The Kerstmarkt-Holland 2025 is a great opportunity to see and hear local handbell duo Larry and Carla, who will be playing traditional Christmas handbell music on two Friday evenings in November and December.
The Kerstmarkt is an open-air European-style holiday market located at the 8th Street Marketplace in Downtown Holland. It’s an annual event, and a wonderful opportunity to shop for unique handcrafted gifts and locally-made holiday treats. This isn’t the kind of market that’s filled with mass-produced items that you can easily find online. There are local sellers who will talk with you about their crafts, and sometimes you can even watch items being made! On cold winter evenings, it’s nice to listen to beautiful handbell music as you shop. Coffee, hot cider and food will also be available at this event. It’s your chance to try traditional Dutch treats such as pigs-in-blankets, banket (sweet pastries with almond paste filling), and stroopwafels!
Things to know about the Kerstmarkt in Holland
Most of the Kerstmarkt is under cover, so you can shop for gifts comfortably there. The street isn’t icy underfoot. The city’s famous “snowmelt” system makes it safe to walk on the heated sidewalks, even if the weather is wintry. The Kerstmarkt will give you a taste of a traditional European Christmas market, without having to fly to Europe! There are plenty of shops and restaurants close by, and lots to do in downtown Holland. Come for the day, and enjoy the holiday atmosphere!
The weather can be unpredictable in December, so dress warmly and prepare for snow or rain! Whatever the Michigan winter throws at us, this traditional market is always worth a visit. Check the Kerstmarkt website for other special events, such as Dickens Carolers and sled dogs, and bring your family and friends!
Free Admission is free, but tips for the musicians are appreciated!
The Kerstmarkt-Holland 2025 is a great opportunity to see and hear local handbell duo Larry and Carla, who will be playing traditional Christmas handbell music on two Friday evenings in November and December.
The Kerstmarkt is an annual open-air European-style Christmas market located at the 8th Street Marketplace in Downtown Holland. Come and listen to beautiful festive music as you shop for unique handcrafted gifts and locally-made holiday treats. Coffee and hot cider will be available to help you stay warm!
Most of the Kerstmarkt is under cover, so you can shop for gifts comfortably there. The market is located in downtown Holland, so there are plenty of shops and restaurants close by. There’s enough to do that you could easily turn a visit to the Kerstmarkt into a day trip. The city’s famous “snowmelt” system makes it safe to walk on the heated sidewalks, even if the weather is wintry. The Kerstmarkt will give you a taste of a traditional European Christmas market, without having to fly to Europe!
The weather is unpredictable in December. Whilst it’s safe to walk in downtown Holland in the winter months, it’s wise to dress warmly. Here’s a photo from Kerstmarkt opening day, on a chilly Saturday in 2022!
Admission is free, but tips for the musicians are appreciated!
At the end of the 2024-25 holiday season, it’s time to look back at our December handbell performances!
The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is usually our busiest time of year, as far as handbell performances go. However, this year we didn’t have as many duet bookings as usual. That turned out not to be such a bad thing; we found out at the start of the holiday season that a family member in England was in hospital, and we really needed to go over there as soon as possible. Panic set in for while, because making an emergency trip overseas in December is not an easy thing to do. We’ve never cancelled a holiday handbell performance yet, and didn’t wat to start!
We looked at our calendar, and decided that we should continue as planned with our Christmas bookings, then fly to England as soon as they were all finished. We booked flights for December 21st, and a room in a hotel not far from the hospital. Then we took a few deep breaths, and continued with our December as planned.
Two chilly performances at the Kerstmarkt-Holland
Our 2024 holiday season started in the way that’s become a tradition for us in recent years. We always love to begin our Christmas ringing at the Kerstmarkt! This is a European-style Christmas market in downtown Holland. We even met Santa there this year! It was cold on both evenings we played, and we also had snow on one evening. We always wrap up warmly, though, so we’re well prepared. We go to this event feeling extremely wide, with several layers of extra clothing on! Thanks to the Kerstmarkt organizers, particularly Osman Flowers and Firs, and Shady Side Farm, for inviting us to take part in this festive annual event.
Another outdoor performance, at Otsego Hometown Christmas
We were excited to be asked to perform at Otsego Hometown Christmas again this year. This is another chilly outdoor event (we get a lot of practice with those!), but we enjoyed sharing our music there again. There’s always a lot happening at this community event. There are trailer rides, a live Nativity, and a parade, and it’s a fun way to celebrate the holiday season. Thanks to Otsego District Library for sponsoring our performance again this year.
Back to the Gary Byker Memorial Library of Hudsonville!
We were pleased to be invited back for this annual celebration with the Friends of the Library. If we’re remembering correctly, this was our sixth year at this event! We always enjoy the opportunity to play carols and talk about our bells with an attentive and enthusiastic audience. This year, we included a couple of accompanied duets in our program. We have lots of 6- and 8-bell accompanied pieces, and we really wanted to play some of them. We decided to try using an mp3 backing track instead of an actual pianist, and it worked well.
