Cologne Christmas Markets 2026, from 13 Nov to 10 Jan
Of the 12 Christmas Markets on the map, the Cologne Harbour Christmas Market and the Stadtgarten Christmas Market open first, on Friday 13 November 2026. Five more follow on Monday 16 November, among them the Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral, and Heinzels Wintermärchen opens on Monday 23 November. The season runs until Sunday 10 January 2027.
The opening dates come in four waves. After the two markets of 13 November, the Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral, the Market of Angels, Nikolausdorf on Rudolfplatz, Heavenue and the Christmas Market at St. Aposteln open on Monday 16 November, the Monday a week before Totensonntag (Sunday of the Dead). Santa's Christmas Market, Vringsadvent and the Cologne-West Christmas Market follow on Thursday 19 November. The fourth wave, on Monday 23 November, the day after Totensonntag, brings Heinzels Wintermärchen and the Sülzer Weihnachtsdorf.
Several markets mark the opening day with a programme. The Cologne Harbour Christmas Market starts with classical music from 17:00 on 13 November, and the Stadtgarten Christmas Market holds an opening concert at 18:00 the same evening. On 16 November the Christmas Market at St. Aposteln has an opening ceremony at 16:00, and the stage programme at the Market of Angels begins at 17:15. Nikolausdorf on Rudolfplatz opens its stage on Tuesday 17 November at 18:00, and Santa's Christmas Market starts its season on 19 November with a charity sing-along for the RTL Spendenmarathon.
Each of the Cologne Christmas Markets has its own organiser, stalls and food.
Christmas Market Cologne calendar, opening and closing dates
Opening day, closing day and full-day closures of each market in 2026, in map order:
| # | Christmas Market | Opens | Closes | Closed on |
|---|
| 1 | Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral | Mon 16 Nov 2026 | Wed 23 Dec 2026 | 22 Nov |
| 2 | Market of Angels | Mon 16 Nov 2026 | Wed 23 Dec 2026 | 22 Nov |
| 3 | Heinzels Wintermärchen | Mon 23 Nov 2026 | Sun 10 Jan 2027 | 24 and 25 Dec |
| 4 | Nikolausdorf on Rudolfplatz | Mon 16 Nov 2026 | Wed 23 Dec 2026 | 22 Nov |
| 5 | Cologne Harbour Christmas Market | Fri 13 Nov 2026 | Sun 3 Jan 2027 | 24 and 25 Dec |
| 6 | Stadtgarten Christmas Market | Fri 13 Nov 2026 | Wed 23 Dec 2026 | |
| 7 | Heavenue | Mon 16 Nov 2026 | Wed 23 Dec 2026 | |
| 8 | Christmas Market at St. Aposteln | Mon 16 Nov 2026 | Wed 30 Dec 2026 | 22 Nov |
| 9 | Santa's Christmas Market | Thu 19 Nov 2026 | Wed 23 Dec 2026 | |
| 10 | Vringsadvent | Thu 19 Nov 2026 | Wed 23 Dec 2026 | |
| 11 | Cologne-West Christmas Market | Thu 19 Nov 2026 | Wed 23 Dec 2026 | |
| 12 | Sülzer Weihnachtsdorf | Mon 23 Nov 2026 | Wed 23 Dec 2026 | |
| # | 1 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral |
|---|
| Opens | Mon 16 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Wed 23 Dec 2026 |
|---|
| Closed on | 22 Nov |
|---|
| # | 2 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Market of Angels |
|---|
| Opens | Mon 16 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Wed 23 Dec 2026 |
|---|
| Closed on | 22 Nov |
|---|
| # | 3 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Heinzels Wintermärchen |
|---|
| Opens | Mon 23 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Sun 10 Jan 2027 |
|---|
| Closed on | 24 and 25 Dec |
|---|
| # | 4 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Nikolausdorf on Rudolfplatz |
|---|
| Opens | Mon 16 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Wed 23 Dec 2026 |
|---|
| Closed on | 22 Nov |
|---|
| # | 5 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Cologne Harbour Christmas Market |
|---|
| Opens | Fri 13 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Sun 3 Jan 2027 |
|---|
| Closed on | 24 and 25 Dec |
|---|
| # | 6 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Stadtgarten Christmas Market |
|---|
| Opens | Fri 13 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Wed 23 Dec 2026 |
|---|
| Closed on | |
|---|
| # | 7 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Heavenue |
|---|
| Opens | Mon 16 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Wed 23 Dec 2026 |
|---|
| Closed on | |
|---|
| # | 8 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Christmas Market at St. Aposteln |
|---|
| Opens | Mon 16 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Wed 30 Dec 2026 |
|---|
| Closed on | 22 Nov |
|---|
| # | 9 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Santa's Christmas Market |
|---|
| Opens | Thu 19 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Wed 23 Dec 2026 |
|---|
| Closed on | |
|---|
| # | 10 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Vringsadvent |
|---|
| Opens | Thu 19 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Wed 23 Dec 2026 |
|---|
| Closed on | |
|---|
| # | 11 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Cologne-West Christmas Market |
|---|
| Opens | Thu 19 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Wed 23 Dec 2026 |
|---|
| Closed on | |
|---|
| # | 12 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Sülzer Weihnachtsdorf |
|---|
| Opens | Mon 23 Nov 2026 |
|---|
| Closes | Wed 23 Dec 2026 |
|---|
| Closed on | |
|---|
A Sunday 22 November opening is unconfirmed for Heavenue, Vringsadvent and the Cologne-West Christmas Market, and no plans for 24, 25 and 26 December have been announced for the Christmas Market at St. Aposteln. The numbers match the Cologne Christmas Market map, and the times of day are set out with the daily hours of the Cologne Christmas Markets.
