"We are becoming somewhat victims of what has become a very crowded campus during the holiday season," Jeff McDermott, CEO of the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts, told the Carmel City Council on Oct. 19, as reported by Current in Carmel.
He brought numbers. Since 2023, holiday ticket sales at the Center are down 20 percent and attendance is down 24 percent, about $66,000 in lost revenue. Over the same period, the share of people who bought a holiday ticket and then didn't show up has climbed to nearly double the rate at other shows. McDermott said traffic and parking challenges could eventually turn those no-shows into people who simply don't buy tickets at all.
The Carmel Christkindlmarkt opens its ninth season on Nov. 21 and runs through Dec. 24, and organizers expect more than a quarter-million visitors. If you live nearby and plan to see a show at the Palladium or the Tarkington, skate at the Ice, or just pick up a bratwurst, one thing matters more than anything else: the market keeps a fixed weekly schedule, and every other holiday night on Carter Green falls on either a market day or a closed day.
One Campus, One Garage Agreement, Five Weeks
The market, the Palladium, the Tarkington and Hotel Carmichael all sit on the same campus, and they share the same parking. A task force made up of the City of Carmel, the Christkindlmarkt, the Center, Hotel Carmichael and the company that manages the Tarkington's building has been meeting on the problem. Current in Carmel reported that the task force ruled out reserving the public garage for show ticket holders, because a city agreement keeps that garage open to the entire campus.
For this season, the task force recommended dedicated rideshare locations, more funding for shuttles, and a traffic and parking study run during market hours. Councilor Jeff Worrell, who sits on the task force, told the council, according to the same Current in Carmel report, that the study would look at "Indianapolis 500 tactics to get traffic in and out." These are still recommendations. The one change confirmed for this December is an expanded shuttle, which the market says is meant to take pressure off parking for its visitors.
So the campus will run much as it did last year, with one more shuttle option. That makes the market's weekly hours the best planning tool a resident has.
The Weekly Schedule Everything Else Runs On
The market is closed every Monday and Tuesday. Its 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. A few dates break that pattern:
| Date | Market status |
|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Open noon to 9 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Closed for Thanksgiving |
| Mon., Dec. 21 to Wed., Dec. 23 | Open noon to 9 p.m., including the Monday and Tuesday |
| Thu., Dec. 24 | Open noon to 4 p.m., final day |
| Fri., Dec. 25 | Closed |
Two dates set the tone early. Wundernacht, the 21+ preview on Nov. 19, is already sold out at both its $100 general admission and $200 VIP levels. Opening day on Saturday, Nov. 21 has an 11:30 a.m. ceremony with alphorn music and the Christkind, followed by the tree lighting from 6 to 6:45 p.m. On Wednesday, Nov. 25, the market adds Sankt Martinstag Storytime from 4 to 6 p.m., on the day it opens early before closing for Thanksgiving.
Lining Up The Show Calendar With Market Days
The Center's 2026-27 holiday listings, set against the market's hours, show which show nights compete with the market and which ones don't.
| Date | Show and venue | Market that day |
|---|---|---|
| Tue., Dec. 1 | Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's Wild and Swingin' Holiday Party, Palladium, 7:30 p.m. | Closed |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Leslie Odom, Jr: The Christmas Tour 2026, Palladium, 7:30 p.m. | Open 4 to 9 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | 93rd Annual Purdue Christmas Show, Palladium, noon, 4 and 8 p.m.; Civic Theatre's Annie, Tarkington, 7 p.m. | Open noon to 9 p.m., shuttle running |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Holidays in Harmony with Girl Named Tom, Palladium, 7:30 p.m. | Open 4 to 9 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Jon McLaughlin & Friends: Home for the Holidays, Palladium, 8 p.m.; Annie, 7 p.m. | Open noon to 9 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour, Palladium, 8 p.m.; Annie, 2 and 7 p.m. | Open, shuttle running |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Carmel Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Pops, Palladium, 2 and 7 p.m.; Annie, 2 p.m. | Open noon to 8 p.m., shuttle running |
| Sat., Dec. 19 and Sun., Dec. 20 | Indianapolis Symphonic Choir's Festival of Carols, Palladium, Dec. 19 at 2 and 7 p.m., Dec. 20 at 3 p.m.; Annie both days | Open, shuttle running |
| Tue., Dec. 22 | Annie, 7 p.m. | Open noon to 9 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 26 | Annie, 2 and 7 p.m. | Season over |
The table sorts into three kinds of nights. On Dec. 1 and Dec. 26, the show has the campus mostly to itself. The Thursday shows on Dec. 3 and Dec. 10 start at 7:30 p.m., when the market is in the middle of its 4-to-9 p.m. evening hours, and those nights have no shuttle. Saturday, Dec. 5 has the heaviest load of the season. The Purdue Christmas Show fills the Palladium three times while Annie plays the Tarkington at 7 p.m., all during a full market day.
