--- title: "News" url: "https://www.leipzig.travel/en/news/christmas-in-the-leipzig-region-2026-markets-music-and-regional-traditions" language: "en" type: "NewsArticle" image: "https://www.leipzig.travel/fileadmin/Mediendatenbank/4_B2B/2_Medien/2_Press_Releases/1_Leipzig_Christmas_Market_Old_Town_Hall__c__Tom_Thiele.jpg" breadcrumb: "Root > Leipzig Travel > B2B > Media > Media information > Press Releases > News" --- Press releases ============== Christmas in the Leipzig Region 2026: Markets, Music and Regional Traditions ============================================================================ Created by on27.10.2026 Each Advent, Leipzig shifts into a different register. Market squares, arcades and churchyards are lit up; brass ensembles play; the scent of roasted almonds and mulled wine drifts through the streets. From 24 November to 23 December 2026, the Leipzig Christmas Market brings more than 300 stalls to seven market areas across the city centre. Its tradition dates back to 1458. The official opening takes place on 24 November at 5 pm, when the city’s 20-metre Christmas tree is lit. Decorated with red and gold baubles and around 3,000 lights, it marks the beginning of a season that draws more than two million visitors annually. The heart of the market is the square in front of the Old Town Hall, where the market stage presents a daily programme of concerts, choirs and brass ensembles. Adjacent lanes lead to themed areas across the city centre. On Augustusplatz, framed by the Opera and the Gewandhaus, a Ferris wheel rises above the square, and the Finnish Village presents a 200-year-old log cabin serving glogg and flame-grilled salmon. Nearby, the South Tyrolean Village offers Alpine specialities including Schüttelbrot, Alpine cheese and Kaminwurz sausage. On Nikolaikirchhof, the multi-tiered Feuerzangenbowle pyramid has become an informal landmark of the season. The medieval market “Alt Leipzig” on Naschmarkt focuses on traditional crafts, and a historic carousel turns in Salzgässchen. Since 2024, the Swiss Village on Burgplatz has added a curling rink, covered seating areas and gondola cabins repurposed from a ski lift, alongside regional Swiss specialities. The market retains a strong family orientation. Children come for the fairy-tale forest on Augustusplatz, the reading sessions, Santa Claus’s daily appearances and the illuminated animal figures in Grimmaische Straße. Culinary offerings range from Pulsnitz gingerbread and Leipzig Stollen to mulled beer and international street food. More and more traders emphasise regional sourcing and sustainable production. Erzgebirge woodcraft, ceramics, spices and handcrafted toys remain among the most sought-after souvenirs. **Music as the City’s Christmas Signature** Leipzig’s Advent season is inseparable from its musical heritage. The city is home to the St Thomas Boys Choir, founded in 1212, and closely associated with Johann Sebastian Bach, who served as Thomaskantor from 1723 until his death in 1750. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, first performed in Leipzig in 1734, continues to be presented in St Thomas Church and St Nicholas Church – the original venues of its premiere – offering audiences a rare continuity between composition, place and performance. The Gewandhausorchester complements this programme with Advent concerts ranging from Baroque repertoire to contemporary interpretations. Across the city, churches and cultural venues curate their own seasonal series. Another local Christmas ritual persists: grass players perform chorales from the balcony of the Old Town Hall, punctuating the market’s activity with moments of stillness. **Neighbourhood Markets: Smaller Scale, Individual Experience** Beyond the historic centre, Leipzig’s districts host smaller markets and seasonal gatherings shaped by local initiatives and independent cultural venues. In Connewitz, in the south of the city, “Christmas at Connewitz Cross” fills the courtyard of WERK2, a former industrial complex, with design objects, handcrafted goods and informal food stalls. A little further towards the city centre, in Südvorstadt, the market at Feinkost focuses on regional producers and