Dresden Christmas Market dates:
late November to late December
Dresden Christmas Market hours:
Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to 21:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 23:00, Christmas Eve 10:00 to 14:00.
The annual Dresden Christmas Market is the oldest of its kind in Germany. Dating back to 1434, the market is officially called the Striezelmarkt.
Dresden’s market is home to hundreds of Christmas market stalls selling all of the traditional crafts and foods for which German Christmas markets are best known. These include classic wooden Christmas pyramids, candles and candle holders, textiles, blown glass, Christmas tree ornaments, gingerbread, sausages, and hot spiced wine.
Live music and performances are an integral part of the market, as are two special events. One is the Stollen Festival, which takes place on the Saturday before the second Sunday of Advent. The other is the Pyramid Festival, which takes place on the Saturday before the third Sunday of Advent.
The market is also famous for being home to the world’s tallest wooden Christmas pyramid and the world’s biggest nutcracker. Additionally, it is known for the seasonal stollen cake, from which the Striezelmarkt got its name (the cake was historically called Striezel).
The Dresden Christmas Market is located right by Dresden’s newly rebuilt Frauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady, which is in the Dresden city centre.