Bruges Winter Glow
Wintergloed51°12′ N 3°13′ EBrugesfrom Nov 20Seasonal
Bruges Winter Glow (Wintergloed) runs from 20 November 2026 to 14 February 2027 and suits visitors who want a slow winter city with a covered ice rink beside two Christmas market squares. The free light walk that gave Winter Glow its name ended with the 2025 edition, so the 2026 programme has no published light trail.
Photo DimiTalen · Wikimedia Commons · CC0 and others, credited in the gallery
Bruges Winter Glow runs November 20, 2026 to February 14, 2027 · confirmed by the organizer (source)
Advent SundaysGaudete, 13 DecemberChristmas Eve
For seven winters Bruges ran a free walk of about 3 km past light installations through quieter neighbourhoods. VRT counted 340,000 walkers on the 2024 edition. In September 2025 the city said the 2025 edition would be the last, because residents along the route felt the weight of the crowds over many evenings in a row, and Mayor Dirk De fauw said the city wanted to stop on a high.
The 2026 programme keeps the Winter Glow name and runs longer. Visit Bruges puts a covered ice rink in the Koning Albert I-park for the first time, with the IJsgloed winter bar beside it under strings of small lights. The Christmas markets on the Markt and the Simon Stevinplein close on 3 January 2027. The programme also lists neighbourhood gatherings and a new Winter Giant project, and it runs to 14 February.
The city has said it will replace the light walk with a fire show of the kind Bruges once staged on the Burg. Brugge Plus is working out the format, and no date or place had been published when this page was checked.
Worth knowing
- The rink and the winter bar sit in the park between 't Zand and the station, handy if you arrive by train.
- Visit Bruges runs a tourist office at the station on Stationsplein 5 and another in the Historium at Markt 1.
Quick answers about Bruges Winter Glow
Is there still a light trail in Bruges at Christmas?
No. Bruges ended the Winter Glow light walk after its seventh edition in 2025, and the 2026–27 Winter Glow programme lists no light trail.
When is Winter Glow in Bruges in 2026?
Winter Glow runs from 20 November 2026 to 14 February 2027, according to Visit Bruges. The Christmas markets and the ice rink within it close on 3 January 2027.
Is Bruges Winter Glow free?
Partly. Visit Bruges says the programme mixes free and paid parts, and the covered ice rink costs €9 a person in 2026.
Is Bruges Winter Glow open all year?
Bruges Winter Glow opens for part of the year. The light walk ended with the 2025 edition. Winter Glow continues in 2026–27 as a winter programme without a published light trail.