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Christmas market Havelberg

Wooden pyramid and decorated stalls on the Havelberg market square at night
Market square at the town hall: pyramid, stalls and red windows.

Three days of winter at the historic town hall: the Havelberg Christmas market belongs to the year of the Hanseatic town. Small, easy to take in, with the island town behind it.

Unlike the large city markets the Havelberg Christmas market stays deliberately quiet. It stands on the market square in front of the town hall, in the middle of the island town. Lovingly decorated stalls, the smell of mulled wine and pastry, a children’s programme and live music shape the picture. Entry is free.

The wooden huts come from the municipal yard and look alike. That is part of the picture. As long as a stall is free, anyone can order one and put goods out for sale.

When does the market take place?

The Havelberg Christmas market sits on the second weekend in Advent, from Friday to Sunday.

Opening hours are Friday and Saturday from 2 pm to 9 pm, Sunday from 2 pm to 6 pm. The mayor and Father Christmas open it together on the stage on the market square.

Place and atmosphere

The scene is the market square at the town hall (Markt 1) on the island. The historic row of houses and the town hall form the backdrop. In the stalls there are Christmas goods and things to eat. Popular photo spots are the sparkling wooden pyramid and the children’s carousel.

In the evening bands play; at the opening the children’s choir „Havelspatzen“ and Father Christmas often appear. What has he brought this year?

Evening on the square: stage, crowd and the pyramid turning above the stalls.

School stall for the leaving party

A fixture of the market is the stall of the leaving classes from the Gymnasium and the Sekundarschule. They bake themselves and sell biscuits, pizza and apple punch. The takings go towards their leaving party.

The hut smells of dough and spice. Someone pours punch, someone turns pizza, someone packs bags of biscuits. It is one of the stands where you stay a moment longer, not only because of the food.

Homemade biscuits, pizza and apple punch at the school stall.

Music and something warm to eat

Brass players in coats stand on the stage, later a band takes over. Between the stalls people hold cups and talk. The square is small enough that you hear the music from every corner.

Brass on the stage, stalls and red windows behind.
Full square in the evening, pyramid in the middle, band on the stage.

From the grill comes smoke and something in a bun. Clubs and associations stand in the huts as well, among them the supporters of the fire brigade from Kuhlhausen. You walk a circle and have seen the market.

From the grate into the bun.
Wide view of the Havelberg Christmas market with pyramid and town houses
The whole square in one glance: stalls, pyramid, town hall row.

What to expect

Gallery

Stalls and crowd on the Havelberg market square
Between the stalls.
Wooden Christmas pyramid with candles on the market square
The pyramid in the middle of the square.
Brass players on the stage at the Christmas market
Brass on the stage.
Interior of a wooden stall at the Christmas market
Inside one of the wooden huts.
Bags of homemade biscuits at the school stall
Biscuits from the school stall.
Open grill with skewers at the Christmas market
Grill under the tent.

Stay and getting there

The market is on foot from almost every stay on the island. Who comes from outside parks usefully at the edge of the island or at the known places and walks the last metres. More under parking in Havelberg.

On the Advent weekend beds in Havelberg are in demand, even if the press is smaller than at the horse market. Who wants to stay books early. An overview sits under places to stay in Havelberg. For warming up and eating, restaurants and cafés on the island and nearby sit a short walk away; see restaurants.

By bus you reach Havelberg on the line Stendal - Havelberg - Glöwen. By car on the B107. The island itself is small; once you have arrived, you move best on foot.

Contact and official information

Responsible for the market is the Hanseatic town of Havelberg, Amt für Ordnung, Kultur und Soziales.
Telephone: 039387 765-53
Address: Markt 1, 39539 Havelberg

Programme, stall applications and short-notice changes are published by the town on its website. This page gathers the fixed pattern and the character of the market, so you can prepare.

At a glance