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!
Handbell duets at the Kerstmarkt! Local handbell duo Larry and Carla will again be playing traditional Christmas handbell music at this popular annual event.
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!
If you missed our performance at the Kerstmarkt in Holland on the opening day last Saturday… here’s how it looked:
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 usually seems to wait until after Christmas. Thankfully, most of the Kerstmarkt is under cover, so you can shop for gifts comfortably there, even if it rains or snows. It’s a great way to soak up a little of the magic of a traditional European Christmas market, without having book a flight! The market is located in Downtown Holland, so there are plenty of shops and restaurants close by. If you’re traveling from outside Holland, you can arrive early and make a day off it!
Here’s a video of one of our performances from the 2021 Kerstmarkt:
Free Admission is free, but tips for performers are appreciated!
Handbells are coming back to the Kerstmarkt in Downtown Holland! Local handbell duo Larry and Carla will again be playing traditional Christmas handbell music at the event in 2022. Saturday, November 19 marks the start of the 2022 event!
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 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 2021 Kerstmarkt:
If you miss seeing us on the opening day of the Kerstmarkt, we’ll also be there on the evenings of Friday, December 2 and Friday, December 9.
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 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
Larry and Carla will be playing 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!
Free 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
Larry and Carla will be playing 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!
Free 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
Wow! Where did the last month go? Maybe it was because Thanksgiving was late this year, or maybe we didn’t plan ahead enough. It seemed as if November was here one minute, then December was going by, faster than we could keep up with it!
We had a fun and interesting holiday performance season, and managed to escape without having to make any long trips in bad weather. That’s no mean feat in Michigan winters! Many of our Christmas performances are booked months ahead. That makes it impossible to predict if the weather’s going to be cooperative or not.
Our 2019 holiday performances
Our 2019 holiday performance season began the day after Thanksgiving, with our first of two performances at the Kerstmarkt. This annual Christmas market in Downtown Holland is a definite highlight of our holiday season. The bells seem to add something magical to the atmosphere at an outdoor holiday market. We hope to be back again in 2020!
Our handbells at the 2019 Kerstmarkt in Downtown Holland
An exciting new event for us was the Santa and Reindeer event at the Otsego District Public Library. We met Felix the Fox there!
With Felix the Fox at the Otsego Library “Santa and Reindeer” event
We were pleased to present another holiday performance at the Gary Byker Memorial Library in Hudsonville. This was our second time at the Christmas program there, and we hope to return in December 2020. It’s always a popular, entertaining and educational Christmas event, run by the Friends of the Library.
A holiday handbell program at the GRAM
We had an exciting opportunity to present a handbell duet concert at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, as part of their Light the Night event. The audience was small but appreciative, and had not been expecting us, since the event had been given an air of mystery and advertised only as a “holiday bell music performance”. People were pleasantly surprised at the amount of music that can be made with only eight bells at a time, and we chatted with audience members afterwards and explained more about the history and techniques used in playing our instruments.
A “holiday bell music performance” at the Grand Rapids Art Museum
Another performance with the Zeeland Community Band
We presented several handbell duet programs to residents at senior living communities again this year, and also joined the Zeeland Community Band for their annual Christmas concert.
With director Rose Wiersma after the annual Zeeland Community Band Christmas concert
Our handbell ministry activities
We continued our handbell ministry through Advent and Christmas, and shared our music with churches in Holland and Grand Rapids. We also went on a road-trip to Glenview, Illinois. It was a new experience for us to do fierce battle with Chicago traffic!
Handbells at a Christmas worship service in IllinoisChristmas Eve at Christ Memorial Church, Holland MI
Playing Christmas music for the Salvation Army
We gave ten hours to help raise funds for the Salvation Army of Holland, MI, and enjoyed playing Christmas music at D&W Fresh Market – our fourth year there! In recent years, some of our friends have questioned our decision to support the Salvation Army. However, we are always encouraged to hear from people who have received invaluable help from the organization here in West Michigan. This happens every year; people stop by the Red Kettle to tell us that the Salvation Army was there to support them at a time when they most needed it. We are constantly reassured that the local organization is doing amazing work in this community.
Volunteering at the Salvation Army Red Kettle at D&W Fresh Market in Holland
The New Year has arrived, and as we look back at the 2019 holiday season, we’re looking forward to the new adventures 2020 will bring.
We’d like to thank the following people and organizations:
The Kerstmarkt in Downtown Holland, MI Cherry Republic of Holland, MI D&W Fresh Market, Holland, MI The Salvation Army of Holland, MI Otsego District Public Library, MI Zeeland Community Band Waterford Place Assisted Living, Jenison, MI Friends of the Gary Byker Library, Hudsonville, MI Sunset Retirement Communities, Jenison, MI Grand Rapids Art Museum, MI Third Reformed Church of Holland, MI The Village at the Pines, Grand Haven, MI Wespath Benefits and Investments, Glenview, IL Christ Memorial Church, Holland, MI North Park Presbyterian Church, Grand Rapids, MI
We’d like to thank everyone who helped to make this holiday season bright for us. If you booked us for a performance or Christmas program or wrote a review of our performance – thank you. To all those who offered us coffee or a meal, chatted with us, or prayed for our safe travels – thank you. If you took the time to say thank you or send us a card – we appreciate you. If you liked our Facebook page, emailed us, bought and downloaded sheet music from our music site, or purchased a copy of The Bass Ringer’s Notebook – we appreciate you too!
We hope 2020 will be a happy and healthy year for you all!
The holiday season tends to start early in the handbell world. We’ve been rehearsing Christmas music with the Kalamazoo Ringers for a number of weeks now. However, we put off starting our own Christmas duet practising until after our Be Still, My Soul concert in Gregory.
The time is now here, and we’re starting to work on Christmas music. We’re getting ready for the first of our holiday performances, at the Kerstmarkt in Downtown Holland, on Friday, November 29th. This European-style market is an annual event here in Holland, and this will be our third year there. It’s always a fun and festive shopping opportunity, and a chance to enjoy delicious food and watch interesting demonstrations by local craftspeople.
We still have some limited availability for holiday handbell performances in December – so if you’d like West Michigan’s smallest handbell choir to come and play at your event, worship service or holiday party, please get in touch. If we can’t fit you into our schedule for this year, let’s plan early for 2020!
