Targ Węglowy, ul. Bogusławskiego and ul. Tkacka, Wielka Zbrojownia and Zespół Przedbramia will once again fill with magical joy, and the sounds of Christmas songs will ring through the air, inviting everyone to discover the Christmas secrets that await at every step of the Gdańsk Christmas Market. In this fairytale place we will meet craftspeople, makers of handicrafts, artists and masters of flavour from different corners of the world, who will smilingly bring visitors closer to the Christmas atmosphere.
On 22 November the magic of Christmas will once again arrive at the Gdańsk Christmas Market. Beautifully decorated chalets will delight everyone who comes to immerse themselves in this wonderful winter story. Everywhere there will be fragrant spiced mulled wine, hot chocolate, gingerbread and a variety of handicrafts that will open hearts to the approaching Christmas.
“Best Christmas Market in Europe 2025” in Gdańsk?
Two days before the Gdańsk Christmas Market begins, the Best Christmas Markets in Europe competition will start. Voting, in which internet users take part, will run until 27 November. There are only 8 days to cast your votes: everyone can vote once a day from one device. The Gdańsk Christmas Market has taken part in this competition twice: in 2020 it came 3rd, and in 2022 it was 2nd in the ranking.
“Besides being a place of entertainment and good food, the Market is also an important tool of the economic policy of our city and region. An event that changes and develops every year is of course meant to attract tourists, but also to be an attraction for the residents of Gdańsk and Pomerania,” says Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdańsk.
– That is why I am very pleased that as a Christmas market we are noticed by various international organisations. Already today I want to encourage everyone to take part, for 8 days, from 20 to 27 November, in the vote for the most beautiful Christmas market in Europe. We have already entered this competition twice and took third and second place. Now all that remains is to fight for the dream of first place, but without all of us who will cast votes, that will not succeed.
The link to the competition is on the page: https://jb24.gda.pl, which redirects to the place where all the best European Christmas markets will be listed. The only representative of Poland on the list will be the Christmas Market from Gdańsk. Every vote counts towards winning the competition and awarding the Gdańsk event the title of the best in Europe. Let’s vote for Gdańsk and win this Christmas together!
What’s new at the Market begins on ul. Bogusławskiego
This year’s edition of the event brings several new features. The Gdańsk Christmas Market has been extended by another section of ul. Bogusławskiego. It will reach as far as ul. Ogarna. This is also where the traditional Advent Gate will stand, whose windows will be ceremonially opened on 1–23 December. Above the new part of the Market an illuminated roof will hang, made up of 2,688 LEDs covering an area of 100 m². Under the “roof” will be the Market’s food and drink chalets. This year, across the whole Market, there will be as many as 20 different world cuisines. You will be able to try dishes such as: beef skewer from Lebanese cuisine, Mexican chilli con carne, pasta in parmesan from Italian cuisine, lamb from Uzbek cuisine, the German Flammkuchen that returns to the Market, or Venezuelan arepas.
There will also be seafood in various forms: in tempura, in a sandwich (e.g. lobster) and fresh oysters. Of course, the much-loved classics will not be missing, such as: Hungarian langos, chimney cake, Swiss raclette cheese, Spanish churros, German currywurst, as well as cinnamon and pistachio rolls.
There will be 198 stalls at the Christmas Market. Among the exhibitors, traders from Gdańsk and Pomerania predominate.
Tastes of Pomerania
The regional aspect has always been one of the most important principles of the Gdańsk Christmas Market. It is visible not only among the traders, but also in special initiatives. Together with the Pomorskie Voivodeship Local Government, the organisers of the 2024 Gdańsk Christmas Market invite you to Tastes of Pomerania. The new event will take place on 22–24 November. Tastes of Pomerania will include 26 stalls with traditional, regional and organic Pomeranian products, located in Wielka Zbrojownia.
During the Market there will also be another stall with Pomeranian products from the National Support Centre for Agriculture, Pruszcz Gdański branch, which will also promote the #KupujŚwiadomie campaign.
– We are also joining this beautiful initiative and would like the Christmas market that is in the very heart of Gdańsk to be the most beautiful Christmas market in Europe – stressed Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of the Pomorskie Voivodeship.
– On the one hand we have great Christmas traditions, which are observed in our country and in Pomerania, and on the other hand we would like to show the strength of the local economy, including Pomeranian flavours. More than 60% of the stalls are stalls from Pomerania. What has been rooted for many years in our tradition, the tradition of our families, we will be able to taste here. We will find preserves, dishes and delicacies prepared by rural housewives’ circles and village community initiatives, and I encourage you to taste them. And once again I will stress it and appeal to all residents of Pomerania to vote for our Christmas market, which is the best in the whole of Europe.
Market corners
The Market’s special corners are a tradition. New this year will be the Advent Corner on ul. Bogusławskiego, whose attractions will be the aforementioned Advent Gate and the Light Roof. The Angelic Corner, meanwhile, will be moved to Zespół Przedbramia, where there will be: an illumination of angel wings, atmospheric lighting, and a gazebo for recording shadows, an Instaspot, which will create a kind of shadow theatre.
