Overview
- Berlin launches early with Winterwelt at Potsdamer Platz on October 31 and the Lichtenberger Winterzauber on November 1, with the Christmas market returning to Gendarmenmarkt from November 24.
- Duisburg’s market adds a synthetic ice rink and an ice‑stock lane as energy‑saving features, with organiser Duisburg Kontor investing nearly €100,000 for the plastic rink ahead of the November 13 opening.
- Dortmund’s Schloss Bodelschwingh Christmas market is cancelled for 2025 and 2026 as the site undergoes major renovation after water damage.
- Hamburg‑Rahlstedt’s Winterterrassen is permanently discontinued due to low vendor revenues, and Rostock’s IGA‑Park market is cancelled again as focus shifts to a medieval festival planned for May 2026.
- An alternative ‘Landweihnacht’ debuts in Castrop‑Rauxel from November 27 to 30, and nationwide the season remains broad with more than 2,500 markets planned, including over 60 in Berlin.