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DISCOVER GERMANY

8 of the quirkiest Christmas markets in Germany

Want to try something different from the classic German Christmas market? Here are eight unique alternatives.

Published: 23 November 2022 12:06 CET
Updated: 26 November 2022 14:23 CET
Burlesque dancers from the team around drag queen Olivia Jones drink mulled wine at a stand at the St. Pauli Christmas Market at Spielbudenplatz in 2016.
Burlesque dancers from the team around drag queen Olivia Jones drink mulled wine at a stand at the St. Pauli Christmas Market at Spielbudenplatz in 2016. Photo: picture alliance / Christian Charisius/dpa | Christian Charisius

1. Erotic Christmas market – St. Pauli, Hamburg

If you want to spice up your advent this year, then head to “Hamburg’s hottest Christmas market” in the city’s Sankt Pauli district.

Alongside the typical festive offerings of Glühwein and traditional stands, this market also hosts regular strip shows and features numerous stands selling erotic gifts and sweets.

Visitors walk through the Santa Pauli Christmas Market on Spielbudenplatz. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Bockwoldt

The Spielbudenplatz stage in the market also plays host to live music almost every evening throughout the season.

On Mondays, a special Glühwein “pharmacy” offers unicorn mulled wine – a glittery pink beverage with a choice of special flavours. 

Open from November 14th to December 23rd

2. Underground Christmas Market – Traben-Trarbach, Rhineland-Palatinate

The town of Traben-Trarbach in Rhineland-Palatinate is home to a particularly special type of Christmas market.

The Mosel Wein Nachts Markt, as it’s officially called, takes place underground in a series of former wine cellars which date back to the 18th century.

A festively decorated wine cellar in Traben-Trarbach – at the Moselle Wine Night Market. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Weinkeller Traben-Trarbach | Jan-Gerrit Baumann

As the name suggests, this Christmas market has a lot to offer in terms of wine, as it is set in the heart of the Mosel region which is famous for its Riesling.

READ ALSO: 5 things you need to know about German Glühwein

There’s an emphasis on art, antiquity and culture in this market too. International and national artisans and exhibitors sell decorative items, antiques, clocks and creative fashion and jewellery.

Open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from November 18th to December 18th, 2022

3. Forest Christmas market – Velen, North Rhein-Westphalia

For a fairytale festive experience, visit the forest Christmas market in Velen, North Rhein-Westphalia.

The market has been running here on the land of the Krumme family in North-Western NRW since 1999 and is well-known throughout the region for its special brand of Christmassy magic.

Huts scattered throughout the forest serve up culinary delights and homemade goods and those wanting to warm up can visit the historic farmhouse café or nestle inside one of the winter huts.

Children can ride on the nostalgic train, bake stick bread at the crackling fire or meet Santa Claus.

Open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from November 25th to December 18th, 2022

4. 19th Century Christmas market – Werben, Saxony-Anhalt

The Biedermeier Christmas Market in Werben is one of the most beautiful and unusual markets in northern Germany.

The theme is the Biedermeier period from 1815 to 1848 and, accordingly, stall owners, local theatre groups, merchants and friends of the town, participate in creating this early 19th century themed market.  

The Biedermeier Christmas market in Werben an der Elbe takes visitors back in time. Photo: picture alliance / dpa-tmn | Jürgen Sturtzel

The market is always bustling with men in tailcoats and top hats, and ladies in long dresses and bonnets and is full of stalls selling contemporary knickknacks. There are theatrical and musical performances and, in the evening, candle lanterns and kerosene lamps bathe the hustle and bustle in atmospheric light.

Open on December 10th and 11th, 2022

5. Ecological Christmas Market – Berlin

For those feeling bad about the excesses of Christmas already, the Ökomarkt at Kollwitzplatz in Berlin is a good place for guilt-free shopping and celebrations.

The assortment of sustainable stalls ranges from Christmas decorations to textiles, toys and jewellery from all over the world that meet social and ecological standards.

READ ALSO: Seven unmissable Christmas markets that open this week in Germany

There is also a wide range of organic and fair trade food on offer, from sweet treats such as crêpes, vegan waffles and pastries to hearty dishes such as bratwurst and pizza.

