Overview
- M Dresden’s Striezelmarkt finalizes preparations for a Nov. 26 opening with stable food and drink prices, a cup deposit rising to €5, the return of the Great Miners’ Parade on Dec. 20, and expanded security measures to be detailed next week.
- City associations say security outlays have risen "enormously" and call on states and the federal government to cover terror‑prevention costs, while the Schaustellerbund warns more events will be canceled if organizers must pay.
- In North Rhine-Westphalia, Overath canceled its market and Kerpen scaled back to a smaller Advent event, with Interior Minister Herbert Reul calling the cancellations regrettable but stressing there can be no compromises on safety.
- Organizers of the Winterwunderland at Schloss Tüßling confirmed the event will not continue after the 2024/25 season, and Hamburg’s Rahlstedt “Winterterrassen” has been permanently closed after just two years.
- Alternative models proliferate, including limited‑date forest markets in Velen and Vosswinkel, a capped‑attendance “[K]ein Weihnachtsmarkt” at Schloss Drachenburg with online tickets, and Aldi Süd’s pop‑up markets selling €1 items and donating proceeds to the Off Road Kids foundation.