Christkindlmarkt comes to town

• Outdoor Christmas market is this weekend only
• Chance to help Food Bank and local animal charity
• Expect local venders, Santa Claus, and canine companions

A ‘Reel’ taste of Christmas in Germany is coming to Kelowna this weekend.

Rustic Reel, a craft brewery themed after a fishing cabin, is welcoming around 20 local venders for a traditional outdoor market called Christkindlmarkt, spelled its original way.

“I’m German and so I’ve spent a lot of time in Germany, and I’ve gone to all kinds of different Christmas markets over there,” owner Susi Foerg told Kelowna10.

“They’re absolutely beautiful, they have an amazing feeling, great atmosphere and so I wanted to re-create that here.”

The outdoor patio space will be decorated along with an inside hall normally rented out for events. Fire pits will be set up outside to warm up and enjoy snacks.

Admission is free to the first annual ‘Reel Christmas Market’ but donations to the Okanagan Food Bank are encouraged, either in the form of non-perishable food items or monetary donations.

While customers shop for locally made goods, warm mulled wine and hot apple cider is available in holiday mugs. Foerg explained the mug is a German tradition where patrons put a deposit on the mug, shops the market with it, and either returns the mug or keeps it.

Along with the warm drinks, bratwursts, pretzels, and roasted nuts will be offered to snack on. Along with the local vendors, Rustic Reel will be selling their regular merchandise along with seasonal items.

They’re selling their own Beer Advent Calendar. Styled like a tackle box, the calendar has 24 cans of their locally brewed ales along with four that have never been released before.

The restaurant is also selling adult gingerbread kits with everything needed for assembly and four cans of their gingerbread ale.

Rustic Reel’s patio is pet friendly and Foerg’s two-year-old golden lab Pete was there to greet Kelowna10. Santa Claus will be coming to the market ready to take photos with customer’s dogs.

All proceeds from the pet photos with Santa will go to Paws it Forward; a local non-profit dog rescue society which relies solely on donations and volunteering to operate.

While this is the first Beer Advent Calendar and German style Christmas market for Rustic Reel, Foerg is hoping to continue this ‘passion project’ again in the future.

The Reel Christmas Market is on Saturday Nov 27. From 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.