Mainz Christmas Market
Mainzer Weihnachtsmarkt50°00′ N 8°16′ EMainzfrom Nov 26Seasonal
The Mainz Christmas Market fills the square in front of the thousand-year-old cathedral from 26 November to 23 December 2026, and it suits anyone who wants a big, old-town market with a red sandstone backdrop and an easy hop from Frankfurt Airport. The catch is the closing hour of 20:30 from Sunday to Thursday, earlier than most German city markets.
Photo Zairon · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Mainz Christmas Market runs November 26, 2026 to December 23, 2026 · confirmed by the organizer (source)
Advent SundaysGaudete, 13 DecemberChristmas Eve
Dates and hours
- November 26, 2026 to December 23, 2026Confirmedsourcechecked Oct 10, 2026
Hours · Sun–Thu 11:00–20:30; Fri–Sat 11:00–21:00
- Nov 26, 2026 · 11:00–20:30 (Opening day. Festivals in Deutschland lists a mayor's address, the start of the pyramid, the tree lighting and a concert by the Mainz cathedral choirs, with no time given yet.)
- Dec 23, 2026 · 11:00–19:00 (Last day.)
Access and crowds
- Toilets
- Accessible toilets at the Höfchen and in the public toilet on Heugasse.
- Getting around
- Maps at the entrance and in the mainz STORE mark the barrier-free stalls, cable bridges have wheelchair ramps, and the nativity has a ramp.
Mainz has run a December market since at least 1788, when it went by the name Nikolose Markt, and since 1975 the city has staged it as a historic Christmas market on the Markt beside St Martin's Cathedral. The stalls carry on round the corner through the Höfchen and into the Liebfrauenplatz. Look for the eleven-metre pyramid at the Höfchen entrance. It has stood there since 2003, and its figures are pure Mainz: carnival revellers, the Mainzelmännchen cartoon characters, a bishop, Gutenberg and the Roman general Drusus.
Hand-carved, life-size nativity figures stand in front of the Gotthard Chapel, with a ramp for wheelchairs. A nine-metre music box with 18 carved angels plays nearby and two historic carousels turn for small children. Overhead the city strings a canopy of lights, three large stars and 34 Herrnhut stars.
The city's own page marks which stalls are barrier-free on maps at the entrance and in the mainz STORE, and some stalls have low tables, lower counters or Braille boards.
Worth knowing
- Bus stops Höfchen, Rheingoldhalle/Rathaus and Fischtor are closest. From Frankfurt Airport the S8 runs direct to Mainz.
- The tourist information desk, the mainz STORE, sits at Markt 17 on the square and opens Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00.
- Accessible toilets are at the Höfchen and in the public toilet on Heugasse.
- The city's separate Weihnachtsdorf on the Rhine bank near Fischtorplatz rents its log cabins by reservation only.
Quick answers about Mainz Christmas Market
When is the Mainz Christmas Market 2026?
The Mainz Christmas Market runs from Thursday 26 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026, as published by the City of Mainz. It opens at 11:00 every day, closes at 20:30 from Sunday to Thursday and at 21:00 on Friday and Saturday, and shuts at 19:00 on 23 December.
Is the Mainz Christmas Market open on Christmas Eve?
No. The Mainz Christmas Market's last day in 2026 is 23 December, when it closes at 19:00.
How old is the Mainz Christmas Market?
The City of Mainz traces its December market back to 1788, when it was called the Nikolose Markt, and has run it as the Historic Christmas Market since 1975.
In the journal and guides
Read more about Mainz Christmas Market
Guide · 9 min read
Are German Christmas markets open on Sunday?
Every Advent Sunday is a market day in Germany. The two Sundays before Advent are different, and on 22 November 2026 most markets that have already opened stay shut.
Guide · 10 min read
When do Christmas markets open in Germany in 2026?
Totensonntag falls on 22 November in 2026. Most German markets open in the week after it, and the date of a city's market comes from a rule you can read ahead.
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.