As you can see from the photo, it was a bit of a stormy day! We were scheduled to present a handbell duet program at Paw Paw District Library that evening too. Sadly (but wisely), that event had to be postponed. The snowflakes make for a fun photo, but driving conditions were definitely less than ideal! We’ll now be performing at the library on the evening of Thursday, January 23rd instead. We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for no winter storm that day!
Finally, some indoor performances!
We were happy to be able to add our handbell music to another Christmas concert by the Zeeland Community Band. This festive community event has been a highlight of our holiday season for several years now. Here’s a rare photo of us in action!
We enjoyed a couple of performances for private events, including a luncheon for seniors in Wright Township. As December went by, we decided that we had enough time to fit in a couple of fundraising sessions at the Salvation Army Red Kettle too. We hadn’t done that in a few years! We were encouraged by how pleased people were to hear something different at our local D&W Fresh Market. It also helped that we were able to choose a location indoors. After the first few performances in December, we felt that we’d already done our fair share of outdoor ringing!
A quick trip to England
Our pre-Christmas performances in Michigan were all finished on December 20th. On the 21st, we flew to England, to meet with family in Berkshire. We took some of our handbells with us, packed in a carry-on case. We’ve travelled overseas with handbells before, but never risk putting them in our checked luggage. We spent Christmas Day at the hospital, and played carols for patients as they had their Christmas lunch. It was heartwarming to see how the hospital staff worked hard to make Christmas Day festive for patients there. In our “down time”, we enjoyed acting like tourists in the town of Reading, and admiring the old buildings there. We shared some of the photos from our trip on our Facebook page. Our week in England was over far too quickly, and it really didn’t feel like a vacation at all. There were friends and family that we didn’t have the opportunity to see, but we hope it won’t be too long before we can start planning another trip there.
Back to Michigan, for the last days of Christmas
We arrived back in Michigan, tired and a little overwhelmed from our trip. We’d been looking forward to playing at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ on Epiphany Sunday, though. We actually couldn’t remember the last time we’d played handbell duets in an Epiphany Sunday service! We were thankful for one more opportunity to play carols such as Silent Night, The First Nowell, What Child is This and We Three Kings. It was our first visit to this friendly church, but hopefully not our last!
Thank you!
Thank you so much to everyone who supported and encouraged us through our 2024-25 holiday season! If you booked us for a performance, came to one of our handbell concerts, bought music from Choraegus, communicated with us on our Facebook page, or did anything at all to lift our spirits during quite a stressful month – thank you. We’re looking forward to sharing more handbell music with you in the coming year!
Larry and Carla will be playing handbell duets at the weekly Vespers Service at Freedom Village of Holland. This is a private event for residents and guests of Freedom Village.
Larry and Carla have been performing handbell duets at Freedom Village since soon after they moved to Holland from California in the summer of 2016. They have performed concerts for the residents, at Christmas and at other times of the year, and are happy to be returning for this Vespers Service in February. Note: the above photo was clearly not taken in February, because there are tulips, and there’s no snow. If you’ve never visited Holland, Michigan in May, you should give it some serious thought, because the annual Tulip Time Festival is well worth seeing!
Larry and Carla are West Michigan’s smallest handbell choir. They play a variety of handbell duets using just 8 bells, and aim to demonstrate that handbell performances aren’t just beautiful to listen to, but interesting to watch too! Larry and Carla are available to play handbell duets for weddings, worship services, Christmas and holiday events and concerts. They’re based in Holland (West Michigan), and Petoskey (northern Michigan) during the summer months.
If you’d like to find out more, contact Larry and Carla on this website, or get in touch on Facebook. We recommend booking early, but will do our best to accommodate last-minute requests too!
Freedom Village will be hosting Michigan handbell duo Larry and Carla on the evening of Thursday, November 30th. Larry and Carla will present a performance of Advent and Christmas handbell duets for the residents of this senior community in downtown Holland.
Their program will include popular Christmas carols, less well-known arrangements from other countries, and Advent hymns. Larry and Carla’s duets use just eight handbells, held in the traditional 4-in-hand style, with two bells in each hand.
This is a private event for Freedom Village residents and guests only.
If you’re looking to book a handbell choir for your event, look no further! Larry and Carla are available to play handbell duets for weddings, concerts, worship services, and holiday events. The sound of handbells is a wonderful additional to an Advent or Christmas event! A handbell duo is particularly suitable for venues where space is limited. Larry and Carla are based in Holland, Michigan, but can travel!
If you’d like to book us to play handbell duets for your holiday event, please contact us to find out more. Let us know the details of your event, and the type of performance you’re looking for. It helps to book early for weddings and holiday events, although we can often consider last-minute bookings too!