More on the 2026 season: the Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral (in German), Heinzels Wintermärchen and the Cologne Harbour Christmas Market.
Closing dates of the Cologne Christmas Markets
The markets close in four waves. Nine of them end on Wednesday 23 December 2026: the Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral, the Market of Angels, Nikolausdorf on Rudolfplatz, the Stadtgarten Christmas Market, Heavenue, Santa's Christmas Market, Vringsadvent, the Cologne-West Christmas Market and the Sülzer Weihnachtsdorf.
The Christmas Market at St. Aposteln on Neumarkt carries on until Wednesday 30 December. The Cologne Harbour Christmas Market is closed on 24 and 25 December, reopens on Saturday 26 December and stays open until Sunday 3 January 2027. Heinzels Wintermärchen is also closed on 24 and 25 December; its Alter Markt section ends on 23 December, and from 26 December only the Heumarkt section opens, until Sunday 10 January 2027.
How the Cologne Christmas Market dates have changed year by year
Past opening and closing days of four markets:
| Christmas Market | Season | Opened | Closed |
|---|
| Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral | 2024 | Mon 18 Nov 2024 | Mon 23 Dec 2024 |
| Market of Angels | 2024 | Mon 18 Nov 2024 | Mon 23 Dec 2024 |
| Market of Angels | 2025 | Mon 17 Nov 2025 | Tue 23 Dec 2025 |
| Heinzels Wintermärchen | 2024/25 | Mon 25 Nov 2024 | Sun 5 Jan 2025 |
| Stadtgarten Christmas Market | 2024 | Fri 15 Nov 2024 | Mon 23 Dec 2024 |
| Stadtgarten Christmas Market | 2025 | Fri 14 Nov 2025 | Tue 23 Dec 2025 |
| Christmas Market | Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral |
|---|
| Season | 2024 |
|---|
| Opened | Mon 18 Nov 2024 |
|---|
| Closed | Mon 23 Dec 2024 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Market of Angels |
|---|
| Season | 2024 |
|---|
| Opened | Mon 18 Nov 2024 |
|---|
| Closed | Mon 23 Dec 2024 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Market of Angels |
|---|
| Season | 2025 |
|---|
| Opened | Mon 17 Nov 2025 |
|---|
| Closed | Tue 23 Dec 2025 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Heinzels Wintermärchen |
|---|
| Season | 2024/25 |
|---|
| Opened | Mon 25 Nov 2024 |
|---|
| Closed | Sun 5 Jan 2025 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Stadtgarten Christmas Market |
|---|
| Season | 2024 |
|---|
| Opened | Fri 15 Nov 2024 |
|---|
| Closed | Mon 23 Dec 2024 |
|---|
| Christmas Market | Stadtgarten Christmas Market |
|---|
| Season | 2025 |
|---|
| Opened | Fri 14 Nov 2025 |
|---|
| Closed | Tue 23 Dec 2025 |
|---|
In 2024 the Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral and the Market of Angels opened on the Monday a week before Totensonntag and ran until 23 December. The Market of Angels kept that pattern in 2025, and in 2026 the same Monday falls on 16 November. Both markets were closed on Totensonntag in 2024, and the Market of Angels again in 2025. The Stadtgarten Christmas Market opened on the Friday before that Monday in 2024 and 2025, as it does in 2026. Heinzels Wintermärchen began on the day after Totensonntag in 2024, as in 2026, and ran into January.