sustainable concepts. The venue is easy to spot by the illuminated sign on its roof. West of the centre, at the Felsenkeller in Lindenau, around 15 huts under old chestnut trees sell art and handmade goods with a fantasy and steampunk flair. A carousel from around 1900 turns in the beer garden, and at the forge, visitors can hammer out their own lucky horseshoe. Gohlis Palace, in the north, takes a different approach altogether: “Christmas Scents and Candle Glow” deliberately does without stalls. Visitors gather in the baroque garden over homemade waffles and mulled wine, with choirs, tower brass and seasonal readings, while the exhibition “Art in Advent” shows prints, ceramics and photography by regional artists. **From Stollen to Castle Markets: The Leipzig Region at Christmas** Outside the city, Advent moves at a slower pace, in castle courtyards and small-town squares. The region also has a claim on the season’s best-known bake. According to local tradition, the recipe for Christstollen took shape in Torgau long before the loaf became synonymous with German Christmas: in 1457, the baker Heinrich Drasdow turned a plain fasting bread of flour, water and yeast into something richer, adding butter, raisins, almonds and sugar. The loaf later won its reputation at the Dresden court and took the city’s name. Torgau is also the stage for the region’s most theatrical seasonal event. From 11 to 13 December, “Sleeping Beauty’s Castle Christmas” fills the courtyards of Hartenfels Castle, one of the most significant early Renaissance palaces in Germany, with market stalls and a seasonal programme. S-Bahn line S4 runs directly from Leipzig Central Station to Torgau in around 50 minutes. Two further castle markets fall on consecutive weekends. On 5 and 6 December, Colditz Castle hosts its “Fairytale Castle at Christmas” weekend, which combines craft stalls, handmade decorations, concerts, puppet theatre and workshops where visitors can make things themselves. A week later, on 12 and 13 December, Rochlitz Castle holds its “Castle Christmas” market. It lies about an hour’s drive south of Leipzig, and its artisans work and sell inside the medieval walls. Smaller markets in Grimma, Bad Düben, Delitzsch, Oschatz and Döbeln, and in Markkleeberg, a short S-Bahn ride south of the city, take their character from where they are held: a castle courtyard, an old market street or a compact town square. For visitors staying several days in Leipzig, these markets offer a quieter counterpoint to the city centre, and most work as a day trip. **At a Glance** **Leipzig Christmas Market** - 24 November – 23 December 2026, city centre; official opening on 24 November at 5 pm, Market Square Daily 11 am – 9 pm, Fridays and Saturdays until 10 pm; 22 December until 8 pm; 23 December Market Square stalls only, until 8 pm - Tower brass on the balcony of the Old Town Hall: Mondays to Thursdays 6 pm, Fridays 7 pm, Saturdays and Sundays 1 pm and 7 pm **Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, St Thomas Church** - Friday 11 December, 7 pm; Saturday 12 December, 5 pm; Sunday 13 December, 5 pm (all performances sold out) **Neighbourhood markets** - Christmas at Connewitz Cross, WERK2, Connewitz: 11–20 December; Mondays to Thursdays: 2 pm – 9 pm, Fridays and Saturdays 1 – 10 pm, Sundays 1 – 9pm - Feinkost, Südvorstadt: 28 November – 20 December; Saturdays 11 am – 8 pm, Sundays 11 am – 6 pm - Felsenkeller, Lindenau: 26 November – 23 December and 27– 30 December (closed 24–26 December); Mondays to Fridays 3 – 9.30 pm, Saturdays 11 am – 9.30 pm, Sundays 11 am – 8 pm (last orders) - Christmas Scents and Candle Glow, Gohlis Palace, Gohlis: 25 November – 20 December; Wednesdays to Saturdays 3 – 7 pm, Sundays 12 noon – 6 pm **Leipzig Region** - 5–6 December: Fairytale Castle at Christmas, Colditz Castle; Saturday 2 – 9 pm, Sunday 11 am – 6 pm - 11–13 December: Sleeping Beauty’s Castle Christmas, Hartenfels Castle, Torgau; Friday 5 – 10 pm, Saturday 11 am – 10 pm, Sunday 11 am – 6 pm (S4 from Leipzig Central Station, approx. 50 minutes) - 12–13 December: Castle Christmas, Rochlitz Castle; Saturday 2 – 8 pm, Sunday 12 noon – 7 pm **Further information:** Related Files - - - - - - - -