Open on November 27th, December 4th, 11th, and 18th

6. Japanese Christmas Market – Berlin

Since 2014, the Japanese community in Berlin has been laying on a colourful celebration of Japanese culture with a Japanese Christmas market.

Stalls selling paintings, photography, ceramics, illustrations and fashion cover traditional and modern designs – from kimonos to kawaii, from kokeshi to kendama. A taste of Japanese cuisine is also on offer along with hot sake.

There are workshops for those wanting to deepen their knowledge of Japanese culture and the entertainment program includes Japanese music, karaoke, dance and sumo.

Opening in December – dates not yet released (check here for updates)

7. Pink Christmas Market – Munich

The pink star amongst Munich’s Christmas markets will be back again this year on Stephansplatz in the heart of the Glockenbach district in Munich. 

The Pink Christmas on the Stephansplatz in Munich. Photo: picture alliance / dpa-tmn | Pink Christmas

With its elegant white pagoda tents and atmospheric light design – and abundance of pink – this Christmas market is a special spot to enjoy the festive season. Organisers call it “the place to be” for the LGBTIQ* community, neighbours, friends and Christmas market fans from all over the world.

READ ALSO: How do Germans celebrate Christmas?

Stalls offer delicious food, drinks and gifts, while unique, nightly shows keep the bustling crowds entertained. 

Pink Christmas is open from November 21st – December 23rd. 

8. Christmas Market by boat – Spreewald, Brandenburg

Spreewald is a magical place to visit at any time of the year but at Christmas, it’s something truly special.

The Spreewald Weihnacht – zwei Märkte, eine Kahnfahrt (two markets, one boat ride) offers a very unique Christmas market experience.

Visitors wait at the port of Lübbenau (Brandenburg) to take a Spreewald barge to the Christmas market in the open-air museum of the Spreewald village Lehde. Photo: picture alliance / Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa | Patrick Pleul

The first port of call is the Great Spreewald Harbor, where – amongst the usual Christmas market offerings – stalls and booths sell smoked fish, Christmas plinse and hot grog. Then, market-goers are taken on a wintry boat trip to the open-air museum in Lehde through the tranquillity of the Spreewald nature in hibernation.

In the Open Air Museum Lehde visitors can taste regional delicacies at the market stalls, stroll along the craftsmen’s market and meet some ancient mythical figures who offer good wishes for the coming year.

Open on November 26th, 27th and December 3rd and 4th

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CULTURE

Seven unmissable events happening around Germany in May 2024

The weather is heating up and it feels like summer is just around the corner. Here are some events you can check out around Germany in May.

Published: 29 April 2024 16:46 CEST
Seven unmissable events happening around Germany in May 2024

There are interesting happenings to be found in Germany all year around, but for most of us living in the Bundesrepublik, there is something magical about the late spring season. 

With April’s last cold snap now firmly in the rearview, Germany seems to come alive again as the weather heats up and the trees fill out with fresh green foliage. With folk festivals on, beer gardens and restaurant patios opening up, and local parks filling up with picnickers and day-drinkers, it feels as if the whole country is emerging from hibernation. 

Here are a few events from around the country to keep you entertained this May.

Starting off with dancing into May and Germany’s Labour Day

To properly start off the month of May, many Germans start dancing in April.

Tanz in den Mai, or to ‘dance into May’, is a German tradition that is celebrated at folk festivals and dance parties around the country. Many of these events start on the evening on April 30th and last until the early hours of May 1st so that attendees can quite literally dance into the beginning of the month.

April 30th also happens to be Walpurgisnacht, which historically was a night for scaring away the witches, but in modern times is more often a night for dancing around open fires and related festivities.

May 1st, which falls on a Wednesday this year, is Labour Day in Germany – a national holiday. The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) will be hosting a rally in Hanover, and Berlin’s annual Revolutionary May Day demo will be taking place in Neukölln and Kreuzberg.

READ ALSO: ‘Tag der Arbeit’: What to do on May 1st in Germany

For those who would rather party than rally on the holiday, there will be abundant opportunities for daytime dancing and drinking to be found.

May 1st to 5th – Baumblütenfest Werder

The 145th Tree Blossom Festival in Werder, on the Havel River about an hour outside of Berlin, is a celebration of the blossoming fruit trees and includes a carnival for five days at the start of May.

