CHICAGO — The area’s three Christkindlmarket locations will close early and stay closed through Christmas as a winter storm approaches Chicago.
The market’s Daley Plaza and Aurora locations will close at 4 p.m. Thursday and stay closed, wrapping up for the season two days earlier than usual, organizers announced Wednesday. The Wrigleyville location will be closed all day Thursday through the end of the week, but will reopen Dec. 26-31.
“We regret the inconvenience to our visitors and vendors that the inclement weather cause[s],” the posts read.
A winter storm warning is in effect from noon Thursday through 6 a.m. Saturday as a potential blizzard moves into the region. Meteorologists are anticipating up to 5-8 inches of snow, along with wind gusts as high as 50 mph and wind chill falling as low as 30 below zero.
Leila Schmidt, manager for marketing and intercultural communication for German American Events LLC, said Christkindlmarket organizers have been monitoring weather forecasts “all week long,” and ultimately decided to close early to keep people safe.
“Because that’s our number one priority,” Schmidt said. “We just want everyone to stay safe [and] stay warm. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the holiday with us.”
The Christkindlmarket Wrigleyville at Gallagher Way, 3635 N. Clark St., is slated to reopen Dec. 26-31, but organizers urged patrons to check the market’s website and social media pages before coming out due to the wild weather.
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