Overview
- Overath in North Rhine-Westphalia canceled its market after organizers said they could not cover rising security costs and the city declined to assume them, citing a court ruling that such expenses cannot be shifted to private hosts.
- Kerpen scaled back and rebranded its event as a smaller "Genussmarkt im Advent" to reduce required barriers and security services after lacking municipal support.
- Darmstadt Marketing bought €500,000 in certified mobile vehicle barriers to comply with a Hessian directive for large events, plans to recoup costs by renting them out, and is adding staff and adjusting stall locations for access control.
- NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul called cancellations regrettable but said safety cannot be compromised given the current threat, as municipal groups report security outlays in some places have doubled.
- On-site measures now include police "Weihnachtsmarkt" patrols, bag checks enabled by knife bans, and expanded street protection, while visitors complain about higher prices and one Hamburg district market closed permanently over weak revenues.