“34 per cent of the stalls and 40 per cent of the food and drink at the Market are from Gdańsk, which is of enormous importance for the Gdańsk economy. Not only for exhibitors, but for the whole city. The Market is, after all, a tool of a kind that allows us to spread the tourist season across the whole year. For many years we had a high tourist season in July and August, and now, year on year, that is changing. I think many tourists will now come to Gdańsk to enjoy both what the Market itself has to offer and the offer of Gdańsk’s hotels and restaurants, which will have a chance to stabilise employment and work throughout the year,” says Piotr Grzelak, Deputy Mayor for Sustainable Development and Investment.
Zbrojownia Sztuki will also get a new look. Visitors will surely be delighted by the arrangement and set design of the interiors, as well as by the Festive Chamber and Christmas Factory. The Main Stage at Targ Węglowy will also be changed: a beautiful new set design will appear here too. These places feature many times in the rich cultural programme of the Christmas Market, which is available on the Market’s website.
“When it comes to shopping and Christmas gifts, it has to be the Christmas Market. You really will not find gifts like these anywhere else. There will be plenty of craftspeople, artists, handmade goods, beautiful baubles, fragrant soaps from Provence, wooden toys and beautifully published books. Besides gifts, of course, there is food and drink. This year that means more than 20 world cuisines. Besides Polish cuisine, at the Market we will also find Afghan, Lebanese, Italian and Argentine cuisine. At these stalls you will try Christmas treats from different parts of the world,” said Dorota Solochewicz, Manager of the Christmas Market.
The Christmas town at Targ Węglowy, on ul. Bogusławskiego and ul. Tkacka, and in Arts and Crafts in Zbrojownia is a place where everyone will find inspiration and discover Polish blown and hand-painted baubles, decorations made of wood and traditional tissue paper, and even baubles made from ostrich eggs. Amber will be seen in many forms: as Christmas decorations, jewellery and design elements. Visitors will be enchanted by unique ceramics and porcelain from Poland and abroad, hand-made glass lanterns, and Christmas tree decorations, both traditional and modern. There will also be natural cosmetics and fragrant soy candles. You will also be able to buy colourful decorative gingerbread.
The Market also means Polish winter fashion designs, including unique woollen scarves and animal hats. And for our youngest visitors, the traders will provide handmade toys, teddy bears and beautifully published books.
During the Market there will, of course, be the magical AmberSky Christmas Travel Corner. This special place will have attractions dedicated to the youngest visitors (and not only!): the VR simulator Santa Claus’s Magic Sleigh, the Gdańsk Carousel and the spinning coaster – Spinning Barrels. The Corner also includes the Observation Wheel on Ołowianka.
Right behind the spinning coaster the Fairytale Corner will be hidden, where you can feel like a child. Beautiful glowing figures that “pose” perfectly for photos will bring a magical Christmas mood.
At Targ Węglowy, visitors will also find the Amber Corner – an exceptional exhibition, “Treasure Box of the Future / Kapsuła Przyszłości”, which shows visitors a modern form of amber that can make a great Christmas gift.
In the very heart of Targ Węglowy a giant gift will await visitors, which you can step inside to create a unique family photograph. Grupa GPEC, together with Fundacja Hospicyjna and AMBEREXPO, is preparing this magical place full of Christmas warmth to help those most in need. The photo can be personalised with a message to loved ones, and the whole thing will be set in a beautiful Christmas frame. All proceeds from this initiative will support those in the care of Fundacja Hospicyjna. Because this Christmas, what counts is the magic of helping.
It is worth recalling that, as is traditional, the organisers of the Gdańsk Christmas Market will also donate part of the proceeds from the sale of Market mugs to Fundacja Hospicyjna; this year they will be available in a refreshed version.
Stalls open to visitors:
Sunday – Thursday 12:00–20:00
Friday – Saturday 12:00–21:00
Christmas attractions in Gdańsk
From 1 December our city will turn into a true Christmas land! In 15 districts Christmas trees will light up, three of them in the city centre. The main tree at Długi Targ, decorated with 25 thousand energy-saving LED lights, will become the heart of the Christmas illuminations.
In addition, more than 400 decorative elements will appear across Gdańsk, 280 of which will light up the street lamps on main streets and in transport routes. There are also special free-standing elements, such as photo frames, cranes, historic vehicles, a peacock, floating ships, water flowers and a light curtain in Park Oliwski. In total, several million energy-saving LEDs will shine across the city, creating a unique atmosphere.
Dates worth remembering:
5 December: Santa Claus will sail along the Motława to solemnly light up the city Christmas tree.
22 December: a shared Christmas Eve supper at Długi Targ, full of warmth and Christmas joy.
New Year’s Eve (31 December): concerts in Brzeźno and Chełm will round off the night as the year says goodbye.
The Christmas illuminations will be there to admire from 5 December until 2 February. We invite all residents to celebrate this magical time together!
