Colmar Petite Venise Children's Christmas Market
Marché de Noël des enfants de la Petite Venise48°04′ N 7°21′ EColmarfrom Nov 23Seasonal
The market in Petite Venise is Colmar's children's market, with a mechanical nativity, farm animals and Father Christmas's giant letterbox, and it suits families with young children. The canal-side lanes around it are narrow and get crowded by late afternoon. The 2026 run is 23 November to 29 December (confirmed).
Photo questa_ta · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Colmar Petite Venise Children's Christmas Market runs November 23, 2026 to December 29, 2026 · confirmed by the organizer (source)
Advent SundaysGaudete, 13 DecemberChristmas Eve
Dates and hours
- November 23, 2026 to December 29, 2026Confirmedsourcechecked Oct 10, 2026
Hours · Mon–Thu 11:00–19:00; Fri–Sun 10:00–20:00
- Dec 24, 2026 · 11:00–17:00 (Christmas Eve: early close at 17:00.)
- Dec 25, 2026 · 10:00–20:00 (Open on Christmas Day.)
- Dec 26, 2026 · 10:00–20:00 (Open on 26 December.)
Access and crowds
- Busiest
- Saturdays and Sundays, when the town fills with day-trippers and coach groups.
- Quieter
- Monday to Thursday, and the tourism office publishes a day-by-day attendance forecast on noel-colmar.com.
The half-timbered houses along the Lauch gave this quarter its name, Petite Venise, and at Christmas the tourism office hands it to children. They visit the rabbits and sheep, watch the mechanical nativity, ride the horses and drink hot apple juice. Father Christmas's giant letterbox is here too, so bring the letter already written.
The tourism office also programmes children's choirs who sing from boats on the Lauch, so check the noel-colmar.com agenda for the evenings they are out.
Worth knowing
- Arrive before 16:00 with a pushchair; the lanes along the canal fill once the lights go on.
Quick answers about Colmar Petite Venise Children's Christmas Market
When are the Colmar Christmas markets in 2026?
The Colmar Christmas markets run from Monday 23 November to Tuesday 29 December 2026 (confirmed). They open Monday to Thursday from 11:00 to 19:00 and Friday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00, and close at 17:00 on 24 December.
Which Colmar Christmas market is best for children?
The market on Place des Six Montagnes Noires in Petite Venise. Colmar's tourism office sets it up for children, with farm animals, a mechanical nativity, pony rides and Father Christmas's giant letterbox.
When does Colmar Petite Venise Children's Christmas Market open in 2026?
Colmar Petite Venise Children's Christmas Market opens on November 23, 2026 and closes on December 29, 2026. Those dates are confirmed by the organizer.
In the journal and guides
Read more about Colmar Petite Venise Children's Christmas Market
Guide · 12 min read
What's open in Europe on Christmas Eve?
Seventy-nine markets open on 24 December 2026, and most of them close by 18:30, so do your last shopping before dark.
Guide · 23 min read
When do Europe's Christmas markets open and close in 2026?
Vienna and Copenhagen open first, on 6 November 2026, and Cologne's Heumarkt keeps its stalls up until 10 January 2027. Every row below names who published the date.
Guide · 12 min read
Which Christmas markets are open after Christmas?
Prague, Salzburg, Dresden and Cologne keep their markets going through the week after Christmas, and Colmar runs to 29 December.
Guide · 9 min read
Which Christmas markets in Europe are open on Christmas Day?
Vienna and Colmar give you the most choice on 25 December 2026, and Tivoli reopens for the day with fireworks at 20:45.