Minneapolis gets one of its warmest starts to the holiday season when Julmarknad, the American Swedish Institute’s beloved handcraft market and festival, returns from Friday, December 4 through Sunday, December 6, 2026. For three days during the first weekend in December, ASI fills with the sights, sounds and scents of a traditional Swedish Christmas market.
Julmarknad is one of the region’s largest handcraft markets, with more than 60 local artists offering beautiful, fun and useful handmade goods. It is a joyful place to find one-of-a-kind gifts — textiles, woodwork, ceramics, jewelry and Scandinavian-inspired treasures — and to meet the makers behind them. Holiday shopping continues at ASI’s Museum Store and its special Jul Shop.
There is plenty beyond the shopping, too. Families can enjoy pop-up musical performances, hands-on family crafts and storytime, along with festive foods throughout the weekend. A festival ticket also includes a visit to ASI’s iconic holiday exhibition in the Turnblad Mansion, Remember When, the institute’s 76th annual holiday experience, with room after room decorated to evoke holidays from decades past.
The weekend begins Friday night with a special preview party and first pick of the shopping. Saturday and Sunday bring the full festival experience, and Sunday adds extra family-friendly activities with a generous deal: buy one adult ticket and get one youth ticket free. Adult tickets rise to $26 at the door, and every ticket includes museum admission, so planning ahead is a happy idea.
Photo: Runner1928 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
