2019 Frankfurt Christmas market events calendar
Frankfurt Christmas market special events by date - the peeling of the city church bells, special steam engine rides, Christmas concerts and music and special Christmas arts fairs too!
The Frankfurt 2019 Christmas Market opens on Monday November 25th and runs until December 21st. It’s opening hours are 10am - 9pm Monday to Saturday and 11am - 9pm on Sundays. In the city centre the Christmas market is hosted on the Römerberg, Friedrich-Stoltze-Platz and Hauptwache. Additional markets are held at the Thurn & Taxis Palais, and the Goetheturm and Paradiesplatz in Sachsenhausen.
Listed below, by date are the events taking place during the Frankfurt Christmas market. The following link has a map of the Christmas market locations. Meanwhile, click on this link for a general guide which will get you round to all the central Christmas market sites and has suggestions for typical Frankfurt Christmas treats.
Daily - at 9.05am, 12.05pm and 5.05pm the beautiful carillon bells of St. Nicholas church (Römerberg) ring out. Played by Yuko Tajima
25 Nov - 5pm Official Opening of the Frankfurt Christmas Market, outside the Römer (town hall).
25 Nov - 22 Dec - Opening of the Weihnachtsmarkt Goetheturm. Daily from 4pm. Click here for details.
25 Nov - 31 Dec - Opening of the Thurn & Taxis Weihnachtsmarkt. Daily from 4pm- 11pm. Click here for details.
26 Nov - 22 Dec Daily 12pm – 8pm Christmas Arts Market in St. Paul's Church (Paulskirche). An arts fair hosted by local artists with items for sale.
27 Nov - 6pm Brass chorus from the balcony of the St. Nicholas church (Römerberg).
29 Nov - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
30 Nov - 4.30pm Pealing of the church bells 50 bells from 10 churches ring out across Frankfurt simultaneously.
30 Nov - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
30 Nov - 6pm Brass chorus from the balcony of the St. Nicholas church (Römerberg).
01 Dec - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
4 Dec - 6pm Brass chorus from the balcony of the St. Nicholas church (Römerberg).
06 Dec - 22 Dec Opening of the Alt-Sachsenhausen Christmas Market on Paradiesplatz Click here for details.
06 Dec - 5.30pm A visit from St. Nicholas, starting at the Römerberg stage by the town hall.
06 Dec – 21 Dec - Christmas Market Arts Fair in the Townhall (Römerhallen), daily from 12pm – 8pm. Entrance is behind the large Christmas tree! An arts fair hosted by local artists with items for sale including ceramics, photographs, sculptures and jewellery.
06 Dec - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
07 Dec - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
07 Dec - 6pm Brass chorus from the balcony of the St. Nicholas church (Römerberg).
08 Dec - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
11 Dec - 6pm Brass chorus from the balcony of the St. Nicholas church (Römerberg).
13 Dec - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
14 & 15 Dec - 11am - 8pm Historic steam engine rides with St. Nicolas - last ride at 7pm. Departing at the Eisener Steg. Tickets can be bought at embarkation or in advance. Click here for more information and timetable.
14 Dec - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
14 Dec - 6pm Brass chorus from the balcony of the St. Nicholas church (Römerberg).
15 Dec - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
18 Dec - 6pm Brass chorus from the balcony of the St. Nicholas church (Römerberg).
20 Dec - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
21 Dec - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
21 Dec - 6pm Brass chorus from the balcony of the St. Nicholas church (Römerberg).
22 Dec - 5.10pm Advents concert on the Römerberg.
24 Dec -5pm Pealing of the church bells, 50 bells from 10 churches ring out across Frankfurt simultaneously.
How to spend one day in Frankfurt
Things to do on a sunny day
Download an Audio Tour and enjoy a self-guided walking tour taking in all the main central sights, or buy the Walk Frankfurt book, paperback and kindle formats, available on global Amazon sites. This blog page highlights all the main Frankfurt attractions which are typical during a Walk Frankfurt tour.
Simply relax along the River Main and watch the World pass by. On the south bank of the river, during the summer months, boats are moored by the Eiserner Steg where you can buy a coffee, beer or whatever you fancy. By the Untermainbrücke there is also the Maincafe, right on the river bank, with lots of outdoor seating.
Join in with local life at the farmer's markets. On Thursday and Saturday the market is hosted at the Konstablerwache. On Friday there is a market on Schillerstraße (09:00 - 18:30), right outside the Stock Exchange (Börse).
Take a 100 minute Primus Line cruise up and down the Main river. The boats offer refreshment on board and a cool breeze on a hot day.
Go for a walk around the Frankfurter Wallanlage. The ring of parkland that surrounds the city centre follows the old path of the 14th century city battlements and is approximately 5km long with interesting art and artefacts to see on the way.
Walk east along the northern banks of the River Main towards the European Central Bank. There you will find a cafe/restaurant Oosten, with great food and a sunny terrace.
Enjoy cafe life in Frankfurt city centre. This link suggests a few places to hang out and look like a real local.
Things to do on a rainy day
Visit the multiple museums in Frankfurt - if you are going to use the public transport consider the Frankfurt Card which gives you free travel and 20% discount on entry to many museums and attractions. If you don't need transport then consider buying a Museums Card. Once bought it will give you free entry into all of Frankfurt's museums for two days. For more information on museums pricing and buying tickets see this blog post on Frankfurt's museums.
Visit the churches - the Kaiserdom, Alte Nikolai and Katherinenkirche are all very centrally located and welcoming. Paulskirche hosts a permanent, free, exhibition dedicated to the first National Assembly of 1848 and has an amazing mural by Johannes Grützke.
Head to the Kleinmarkthalle, browse the stalls including the famous Schreiber stall serving freshly boiled sausage, snack on regional produce, or go upstairs to the first floor and sample a glass of local Riesling at the Rollanderhof.
Go and see the 16th century fresco in the Karmelitekloster. Entry is free and you can hire an English audio guide for 2€ from the reception desk with 90 minutes of information about the fresco and the artist, Jörg Ratgeb.
Take a look around a German concept shop called Manufactum, opposite the Alte Oper on Reuterweg. The shop stocks a variety of different objects and has a tasty cafe too.