The focus for most visitors is on trying a number of locally produced fruit wines, and taking in the views of blossoms by the riverside.

Tours of blossoming trees in Werder’s courtyards and gardens begin at the end of April, and then the city’s carnival opens on May 1st. From May 3rd the carnival is expanded into a folk fest including larger live music stages and a large market.

The festival’s grand finale takes place on May 4th with a parade through the city centre, from 11am, led by the Tree Blossom Queen, and a fireworks display planned for the evening.

fireworks over the Rhine

The “Rhine in Flames” fireworks spectacle takes place along the most beautiful stretches of the Rhine every year from May to September. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Andreas Arnold

May 4th – Rhine in Flames in Bonn

The Rhine River Valley is commonly listed among Germany’s most scenic locations. 

Rhine in Flames, or Rhein in Flammen, offers visitors a chance to see the World Heritage Site of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley under the red glare of a magnificent fireworks display.

The entire Rhine in Flames event actually takes place over five nights, each at a different city on the Rhine River, with the dates spanning from early spring to autumn. But this year’s event will kick off on May 4th with a fireworks display that will be visible from the shores of the river between Bonn and the neighbouring town of Linz.

More information can be found at the event’s website.

May 9th – 12th – Hafengeburtstagsfest in Hamburg 

Hamburg’s Port Anniversary fest amounts to a colourful celebration by the water, complete with a beautiful firework display.

The best views of the Port of Hamburg and the Hafengeburtstagsfest are found along the Jan-Fedder-Promenade. Here stalls are set-up along the harbour mile, selling foods and local delicacies.

From the Landungsbrücken, you can watch the event’s top attractions including Friday evening’s ‘Elbe in Concert’ with a fireworks show and Saturday’s ‘magical light illumination’ presented by AIDA cruises.

There are also water parades, including the world’s only tugboat ballet, where guests can witness a pirouette performed at 3000 horsepower.

May 12th – 19th: International Dixieland Festival

Jazz fans might be surprised to learn that Dresden’s International Dixieland Festival is Europe’s oldest festival for old-timey jazz music.

This year’s lineup is full of both German and international (mostly European) bands and soloists, including: the Brass Band Rakovnik from the Czech Republic, the Louis Armstrong Celebration Band from the Netherlands, and Mama Shakers from France, among many others.

The Dixieland Fest website does note that the event overlaps with several other large events in Dresden, so affordable accommodation may become scarce. 

Festival attendees are advised to make bookings early, and to look at accommodation options around the city along major S-bahn lines. (Which is actually a good tip for travelling in Germany in the summer in general.)

Visitors hold up their beer mugs at one of Germany’s many beer festivals. Photo: Christof STACHE/AFP

May 16th – 27th: Erlangen’s ‘Der Berg’ Fest

If you’re already dreaming of Oktoberfest, May has a number of spring beer fests in villages across Germany, and especially in Bavaria.

One such fest is Erlangen’s Der Berg (The Mountain), so named because it takes place on the town’s tallest hill.

Erlangen is a small town in central Germany near Nuremberg. It happens to be the German village that is furthest from the sea, but that doesn’t stop Der Berg from having some fried fish sandwiches on offer.

READ ALSO: Five reasons foreigners should move to Nuremberg

Der Berg is certainly significantly smaller than Munich’s world renowned Oktoberfest, but it offers similar attractions – including carnival rides, jubilant sings and dancing, and of course local beers served up in a big litre Maßkrug.

May 29th-June 6th: Würzburger Weindorf

For all the aspiring sommeliers and oenophiles, Würzburg’s annual ‘Wine Village’ offers a pleasant way to end the fifth month in 2024 – or to drink your way into June.

It may be little known beyond Germany, but Würzburg is proud of its centuries-old winemaking tradition, which dates back to the Middle Ages. If that’s news to you, then the Würzburger Weindorf is among the best events for an introduction to Franconian viticulture.

Here you can try wine varietals that you may not have heard of before, such as the Müller-Thurgau or the sparkling Scheurebe, and you can pair your tastings with hearty Franconian faire, like Würzburg bratwurst or local dumplings.

This year the festival kicks off on Wednesday May 29th at 5pm, and then is open daily from 11am to 11:30pm.

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