Christmas Village shoppers no longer will be allowed to enter booths
Organizers of Philadelphia's Christmas Village have announced that shoppers will no longer be allowed inside vendor booths to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The decision follows a lengthy legal review, forcing vendors to transition to a counter-service model.
Why it matters
The change illustrates the practical challenges of balancing historic or temporary event infrastructure with modern accessibility legal requirements.
At the Christmas Village and Made in Philadelphia markets this year, shoppers will not be able to walk inside booths. Instead, vendors will have to sell items over a counter. The change is being made to ensure the event is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The photo above shows Christmas Village in 2024.
Vendors at the Christmas Village and Made in Philadelphia markets in Center City will not be permitted to allow shoppers to step inside their booths this holiday season.
Instead, sales counters and other barriers will be added to most booths, making them inaccessible to shoppers and requiring sellers to help customers select merchandise, according to an email that the event organizer, German American Marketing, sent to vendors earlier this week. The change is necessary to ensure the monthlong holiday event at Dilworth and LOVE parks is compliant with the Americans with Disability Act.
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