"Our longest-running European-inspired holiday market." That's how Shop the Market At describes the Christkindlmarkt it holds at the Mountain Arts Community Center. The organizer now runs holiday markets in Collegedale, Coolidge Park, Sale Creek and at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, and of its European-style markets, the one on the ridge has run the longest.
This year is the fifth annual Signal Mountain market. It runs Saturday, Nov. 14, and Sunday, Nov. 15, at the MACC, 809 Kentucky Ave. Admission is free. The same organizer's Collegedale market is in its fourth year. Shop the Market At, LLC was founded by Robert E. Davis and launched in 2022, so the Signal Mountain market has been part of the company almost from the beginning.
For people who live on the mountain, that history matters for one practical reason. Every other weekend of this holiday season, the markets are somewhere else, and getting to them means driving down to the valley. Nov. 14–15 is the one weekend the market is on the ridge.
Where the mountain weekend falls in the season
Shop the Market At runs its Christkindlmarkts in a sequence. In 2026 the first one is in Collegedale, the second is on Signal Mountain, and after that the series moves to Chattanooga's Northshore for two weekends. The Choo-Choo and the Chattanooga Market's own holiday event follow in December.
| Dates | Market | Location | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 7–8 | 4th Annual Christkindlmarkt | The Commons, Collegedale | Sat 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| Nov. 14–15 | 5th Annual Christkindlmarkt | MACC, Signal Mountain | Sat 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| Nov. 21–22 and 28–29 | Christkindlmarkt | Coolidge Park, Chattanooga | Sat 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| Dec. 5–6 and 12–13 | Christmas at the Choo-Choo | Chattanooga | Sat 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Dec. 12 | Christmas in the Country | McDonald Farm, Sale Creek | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Dec. 12–13 and 19–20 | Holiday Market | Chattanooga Convention Center | See organizer |
| Dec. 19–20 | Last Minute Market | The Commons, Collegedale | Sat 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun noon–5 p.m. |
Two details in the table matter for anyone on Signal Mountain. First, the Coolidge Park market follows the mountain market immediately and runs for two weekends, including the one after Thanksgiving. Second, the Convention Center event is a separate production. It belongs to the Chattanooga Market, which lists more than 200 local food vendors, artists and crafters across its December weekends.
That makes the MACC weekend the smaller, closer version of an event that gets bigger as the season moves into the city. If someone is choosing a single Christkindlmarkt weekend, the mountain one is the only choice that doesn't involve a drive down the W Road or Taft Highway.
Back at the MACC
The market has been held at more than one site on the mountain. In November 2023, NewsChannel 9 interviewed Davis and Shadow May of Turnroad Jerky, one of the vendors, about that season's Christkindlmarkt. The station reported that the second market of the season would be at the MACC on Nov. 18–19. That Saturday, a Times Free Press photo gallery captured New Grass Express performing and local vendors setting up inside the building.
A community events listing for the 2025 market, billed as the fourth annual, gave the location as Bachman Community Center at 2815 Anderson Pike, with Sunday hours on Nov. 16. For 2026, the organizer's listing and a regional preview both put the market back at 809 Kentucky Ave. If last year's listing was correct, anyone who went to Bachman in 2025 should head to Kentucky Avenue this year.
The Town of Signal Mountain lists the MACC as the mountain's arts and culture venue. The organizer describes the setup as a festive "Old-World village" inside the MACC's halls, with twinkling lights, seasonal greenery, artisan gifts and regional makers. The market fills the building for two days, which is a different experience from walking an open-air row of booths at Coolidge Park.
Two days, seven sets
The market's event page lists live music for every block of both days. That's useful if the timing of a visit depends on who's playing.
Saturday, Nov. 14 · 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
- 10–11:30 a.m. · Amber Fults
- Noon–2 p.m. · Camelcase
- 2:30–4:30 p.m. · Shani Palmer
- 5–7 p.m. · Briars
Sunday, Nov. 15 · 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
- 11 a.m.–1 p.m. · Taylor Levin
- 1:30–3:30 p.m. · Jason Lyles
- 4–6 p.m. · Carolers
Saturday runs two hours longer than Sunday and closes an hour later, ending with Briars in the last two-hour slot. Sunday closes with carolers from 4 to 6 p.m., which suits a family visit around an early dinner.
The German names describe what's on offer. A Christkindlmarkt is literally a "Christ Child market," the traditional name for the Christmas markets held in towns across Germany and Austria. Glühwein translates to "glow wine," the mulled wine served at nearly every one of those markets. The MACC market pours Glühwein in both red and white, along with seasonal foods and warm holiday drinks. According to a Dunlap Today preview published Oct. 11, Glühwein is served to adults 21 and older with valid government-issued ID. Bring a wallet with ID if a cup is part of the plan.
The weeks on either side
On the Town's posted calendar, the market weekend sits in an otherwise quiet November. The Town of Signal Mountain events calendar shows mostly municipal meetings, Veterans Day, and Town office closures on Thursday, Nov. 26, for Thanksgiving and on Friday, Nov. 27. As of now, the calendar doesn't include a parade or tree lighting date.
Two dated items come before the market:
- Lions Club Fall Shred Day, Saturday, Oct. 31, 9 a.m.–noon at Town Hall. The Signal Mountain Lions Club is running it, two weeks before the market.
- MACC Sports Performance Clinic, Thursdays 6–7 p.m. through Dec. 10, for ages 12 and up, with limited space. The clinic meets in the same building the market will fill on the 14th, and its Thursday sessions continue through the weeks before and after it.
The MACC's own calendar is the place to check for anything added at 809 Kentucky Ave. between now and the market.
Once the Signal Mountain weekend is over, the series moves to the Northshore for Nov. 21–22, and Coolidge Park holds its second weekend Nov. 28–29. Shop the Market At also runs Christmas at the Choo-Choo, a one-day Christmas in the Country at McDonald Farm in Sale Creek on Dec. 12, and the Last Minute Market back at The Commons in Collegedale on Dec. 19–20. Mountain residents who want more than one market can do the MACC on the 14th or 15th and then pick a downtown weekend. The organizer's full events page has every date in one place.
The Gideon Group™ knows the Signal Mountain calendar this well because our clients ask about it. That includes families who are new to the ridge and want to know which weekends fill up and where they're happening. Michelle Johann speaks conversational German, so a market that pours Glühwein inside the MACC is a familiar kind of celebration for our team. If you're planning a move to the mountain, or helping someone else plan one, The Gideon Group can walk you through the seasons there along with the steps of the move. Schedule a consultation.
