Stories Still to Come: Announcing the 2026 Heurich Christmas Markt Vendors + Early Bird Tickets

By Alex Fraioli, Executive Director

From 1892 to 1894, skilled craftspeople built and decorated the mansion the Heurichs would call home. They were working-class Washingtonians, among them German-American immigrants and Black Washingtonians, whose livelihoods depended on the city's skilled trades and manufacturing jobs. They carved its woodwork, painted its walls and ceilings, made its furnishings, forged its ironwork, and laid its tile. Their skill is why the Heurich House is one of the most landmarked interiors in DC. Most of their names never made it into the history books, but their work is still here, on every surface you see. Their work is part of the layered American story this house holds, and sharing that story through public history education is one half of what we do.

This December, DC's new generation of makers will fill the Heurich garden for the 14th year with their own crafts. Today we're proud to announce the vendors for the 2026 Heurich Christmas Markt (check them out here). This year’s makers tell a 2026 layered American story:

  • 90% are women-owned businesses

  • 64% identify as part of an underrepresented community

  • 52% are non-white-owned businesses

  • 26% are immigrant-owned businesses

  • 45% are joining us at Christmas Markt for the first time

These are the stories still to come, and supporting them is the other half of what we do: public service that creates an equitable path to success for DC's smallest scale manufacturers.

What ties the two together are the dreams the makers of 1892 share with the makers of 2026: making something with your own hands and building a life from it in this city. Christian Heurich came here as a German immigrant and built DC's hometown brewery, which at its peak was the largest employer outside the federal government in DC. The makers in this year's Markt are building their own businesses from scratch. We believe a house museum should be relevant to the community it stands in, and that honoring the makers who built this house means showing up for the makers building DC today.

That belief is what drives the Heurich Craft Incubator. Its goal is to provide economic opportunities to our local small-scale manufacturing communities through appropriate interventions in business lifecycles, collective action, and social enterprises.

Artisan makers are the smallest scale of manufacturing business. Often one person turns raw materials into a finished product with no employees. For many makers, starting a business isn't only a creative choice. It's a response to systemic inequities. Hiring discrimination, a lack of affordable childcare, wage gaps, and workplaces that aren't built for disabled, queer, or immigrant workers can all push people out of traditional jobs or keep them from getting in. A maker business offers another way forward. With a skill and a computer, someone can start a business that fits around a second job, caregiving, or other limits on working full-time outside the home. That's why the majority of makers in the DC region identify as people of color, women, queer, and/or immigrants, and why this year's vendor demographics look the way they do. But a low barrier to starting a business isn't the same as an equal chance to grow one. The same inequities that lead many people to maker work also make it harder for them to reach customers, set sustainable prices, and turn a craft into a lasting livelihood. Our incubator is designed to address these gaps.

As the maker economy has grown, so have the events and programs that profit from it, and not all of them treat makers fairly. Our commitment is written into our Maker Bill of Rights, which sets out how we work with every maker in our programs. Christmas Markt, now in its 14th year, is where that commitment is most visible. It is DC's only multi-day market made up entirely of local makers.

That 45% first-timer number is the one we're proudest of. Many of this year's new vendors got their start at our no-cost Mini Markts, our Maker-Led Workshops, or through the DC Makers' Guild. 

What the Heurich Craft Incubator is up to for the rest of the year:

For Makers: Get Holiday-Ready with the Handmade Business Workshop

Supporting makers at the right moment in their business lifecycle is central to the Incubator's work. If you're preparing for the holiday rush, or planning next year's application, this workshop is for you.

For Supporters of Makers: Last Chances This Season

This is our last no-cost Mini Markt for new and beginner businesses this year. Come shop from makers at the very start of their journey during Dupont’s monthly ArtWalk. It's the best way to find next year's Christmas Markt vendors first. 

  • The last Mini Markt of 2026: | Friday, October 2 | 5-8pm | Heurich House Biergarten | Free

Maker-Led Workshops give local makers a platform to develop and test workshops as a new revenue stream. You get to learn a craft directly from the person who practices it.

For the second year in a row, the DC Makers' Guild will take part in the Downtown Holiday Market from Friday, November 13th to Wednesday, December 23rd. The Incubator founded and professionally manages the Guild. It gives members the tools for individual growth and a structure for collective action, so makers can push together for the policies and retail practices that let the whole industry thrive. Being back at the Downtown Holiday Market means more Guild members get in front of more shoppers during the busiest season of the year. Follow the Guild on Instagram for all the details.

 

Get your Christmas Markt tickets! Early Bird pre-sale available through October 31st.

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