Cologne Christmas Markets 2026

KW Kölner Weihnachtsgesellschaft runs the Christmas Market on Roncalliplatz. Its stalls sell wood carvings, glass, ceramics, toys, handmade candles and upcycled goods, and most of the food and drink is certified organic. A decorated tree rises under a canopy of lights, the central stage hosts more than 100 events, and a children's programme fills Tuesday to Thursday. No entry ticket is needed. The market is open from 16 November to 23 December 2026 and is closed on 22 November.

CityProjekt Veranstaltungs runs the Market of Angels on Neumarkt, where angels and lit stilt figures walk beneath stars hung in the trees. Its stalls offer decorations, crafts and gifts in glass, felt, paper, stone, wood and metal. A historic jumping-horse carousel turns on the square, and outsized figures from the Hänneschen puppet theatre call in on set days. No entry ticket is needed. It runs from 16 November to 23 December 2026 and is closed on 22 November.

Photo: Market of Angels on Neumarkt by Superbass (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Heinzel GmbH spreads Heinzels Wintermärchen across Alter Markt and Heumarkt, with more than 100 stalls in themed lanes and artisans from across Europe at work in the Handwerkergasse. On Heumarkt an open-air ice rink loops around the equestrian statue; the ice rink and the ice-stock lanes need a ticket. Children find a Christmas Post Office, a Ferris wheel and a historic carousel. It runs from 23 November 2026 to 10 January 2027 and is closed on 24 and 25 December.

Nikolausdorf on Rudolfplatz is a village of lit half-timbered huts set against the Hahnentorburg gate. The huts sell Belgian pralines, pyrography, silk goods, light-up stars, olive wood from Bethlehem and tree decorations. Children make crafts in the heated Nikolaushaus, St Nicholas walks the lanes at dusk, a stage hosts Cologne artists in the evenings, and a village chapel offers a quiet corner. It is open from 16 November to 23 December 2026 and is closed on 22 November.

Photo: Christmas Market on Rudolfplatz by Geolina163 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

HWK Hafenweihnachtsmarkt runs the market on the square by the Chocolate Museum, which has hosted a Christmas Market for over 25 years. Its stalls sell hand-carved nativity scenes, jewellery, leather and cork goods, wooden games and spices. A 48-metre Ferris wheel looks over the Rhine, alongside a children's carousel, a mini train and live ice carving. No entry ticket is needed. It runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 and is closed on 24 and 25 December.

Photo: Christmas Market at the Chocolate Museum by Jorge Franganillo (CC BY 2.0)

The Stadtgarten's restaurant company runs this craft and design market in the Stadtgarten park, near the Belgian Quarter. More than sixty exhibitors, changing weekly, sell crafts, handmade goods, design, jewellery, stationery, clothing and decorations. Children can watch Kasper (Punch and Judy) shows from Tuesday to Friday. No entry ticket is needed. The market runs from 13 November to 23 December 2026.

Photo: Christmas Market in the Stadtgarten by Superbass (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Heavenue continues a gay and lesbian Christmas Market held in central Cologne since 2012, under the Heavenue name since 2018, and Chicos Event runs it on Friesenplatz. Pastel stalls gather local brands and independent makers selling gifts, home décor, accessories and beauty products. A daily stage brings drag shows, DJs and live acts, next to a rotating Christmas tree and a fountain with water jets. No entry ticket is needed. It runs from 16 November to 23 December 2026.

Photo: Friesenplatz by Raimond Spekking (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The parish of St. Aposteln and two families run this Christmas Market on the church square. Its nativity scene, with hand-carved figures in lime wood, belongs to Cologne's Krippenweg, a trail of nativity scenes, and live music plays in the evenings once the market has opened. It is open from 16 November to 30 December 2026 and is closed on 22 November.

Photo: Christmas Market on Neumarkt below St. Aposteln by Superbass (CC BY-SA 3.0)

MVP Weihnachtsmarkt runs Santa's Christmas Market in the MediaPark. Its centre is the Elfenhaus, a heated two-storey tent by the lake, and in the covered Elfengasse elves refill mulled wine. A curling arena with five lanes is booked per slot, a walk-in snow globe records video greetings, and rides on the Santa in the Sky sleigh, which rises about 50 metres, can only be won. No entry ticket is needed. It runs from 19 November to 23 December 2026.

Photo: MediaPark by Superbass (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Vringsadvent began in 2014 and is run on Chlodwigplatz by the Interessengemeinschaft Severinsviertel. Retailers, food vendors, clubs and artists from the neighbourhood and the region fill its huts, with a rotating Veedel hut and a project hut where charities and social projects present their work. A slideshow of the quarter's history is projected onto the Severinstorburg gate, and children ride a carousel. No entry ticket is needed. It runs from 19 November to 23 December 2026.

Photo: Christmas Market on Chlodwigplatz by Superbass (CC BY-SA 4.0)

YETI Tea runs the Cologne-West Christmas Market at Quartier B in Bickendorf, built around a partly heated covered tent of about 4,000 m². Selected crafts, winter food and live music fill the site, a 500 m² ice rink adds ice stock, and the stage brings Christmas music and Cologne bands. No entry ticket is needed; the ice rink needs a ticket. It runs from 19 November to 23 December 2026.

Photo: Former 4711 factory by Schorle (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Sülzer Weihnachtsdorf (Sülz Christmas Village) holds its fourth edition on Elisabeth-von-Mumm-Platz in 2026. Local restaurants, traders and creatives run most of the huts: 7 food huts, 3 mulled-wine huts and 1 hot-cocktail hut, plus shops whose makers change regularly. Four nativity scenes, a children's carousel and a donation hut complete the village, and the Ventana next door hosts exhibitions and music. It runs from 23 November to 23 December 2026.

Photo: Elisabeth-von-Mumm-Platz by MOs810 (CC BY 4.0)