and Sunday through Thursday 11:00am to 7:00pm. Thanksgiving Day hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm, Black Friday hours are 9:00am to 8:00pm and Christmas Eve hours are 11:00am to 5:00pm.

Now, the important stuff like what to eat and drink. Here’s a list of everyone who’ll be there and what they’ll be serving:

Baked Cheese Haus – Grilled cheese specialties
Berlin Döner Kebab Booth − Döner Kebab & fresh Belgian Fries
Chaddsford Winery − Mulled wine, wine by the bottle and glass
Crepes and German Christmas Sweets − Fresh handmade crêpes and a wide assortment of German Christmas Sweets like gingerbread, stollen, milka, Kinderschokolade and fresh marshmallows
German Grill/Weihnachtshütte − German bratwursts, meats, potato pancakes, potato salad and sauerkraut
German Sweets − Roasted nuts from all over the world, Chocolate
Helmut’s Original Austrian Strudel − Strudels, sweet and savory
Hot Beverages − Hot chocolate, coffee, tea and apple cider
Jerky Hut – Jerky, obviously
John & Kiras − Gourmet hand-crafted chocolates
Pretzelphoria − Pennsylvania-made pretzels
Shane Confectionery and The Franklin Fountain – Candy, fudge, ice cream
The Bacon Jams − Spreadable bacon preserves
Torch Bearer Sauces – Condiments and sauces
Wandering Waffle – Belgian waffles

And also, some other stuff:

–On Wednesdays in December, the Christmas Village will be doing “Ho Ho Happy Hours” which, yes, is a terrifically cheesy name, but also means deals on mulled wine and snacks from the German Grill. Oh, and each Wednesday also has a theme (of course), and they break down as follows:

December 7 – “Irish Christmas” featuring Irish bands and appetizers.
December 14 – “Philly Christmas” featuring a local band and special tastings.
December 21 – “German Christmas” offering music and dancers, accompanied by a Bratwurst Eating Contest.

–Yeah, a bratwurst eating contest. I’ll let them describe that to you:

It is an amateur competition with no entry fee. Each contestant has to eat as many Bratwursts as possible (max. 10) in fifteen minutes. The contestant who eats the most or finishes them all first will be declared the winner. The prizes will be entry tickets from the partners and/or gifts from Christmas Village. Interested in participating? Get more information at event@philachristmas.com.

Honestly, I’m pretty sure that the prize for eating 10 brats in 15 minutes ought to be some sort of intervention, but then who am I to judge?

–Oh, yeah. There’s also live music. Here’s the early schedule:

Saturday, December 3 – St. Thomas Gospel Choir from 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Sunday, December 4 – New Spirit of Penn (Gospel Choir of the Penn University) from 4:00pm to 5:00pm
Wednesday, December 7 – Slante (Irish Band during Ho Ho Happy Hour) from 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Saturday, December 10 – Donauschwalben from 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Saturday, December 10 – German Hungarian Schuhplattler Group from 3:00pm to 4:00pm
Saturday, December 11 – GTV Almrausch from 3:00pm to 4:00pm
Wednesday, December 14 –The Mixed People Band (during Ho Ho Happy Hour) from 5:00pm to 7:00pm

And look, there are also almost a billion other things to do (sing-alongs, a carousel, getting your pet’s picture taken with Santa, etc.), but if I were to write about all of them, this post would be longer than it already is. So if you’re interested, everything you could possibly want to know can be found at the website below.

Philadelphia Christmas Village [Official]