Leipzig Christmas Market

The city spreads its market from the Markt in front of the Old Town Hall through the shopping streets to the Augustusplatz, and about 300 stalls take part. The Markt holds the big tree and the stage, and the Naschmarkt behind the Old Town Hall is the place for historic crafts. Trombone players perform every evening, at 18:00 on most weekdays in the 2025 program. The Salzgäßchen beside the Old Town Hall has a double-decker carousel built after an old model.

Families head for the Augustusplatz, where the city stages a fairy-tale forest of life-size Grimm scenes with a puzzle hunt for prizes. A Ferris wheel and rides stand around it, and the square has seating and toilets. The Finnish village and the South Tyrolean village sit here too, with their own food, wine and mugs. Trams still run across the Augustusplatz while the market is on.

The Thomaskirche, where Bach worked as cantor, stands at the end of the market area on the Thomaskirchhof, and the lawn beside it carries light installations of angels and a walk-in gift box in the evenings. The Nikolaikirchhof has its own pyramid and Feuerzangenbowle (a rum-soaked sugar cone burned over hot punch).