Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
Leipzig Christmas Market
Over 300 stalls in seven areas of the old town — a market that traces its history back to 1458.
- Dates
- 24 Nov – 23 Dec 2026
- Opening hours
- Daily 11am–9pm, Fri & Sat until 10pm; 22 Dec closes 8pm; 23 Dec only the stalls on the Markt open, until 8pm
- Admission
- Free entry
- Stalls
- 300+
- Address
- Markt, 04109 Leipzig
Dates last checked 3 October 2026 · source · Always confirm with the organiser before travelling.
Leipzig’s Christmas market traces its history to 1458, and the city’s tourism board calls it the second-oldest Christmas market in Germany. Today it has over 300 stalls spread across seven areas of the city centre, and more than two million people visited in 2025.
Dates for 2026
The market runs from Tuesday 24 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026. The ceremonial opening is at 5pm on 24 November, when the Christmas tree on the Markt, around 20 metres tall, is lit for the first time. Leipzig Tourism says it carries 300 red and gold baubles and around 3,000 lights.
Opening hours
Daily 11am–9pm, and until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. On 22 December the market closes at 8pm. On the final day, 23 December, only the stalls on the Markt open, until 8pm, so don’t plan a last-day visit to the outlying areas.
What’s where
The heart of the market is the Markt square in front of the Old Town Hall, with the market stage and its Christmas programme. A medieval market fills the Naschmarkt. On the Nikolaikirchhof stands one of the market’s landmarks, a Feuerzangenbowle pyramid. Augustusplatz has the fairytale area for children, a big wheel, a Finnish village with a 200-year-old log cabin and a South Tyrolean village. A Swiss village on the Burgplatz has a curling lane, and a historic-style tiered carousel turns in the Salzgässchen.
Music
Brass players perform from the balcony of the Old Town Hall: Monday to Thursday at 6pm, Fridays at 7pm, and at 1pm and 7pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Leipzig is Bach’s city, and the Thomanerchor, the choir he once led, gives Advent concerts in the Thomaskirche.
Getting there
Leipzig Hauptbahnhof is about ten minutes’ walk from the Markt. The S-Bahn City-Tunnel also stops at Markt station, directly beneath the square.
Make a day of it
The Thomaskirche and the Bach Museum opposite are a few minutes from the stalls, and the Nikolaikirche, the starting point of the peaceful protests of 1989, is right beside the market.
Whatever the forecast, you will be standing still outdoors in the cold for longer than you expect — see our guide to what to wear, and use What’s open? to see which markets are trading on the days you travel.