Annie needs a closer look. The Tuesday, Dec. 22 performance would normally land on a closed day, but it falls inside the market's special pre-Christmas hours. The noon matinee on Dec. 24 overlaps the market's last afternoon.
Getting There On A Market Day
The market's free weekend shuttle is back with more capacity. It runs Saturdays and Sundays only, picking up about every 15 minutes at a parking lot on CNO Financial Group's former campus on College Drive and dropping off at the market's entrance on 3rd Avenue. It is ADA-accessible. The 3rd Avenue drop-off is also close to the Palladium and the Tarkington, so it can work for a Saturday or Sunday show even if you don't plan to shop.
On Wednesday through Friday there is no shuttle, and the market recommends five garages within walking distance, each reached by the Monon Trail:
- Civic Square Garage, 50 Red Truck Rd., 0.3 mile, 6 to 10 minutes, heading north on the trail
- Midtown South Garage, 580 Veterans Way, 0.5 mile, 6 to 10 minutes
- Midtown North Garage, 145 Elm St., 0.5 mile, 9 to 12 minutes
- Proscenium Garage, 1225 Veterans Way, 0.6 mile, 11 to 15 minutes
- Sophia Square Garage, 31 1st Ave. NW, 0.8 mile, 11 to 15 minutes, underground
Councilor Adam Aasen recommended that people without limited mobility use these other garages and walk. Market leaders agreed, saying in a statement to Current in Carmel that walking from off-site parking "can often be a quicker, less stressful option." In November and December, the walk from Main Street to Carter Green follows the Magnificent Monon Greenway, which is decorated with seasonal lights.
A few more details:
- Southbound traffic is not allowed on 3rd Avenue SW near the market.
- There is no official rideshare drop-off. The market suggests 3rd Avenue near its northwest corner but warns that spot gets very congested, especially on weekends.
- Accessible parking for vehicles with qualifying tags or plates is in the Tarkington Garage on 3rd Avenue SW.
- The city's Oct. 30 update listed lane restrictions on northbound Range Line Road between Executive Drive and City Center Drive.
The Ice Keeps Going After The Huts Close
The Ice at Carter Green opens the same day as the market, Nov. 21, but stays open through Jan. 31, 2027. Its weekly hours mostly follow the market's: 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Most Mondays and Tuesdays are reserved for private rentals, and the rink is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. January hours can change, so check the rink's live calendar before a January skate.
A 90-minute session booked online costs $11 for ages 11 and up, or $15 with skate rental. For ages 10 and under it's $9, or $13 with rental. The city's Oct. 30 newsletter said tickets are on sale in advance and only a limited number will be sold onsite. That matters more on market days than on any other days.
The rink's longer season is useful for planning. From Dec. 26 through the end of January, a skate on Carter Green comes without the market crowd, and so does Annie's final Saturday on Dec. 26.
What's New Inside The Huts, And Just Off The Campus
The 2026 market has 60 huts, up from 50 in 2025, and more than 160 hours of music at the Winter Pavilion, compared with 150-plus hours last year. Two vendors are new this year. Ino Schaller Papiermaché sells papier-mâché figurines made in Meilschnitz, Germany. Brathaus serves Käsekrainer, ham and bean soup, and Nürnberger Bratwürste, which no vendor has sold at the market before. Nine artisans from Germany will take turns working in the Werkstatt, with demonstrations ranging from woodworking to glassblowing. Performers include Alex Meixner, Duke Tumatoe, the Johnny Koenig Band, Midwest Alphorns and Mollie B.
Just off the campus, two spots are changing this season. Taylor's Bar & Table is aiming for an early-December opening at 885 Monon Green Blvd., Suite 108, the former Aroma Experience space. The plan splits the room between family dining and a 21+ bar area, Current in Carmel reported. Union Brewing Company, Carmel's only woman-owned brewery, plans to move from 202 Gradle Drive to 513 Industrial Drive, about a mile north, in late November or early December, according to Current in Carmel. If you have Palladium tickets on a busy Saturday, check the status of both before heading out for dinner.
Carter Green in December is one of the clearest examples of how location shapes daily life in Carmel: the same address can be a quick walk on Dec. 1 and a parking hunt on Dec. 5. If you're weighing how close you want to live to the Monon and City Center, or what that closeness does for a home's value, Lee Skiles at MakeIndyHome can walk you through it street by street. Get your free home valuation.
