Christmas 2026
Four weeks of Advent, one candlelit night, and a market that smells of cloves.
Countdown to Christmas 2026
Dates
When is Christmas?
Christmas 2026 falls from Friday, 27 November 2026 to Saturday, 26 December 2026. In 2027 it falls from Friday, 26 November 2027 to Sunday, 26 December 2027 (expected; it can move by a day).
The city of Nuremberg has published the market dates of 27 November to 24 December 2026, followed by Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day.
Date checked against nuernberg.de
| Year | Dates | Length | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27 November – 26 December 2026Fri – Sat | 30 days | Confirmed |
| 2027 | 26 November – 26 December 2027Fri – Sun | 31 days | Expected |
See every festival by date in the 2026 festival calendar and 2027 festival calendar.
The story
What it is, and why it matters
- Type
- Festival of Lights
- Tradition
- Christian
- Where
- Nuremberg, Bavaria
- Crowd
- Observed worldwide; Nuremberg's market draws visitors from across Europe
- UNESCO
- Not inscribed
Christmas is kept in almost every country on earth. We use Nuremberg as our window onto it because its Christkindlesmarkt is one of the oldest and best-documented Advent markets, and because it shows how the season is lived on the street, not only in church.
Christmas marks the birth of Jesus, celebrated by most Western churches on 25 December and by many Orthodox churches on 7 January. The date was settled in Rome by the fourth century, and over the following centuries it gathered older midwinter customs around it: evergreen branches, lights against the long nights, and a good deal of feasting.
In Nuremberg the season opens on the Friday before the first Sunday of Advent, when the Christkind, a young woman chosen by the city to play a golden-haired, angel-like figure, reads a prologue from the balcony of the Frauenkirche over the main market square. From then until Christmas Eve the Hauptmarkt fills with wooden stalls, and the city slows down into a month of mulled wine and carols.
Culture
Traditions, food and music of Christmas
Traditions
What actually happens
- Advent wreath — four candles, one lit each Sunday leading up to Christmas.
- The Christkind's prologue — the opening reading from the Frauenkirche balcony.
- Christmas Eve — in Germany the main evening of gifts, church and family dinner.
- Midnight Mass and carol services — worship across the world on the night of the 24th.
Food
The table, widened
- Nürnberger Rostbratwürste, three small sausages in a roll, and Lebkuchen spiced gingerbread.
- Glühwein, Stollen and roast goose or carp on Christmas Eve and Day, depending on the household.
Music
Sound of the crowd
'Stille Nacht' was first sung in Oberndorf, Austria, in 1818 and has since been translated into hundreds of languages. Brass ensembles and children's choirs play the market most evenings; churches move through Bach, Handel and centuries of regional carols.
Religion
Why this date
For Christians the feast celebrates the Incarnation — the belief that God became human in Jesus. Advent is a season of preparation, and Christmas itself is the start of a twelve-day season that runs to Epiphany on 6 January. Many people also mark it as a cultural and family holiday without religious observance.
History
How it survived
The Nuremberg market is linked to the Reformation era, when the 'Christkind' began to replace St Nicholas as the gift-bringer in Protestant households. A dated wooden box from 1628 is often cited as the market's earliest evidence. Wartime interruptions aside, it has been held on the Hauptmarkt for most of its modern history.
History
How it got here
The Nuremberg market is linked to the Reformation era, when the 'Christkind' began to replace St Nicholas as the gift-bringer in Protestant households. A dated wooden box from 1628 is often cited as the market's earliest evidence. Wartime interruptions aside, it has been held on the Hauptmarkt for most of its modern history.
4th c.
A fixed feast
Records from Rome show 25 December being kept as the Nativity.
1628
Market evidence
A dated box is commonly cited as the earliest trace of Nuremberg's market.
1818
Stille Nacht
The carol is first performed in Oberndorf near Salzburg.
Today
A global season
Christmas is observed as a religious feast, a public holiday or both in most countries.
Travel & practical
Visiting Nuremberg for Christmas
Getting there
Nuremberg airport is a short U-Bahn ride from the old town; high-speed trains link the city to Munich and Frankfurt.
Best timing
Weekday mornings are calmest. Weekend evenings in December are very crowded around the Hauptmarkt.
Practical notes
The market closes early on 24 December, and most shops and restaurants shut on the 25th and 26th. Book accommodation well ahead.
Plan the trip with free AltFTool tools
FAQ
Christmas: common questions
Straight answers to what people ask most about Christmas.
When is Christmas in 2026 and 2027?
Christmas Day is 25 December in both years — a Friday in 2026 and a Saturday in 2027. Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt runs from 27 November to 24 December 2026; in 2027 it is expected to open on 26 November, the Friday before the first Sunday of Advent.
Why do some churches celebrate on 7 January?
Several Orthodox churches still follow the Julian calendar for feast days, and 25 December on that calendar currently falls on 7 January.
Who is the Christkind?
A gift-bringing figure in parts of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In Nuremberg a local young person is chosen every two years to play the role and open the market.
Is the market open on Christmas Day?
No. It closes in the early afternoon of 24 December.
Also in November 2026
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