The calendar
Totensonntag: which German Christmas markets are closed on 22 November 2026
Totensonntag, also called Ewigkeitssonntag, is the last Sunday of the Protestant church year and the Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent. It is a day of remembrance for the dead. In 2026 it falls on 22 November.
German states protect the day as a quiet day under their public-holiday laws, with limits on public entertainment. The rules differ from state to state. That is why many German Christmas markets open only after Totensonntag, and why the few that open earlier often close for that Sunday.
The lists below come from the dates and closures published for each market and recorded on its page here. Where an organiser has not said anything about the day, this guide does not guess: check the organiser before you travel on 22 November.
Closed on Totensonntag, 22 November
- Cologne — Cologne Cathedral Christmas Market: 16 November – 23 December 2026 · Closed on Totensonntag, 22 November 2026.
- Freiburg — Freiburg Christmas Market: 19 November – 23 December 2026 · Closed on Totensonntag, 22 November 2026.
- Munich — Munich Christkindlmarkt: 20 November – 24 December 2026 · Closed all day on Totensonntag, 22 November 2026. The city says the stalls reopen on Monday 23 November.
- Rothenburg ob der Tauber — Rothenburg Reiterlesmarkt: 20 November – 23 December 2026 · Closed on Totensonntag, 22 November 2026.
- Trier — Trier Christmas Market: 20 November – 22 December 2026 · Closed on Totensonntag, 22 November 2026.
Open on Totensonntag, with shorter hours
- Aachen — Aachen Christmas Market: 20 November – 23 December 2026 · Daily 11:00–21:00, except Totensonntag, 22 November, when the page lists 18:00–21:00. Saturday 12 December is described as a longer market day; the exact late close is on aachenweihnachtsmarkt.de.
Opening after Totensonntag
- Berlin — WeihnachtsZauber at Gendarmenmarkt: 23 November – 31 December 2026
- Bremen — Bremen Christmas Market: 23 November – 23 December 2026
- Frankfurt — Frankfurt Christmas Market: 23 November – 22 December 2026
- Hamburg — Hamburg Rathausmarkt Christmas Market: 23 November – 23 December 2026
- Heidelberg — Heidelberg Christmas Market: 23 November – 22 December 2026
- Lübeck — Lübeck Christmas Market: 23 November – 30 December 2026
- Bamberg — Bamberg Christmas Market: 24 November – 23 December 2026
- Erfurt — Erfurt Christmas Market: 24 November – 22 December 2026
- Leipzig — Leipzig Christmas Market: 24 November – 23 December 2026
- Dresden — Dresden Striezelmarkt: 25 November – 24 December 2026
- Stuttgart — Stuttgart Christmas Market: 25 November – 23 December 2026
- Monschau — Monschau Christmas Market: 27 November – 20 December 2026
- Nuremberg — Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt: 27 November – 24 December 2026
- Würzburg — Würzburg Christmas Market: 27 November – 23 December 2026
- Quedlinburg — Advent in the Courtyards, Quedlinburg: 28 November – 13 December 2026