Preparations for Bratislava Christmas are now fully in motion; the Christmas Market on Hlavné námestie will open on Friday

Once again, after a one-year absence, Hlavné námestie, Primaciálne námestie and Františkánske námestie will for a few weeks be transformed into a small Christmas town. This year, Bratislava Christmas will not end on New Year’s Eve but will bring delight to the people of Bratislava up until Epiphany. From Friday to Sunday, the city centre will be filled not only with concerts but also with a special programme for the feast days of Saint Nicholas and Saint Lucy. The symbol of this year’s Christmas Markets is a bobble hat.

“Like many people, we, too, are feeling the pre-Christmas excitement and joy of the approaching holidays. Bratislava Christmas is an outstanding festival, and we try as much as possible to bring the unique mood that goes with it to every day of the festival. Christmas belongs especially to children, and that’s why the symbol of this Bratislava Christmas is the bobble hat. Exactly the kind of hat that comes to mind when you recall a walk before dinner on Christmas Eve or a snowball fight with your neighbours. We cordially invite all Bratislava residents and visitors to the city to the grand opening. If you still wear a bobble hat, then definitely don’t leave it at home,” says Katarína Hulíková, director of the Bratislava Cultural and Information Centre. The Christmas tree, which this year is a 49-year-old silver fir, will be ceremonially lit in the presence of Bratislava mayor Matúš Vallo, at 6:15 p.m. The first musical guests will be the Peter Lipa Band and the Superar choir. The concert will also be interpreted artistically into Slovak sign language.

“I’m already very much looking forward to us lighting the Christmas tree together as the main symbol of Christmas. And that is just the beginning. As part of Bratislava Christmas, the Christmas spirit will spread through the city also thanks to the involvement of city districts and city organisations. Concerts, markets, Christmas readings, a varied programme for children as well as exhibitions and much more. The Christmas market, however, is primarily a place where we share the peaceful atmosphere of the upcoming holidays and look forward to meeting people, whether planned or by chance, where we smile at one another, sincerely wish each other a Merry Christmas and we all try to be a little better towards others. The Christmas market is simply about human closeness and understanding, which we seemed to have lost somewhat recently,” said the mayor of the capital, Matúš Vallo.

Singing and dancing every weekend

Visitors will enjoy the first musical experiences on the first weekend after opening. On Saturday, 23 November at 3:00 PM, you can listen to children from the Vrbenského Primary School for the Arts, and at 7:00 PM, the folklore ensemble HONT from Krupina will present their programme. A performance by students of acting from the Conservatory and their Christmas songs will be heard on Františkánske námestie on Sunday, 24 November at 3:00 PM. Lovers of songs from the 1920s to the 1950s will be delighted to hear the Paper Moon Trio concert on the same day at 7:00 PM.

Christmas programme in the city districts

Bratislava’s city districts are also preparing festive events during the Bratislava Christmas fest. Children will enjoy meetings with St. Nicholas in Ružinov, Karlová Ves, Nové Mesto, Jarovce and Podunajské Biskupice. Local Christmas markets with a programme and nighttime specialties will bring an Advent mood to the Dúbravka, Petržalka, Záhorská Bystrica and Vrakuňa districts, while in Rusovce Advent will begin with the joint lighting of the first candle or the lighting of the Christmas tree. The Rača district invites you to the theatre performance Rita, and in the Church of the Holy Cross in Devín you can listen to a concert by the Devín church choir AD HOC. The Staré mesto (Old Town) invites you to meet with neighbours and friends at the Christmas Kozia festival, which has a community character.

The city and partner organisations will also make the holiday time more enjoyable with their programmes. The Bratislava City Museum invites you to experience Bratislava from a bird’s eye view from the spire of the Old Town Hall and St. Michael’s Tower. As a form of thanks for the year-round support, the Bratislava City Library is organising a Symbiotic Christmas Party, and children can enjoy thematic workshops. Sports enthusiasts can say farewell to the past year with a New Year’s Eve Run over the Bratislava Bridges, organised by the Physical Education and Recreation Facilities Administration of the Capital of the Slovak Republic Bratislava. During Advent, the Stará tržnica (Old Market) will be transformed into a Christmas Market with seasonal delicacies and a local design, and the last Street Food Park of this year will take place in front of the market.

A programme and space for everyone

When creating city festivals, the BKIS has long considered the needs of vulnerable groups and the disadvantaged. It regularly includes a programme for the blind and deaf in several events. While you can enjoy the true atmosphere of the Christmas markets at the Main Christmas Market and at Františkánske námestie, at Primaciálne námestie you will be able to relax and sit in the cozy Welcome Area, thanks also to cooperation with IKEA. Those passing by will be delighted for the eighth time by the Christmas Forest of 36 Christmas trees, which was created in collaboration with BAUHAUS. This year, too, the trees will be decorated by children from primary, art and special schools, and if some of them please you, we can together make a donation, for example, to families in an unfavourable financial situation.

Philanthropy directly at the market and online

A part of the Christmas markets is not only creating joyful moments and delighting in the approaching holidays, but also helping those in need. Each year, BKIS connects with organisations that have been helping people in difficult life situations for a long time. This year, the aid collected during the Bratislava Christmas will be addressed directly and indirectly to facilities devoted to professional assistance for homeless people. It is specifically these months that are the most demanding for them, and they are dependent on others to provide them with the material and social assistance needed. Anyone who would prefer to pay by card rather than cash can also participate in the BKIS and SLSP Foundation charity collection, and material assistance will be appreciated, too. Winter clothing in the form of caps, gloves, thermal underwear, long-sleeved T-shirts and women’s and men’s shoes can be donated at two sorting stations on Hlavné námestie. You’ll find several containers for deposited packages on Hlavné námestie and Hviezdoslavovo námestie; the proceeds will go to the non-profit organisation Depaul.

“The Slovenská sporiteľňa Foundation is continuing its tradition of providing assistance through the Bratislava Christmas markets this year. We have once again decided to motivate visitors to make practical contactless payments. If we surpass more than 20,000 such payments, we will donate 10,000 euros to our long-standing partner, the non-profit organisation the VAGUS civic association, which has been helping people in Bratislava end homelessness for a long time,” says Barbara Henterová, administrator of the Slovenská sporiteľňa Foundation.

The civic association Vagus has dedicated itself to systematic work with homeless people for 13 years now. Since its founding, it has been intensively helping to improve the situation of homeless people through various programmes. One of them is the low-threshold Domec day centre, which every day provides food, hygiene opportunities and social assistance for dozens of people. “We are very grateful that Slovenská sporiteľňa, as our long-standing partner, has decided to combine the delightful with the useful this year and help the homeless. Donating a certain portion of each contactless payment will help over 1,300 homeless people who visit our Domec day centre. The financial gift will go towards costs associated with the operation of Domec, the city’s largest day centre for the homeless,” explains Alexandra Kárová, executive director of OZ Vagus.

The partners of Bratislava Christmas are Technické siete Bratislava (Technical Networks Bratislava), the Slovenská sporiteľňa Foundation, the Slovenská sporiteľňa bank, Mestské lesy v Bratislava (City Forests in Bratislava), BAUHAUS, the Administrator of the deposit system, SPAK-EKO, IKEA, ÚĽUV, UNICEF, the Volkswagen Slovakia Foundation, OZ Vagus, Depaul, the Bratislava Tourist Board and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic. Carried out with the financial support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic.

You’ll find more information at Bratislavské Vianoce ↗︎.