Ghent Winter Festival
Gentse Winterfeesten51°03′ N 3°44′ EGhentfrom Dec 3Seasonal
The Ghent Winter Festival (Gentse Winterfeesten) runs from Thursday 3 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 (confirmed by the organizer), and it suits travellers who want a lively city market with more than 150 chalets and skating on real ice. It opens later than Brussels or Bruges, so a trip that ends in November will miss it.
Photo DimiTalen · Wikimedia Commons · CC0 and others, credited in the gallery
Ghent Winter Festival runs December 3, 2026 to January 3, 2027 · confirmed by the organizer (source)
Advent SundaysGaudete, 13 DecemberChristmas Eve
Dates and hours
Access and crowds
- Getting around
- The Fietsambassade runs a door-to-door cycle taxi for people with limited mobility, and blue-badge parking is free on the street around the pedestrian zone. The organizer gives no step-free detail for the squares.
- Busiest
- VRT reported about 2.5 million visitors for the 2024 festival, which makes it the busiest event in Ghent by the city's count.
The festival threads through the squares between St Bavo's Cathedral and the Korenmarkt. Chalets start on the Sint-Baafsplein below the cathedral tower and run by way of the Emile Braunplein and the Goudenleeuwplein to the Korenmarkt, where the Ferris wheel stands. The rink goes under the Stadshal and uses real ice.
The 2026 edition is the first to run past New Year. In October 2025 the City of Ghent said the festival would last to the last Sunday of the Christmas holidays from 2026, about a week longer than before, and put a four-year concession out to tender. The festival's own site now names Making Memories of Bredene as the organizer.
Making Memories promises free children's shows every day and a visit from Father Christmas. It has not yet published the daily programme or the opening hours, and its rink page says tickets and times will follow soon.
Worth knowing
- The organizer names Gent-Dampoort as the station within walking distance of the festival.
- No traffic passes between the city hall and the Emile Braunplein during the festival, deliveries included.
- Cyclists get temporary racks for about 400 bikes near the Sint-Baafsplein and 210 more in the underground bike park beneath the Korenmarkt.
Quick answers about Ghent Winter Festival
When is the Ghent Christmas market in 2026?
The Ghent Winter Festival runs from Thursday 3 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, according to the organizer, Making Memories. Opening hours for 2026 have not been published yet.
Is there an ice rink at the Ghent Winter Festival?
Yes. The 2026 rink stands under the Stadshal in the centre of Ghent and uses real ice. Prices and hours are still to be published.
Does the Ghent Christmas market open in November?
No. The Ghent Winter Festival starts on 3 December in 2026, about two weeks after the markets in Bruges and a week after Brussels.
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