Graz Christkindlmarkt on the Hauptplatz
Christkindlmarkt vor dem Rathaus47°04′ N 15°26′ EGrazfrom Nov 20Seasonal
Start here if it's your first night in Graz, because every other market in the old town sits a short walk from this square. The trade-off is the crowd: the Hauptplatz is where the Advent train leaves, the tree goes up and most of the city meets after work.
Photo Armin Ademovic · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Graz Christkindlmarkt on the Hauptplatz runs November 20, 2026 to December 24, 2026 · confirmed by the organizer (source)
Advent SundaysGaudete, 13 DecemberChristmas Eve
Dates and hours
- November 20, 2026 to December 24, 2026Confirmedsourcechecked Oct 10, 2026
- November 21, 2025 to December 24, 2025Announcedsourcechecked Oct 10, 2026
Hours · Mon–Sun 11:00–20:00
- Nov 28, 2026 · 11:00–20:00 (Christmas tree lit 16:00 to 17:00; ice nativity opens in the Landhaushof at 17:00.)
- Dec 24, 2026 · 11:00–14:00 (Christmas Eve: short day for stalls and food huts.)
Access and crowds
- Getting around
- The organizer publishes no access notes for the square.
- Busiest
- Friday and Saturday evenings, and the evening of 28 November when the tree is lit.
- Quieter
- Weekday mornings and early afternoons, before the food huts fill after work.
The stalls ring the square in front of the Rathaus, and a lit walkway runs from the town hall door to the Christmas tree in the middle. After dark the town hall facade turns into a giant Advent calendar, and light projections move across the hut roofs. Holding Graz runs the market along with most of the city's others, so the hours line up with Glockenspielplatz and Mehlplatz a few streets east.
Trading runs 11:00 to 20:00 every day from 20 November to 24 December 2026, and the food and drink huts stay open until 22:00. On Christmas Eve everything shuts at 14:00. The tree is lit on Saturday 28 November at 16:00, and the crowd then walks a block south to the Landhaushof, where the ice nativity opens at 17:00.
Families can pick up the little Advent train here. It runs daily from 11:00 to 19:00 and costs €4 for adults and €2 for children. A light-up carousel turns for small children beside the tree.
Worth knowing
- Go before 17:00 on a weekday if you want room to browse; the food huts fill once offices close.
- On 24 December the market closes at 14:00, so do your last shopping in the morning.
Quick answers about Graz Christkindlmarkt on the Hauptplatz
When is the Graz Christmas market on the Hauptplatz open in 2026?
Holding Graz gives 20 November to 24 December 2026. Stalls trade 11:00 to 20:00, the food huts run to 22:00, and on 24 December it closes at 14:00.
When is the Christmas tree lit in Graz?
The tree on the Hauptplatz is lit on Saturday 28 November 2026 between 16:00 and 17:00, and the ice nativity in the Landhaushof opens straight afterwards at 17:00.
In the journal and guides
Read more about Graz Christkindlmarkt on the Hauptplatz
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.