Nuremberg Kinderweihnacht
Nürnberger Kinderweihnacht49°27′ N 11°05′ ENurembergfrom Nov 27Seasonal
The Nuremberg Kinderweihnacht on the Hans-Sachs-Platz suits families with young children, and it runs from 27 November to 30 December 2026, a week past the main Christkindlesmarkt. The trade-off is size: it fills one square with carousels and workshop stalls just east of the Hauptmarkt.
Photo Lothar Weber · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Nuremberg Kinderweihnacht runs November 27, 2026 to December 30, 2026 · confirmed by the organizer (source)
Advent SundaysGaudete, 13 DecemberChristmas Eve
Dates and hours
- November 27, 2026 to December 30, 2026Confirmedsourcechecked Oct 10, 2026
- November 28, 2025 to December 30, 2025Confirmedsourcechecked Oct 10, 2026
Hours · Mon–Sun 10:00–21:00
- Dec 24, 2026 · 10:00–14:00 (These are the 2025 Christmas Eve hours; the 2026 hours aren't published yet.)
- Dec 25, 2026 · closed (The Kinderweihnacht closed on Christmas Day in 2025; the 2026 hours aren't published yet.)
Nuremberg has run this market for families on the Hans-Sachs-Platz since 1999. A tiered carousel modelled on a steam carousel stands in the middle, and a miniature Ferris wheel and a little train circle beside it. Most stalls want your children to make something, from dipped candles to bars of soap at the workshop that's new for 2026. Nikolaus takes wishes in his own small house, and children can write to the Christkind at the museum post office stall.
The Christkind visits on weekday afternoons. In 2025 the visits ran Tuesday to Friday from 14:30 to 15:00, starting with a free ride on the tiered carousel. Across the square, the Sternenhaus in the Heilig-Geist-Haus at Hans-Sachs-Platz 2 runs children's theatre and puppet shows through Advent, and in 2025 the Christkind held a half-hour story time there on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 14:00.
The 2026 run is confirmed from 27 November to 30 December. Hours for 2026 aren't out yet; in 2025 the square opened 10:00 to 21:00, closed at 14:00 on Christmas Eve and stayed shut on Christmas Day. That leaves the carousels turning between 26 and 30 December, after the stalls on the Hauptmarkt have gone.
Worth knowing
- Book Sternenhaus shows online at sternenhaus.nuernberg.de; the box office opens 30 minutes before the first show of the day.
- Come on a Tuesday to Friday afternoon if your children want to meet the Christkind, going by the 2025 schedule.
Quick answers about Nuremberg Kinderweihnacht
When is the Nuremberg Kinderweihnacht open in 2026?
The Nuremberg Kinderweihnacht runs from 27 November to 30 December 2026 on the Hans-Sachs-Platz, as the market's own page confirms. Daily hours for 2026 are not yet published; in 2025 they were 10:00 to 21:00.
Is the Nuremberg Kinderweihnacht open after Christmas?
Yes. The Nuremberg Kinderweihnacht stays open until 30 December 2026, after the main Christkindlesmarkt closes on 24 December. In 2025 it closed only on Christmas Day.
In the journal and guides
Read more about Nuremberg Kinderweihnacht
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.