Gengenbach Advent Calendar
Gengenbacher Adventskalender48°24′ N 8°01′ ELight festivalNov 30, 2026Seasonal
The Gengenbach Advent Calendar turns the 24 windows of the town's Rathaus into a giant Advent calendar, with one window revealed at 18:00 each evening from 30 November to 23 December and the whole facade on view until 6 January. It suits anyone who likes a ceremony with a crowd around it, and the square is at its busiest right at 18:00.
Gengenbach has used its Rathaus as an Advent calendar since 1996, and the town bills the building as the world's largest Advent calendar house. Each season the windows carry pictures by one artist, and earlier seasons drew on work by Marc Chagall and Andy Warhol. When the opening begins the facade sits in darkness, then coloured light plays across it before the day's window is revealed.
From 2023 to 2025 the windows showed paintings by the German illustrator Olaf Hajek on a theme the town calls Paradiese. The pictures are copyrighted, so this page describes them in words only: the town calls them varied takes on heavenly gardens and says each one reads the theme its own way. A dpa report from the 2025 opening called it his third year in a row. On 10 October 2026 the town's page still named Hajek, and it said nothing about a new artist for 2026.
Museum Haus Löwenberg next to the square has shown Hajek's originals alongside the calendar, with a companion book. The Adventsmarkt runs around the Rathaus from 27 November to 23 December 2026, so the window opening and the stalls make one evening.
Worth knowing
- Watch the opening on a weekday, when the stage program starts at 17:00 and you can find your spot before the ritual.
- Come between 24 December and 6 January to see all 24 windows lit together after the market has closed.
Quick answers about Gengenbach Advent Calendar
What time does the Gengenbach Advent Calendar open its windows?
A window of the Gengenbach Advent Calendar opens at 18:00 every evening from 30 November to 23 December. Each evening's ritual reveals the window for the following day.
How long can you see the Gengenbach Advent Calendar?
The Gengenbach Advent Calendar stays on view until 6 January. In 2026 the windows open from 30 November, with viewing until 6 January 2027, as announced by the town's tourist office.
Who designed the Gengenbach Advent Calendar windows?
Olaf Hajek designed the windows from 2023 to 2025 on a theme the town calls Paradiese, which pictures heavenly gardens. The town had not named a 2026 artist when we checked on 10 October 2026.
When is Gengenbach Advent Calendar?
Gengenbach Advent Calendar takes place one window opens each evening at 18:00 from 30 November to 23 December, and the finished calendar stays lit for viewing until 6 January. The next dates we have are November 30, 2026 to January 6, 2027, announced.