The Kerstmarkt-Holland 2023 will see the return of local handbell duo Larry and Carla, who will be playing traditional Christmas handbell music on three Friday evenings during November and December.
The Kerstmarkt is an annual open-air European-style Christmas market located at the 8th Street Marketplace in Downtown Holland. Come and listen to beautiful festive music as you shop for unique handcrafted gifts and locally-made holiday treats. Coffee and hot cider will be available to help you stay warm!
Most of the Kerstmarkt is under cover, so you can shop for gifts comfortably there. The market is located in downtown Holland, so there are plenty of shops and restaurants close by. There’s enough to do that you could easily turn a visit to the Kerstmarkt into a day trip. The city’s famous “snowmelt” system makes it safe to walk on the heated sidewalks, even if the weather is wintry. The Kerstmarkt will give you a taste of a traditional European Christmas market, without having to fly to Europe!
Here’s hoping for a bit less snow at the Kersmarkt-Holland 2023! This photo was taken on Kerstmarkt opening day, on a chilly Saturday in 2022. We still had fun, but wow, it was cold!
Handbells in the snow!
Admission is free, but tips for the musicians are appreciated!
Christmas bells will be ringing at the Kerstmarkt in Downtown Holland! Local handbell duo Larry and Carla will be playing traditional Christmas handbell music at the event in 2022.
The Kerstmarkt is an annual open-air European-style Christmas market located at the 8th Street Marketplace in Downtown Holland. Come and listen to beautiful festive music as you shop for unique handcrafted gifts, and locally-made holiday treats. Coffee and hot cider will be available to help you stay warm!
We’ve been fortunate that the weather has been kind to us every time we’ve played handbells at the Kerstmarkt. Handbells generally don’t appreciate cold temperatures! We notice the change in the sound of the bells when we play outdoors in winter, but the worst of the weather generally seems to wait until after Christmas! Most of the Kerstmarkt is under cover, so you can shop for gifts comfortably there. The market is located in downtown Holland, so there are plenty of shops and restaurants close by. There’s enough to do in the town, that you could easily turn a visit to the Kerstmarkt into a day trip. The market will give you a taste of a traditional European Christmas market, without having to fly to Europe.
Here’s a video of one of our performances from the 2021 Kerstmarkt:
Free Admission is free, but tips for the musicians are appreciated!
Holland-based handbell duo Larry and Carla will be playing handbell duets during the two morning services at Third Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan. Come early to the 8am service, so that you won’t miss the handbell prelude!
Handbell duo Larry and Carla will again be playing traditional Christmas handbell music at the Kerstmarkt. This is an annual open-air European-style Christmas market located at the 8th Street Marketplace in Downtown Holland. Come and listen to beautiful festive music as you shop for unique, handcrafted gifts and locally-made holiday treats. Coffee and hot cider will be available to help you stay warm!
We’ve been fortunate that the weather has been kind to us every time we’ve played at this annual event. Thankfully, we haven’t had to cope with the kind of extreme cold that would make what we do impossible. Handbells generally don’t appreciate cold temperatures. We notice the change in the sound of the bells when we play outdoors in winter, but the worst of the weather generally seems to wait until after Christmas! Most of the Kerstmarkt is under cover, so you can shop for gifts comfortably there. The market is located in Downtown Holland, so there are plenty of shops and restaurants close by. Here’s a video of one of our performances from the 2018 Kerstmarkt:
We played handbells at the Holland Kerstmarkt in 2020, and the masks proved surprisingly good at keeping our faces warm!
The market is at its most festive after dark. We hope to see you there in 2021!
Kerstmarkt – Holland
150 W 8th St Holland,
MI
49423United States+ Google Map
Free The event is free to attend, but tips for the musicians are always appreciated!
Handbell duo Larry and Carla will be playing traditional Christmas handbell music at the Kerstmarkt – an open-air European-style Christmas market located at the 8th Street Marketplace in Downtown Holland. Come and listen to beautiful festive music as you shop for unique, handcrafted gifts and locally-made holiday treats. Coffee and hot cider will be available to help you stay warm!
We’ve been fortunate that the weather has been kind to us every time we’ve played at this annual event. Thankfully, we haven’t had to cope with the kind of extreme cold that would make what we do impossible. Handbells generally don’t appreciate cold temperatures. We notice the change in the sound of the bells when we play outdoors in winter, but the worst of the weather generally seems to wait until after Christmas! Most of the Kerstmarkt is under cover, so you can shop for gifts comfortably there. The market is located in Downtown Holland, so there are plenty of shops and restaurants close by. Here’s a video of one of our performances from the 2017 Kerstmarkt:
We played handbells at the Kerstmarkt in 2020, and the masks proved surprisingly good at keeping our faces warm!
The market is at its most festive after dark. We hope to see you there in 2021!
Free The event is free to attend, but tips for the musicians are always appreciated!
Kerstmarkt – Holland
150 W 8th St Holland,
MI
49423United States+ Google Map
