Popular Christmas markets to return to Bratislava Christmas after two years’ absence

The Christmas Central Market will return to the Main and Franciscan Squares this year after a two-year break. Bratislava Christmas will last from 24 November to 22 December. The opening ceremony, including the illumination of the Christmas tree - a twelve-metre spruce - will take place on Friday 25 November. A varied cultural programme will enrich the whole Advent period.

The Christmas tree is already standing on the Main Square and these days the preparations and construction of the first Christmas stalls have started. The Christmas markets are returning to the city centre after a two-year break caused by the pandemic. Their concept will follow up on that from 2019, when the city introduced such innovations as cashless card payment, the consistent sorting of waste and the introduction of returnable cups and compostable tableware. The market will include sanitising stations. This year, the aim is to offer visitors a diverse range of vendors. The non-profit sector and cultural institutions active in the city will also be represented. Among the dozens of stalls with refreshments and Christmas-themed goods, there will also be a stall of the city of Bratislava offering exceptional and original gifts from the "Bratislava Icons" special edition.

"I am very happy that the Christmas market will be held this year to fill Main Square with people, a good mood and a Christmas atmosphere once again. It's great that the tree, as the key symbol of Christmas, will be lit by all of us together. We want to provide residents, visitors and tourists once more with quality and standards at our Christmas Main Market in terms of ecology, safety or cleanliness. In addition, there is also a rich cultural programme across the whole city," says Matúš Vallo, Mayor of Bratislava.

The main organiser and programmer of the Bratislava Christmas, including the Christmas Central Market, this year is the Bratislava Cultural and Information Centre (BKIS), which has also approached and involved the city districts and city organisations in order to spread the Christmas spirit evenly throughout the city.

"We want the people of Bratislava to have a pleasant experience, which includes a quality and diverse cultural programme that will not be centred in just one place. The Christmas atmosphere and programme will encompass the whole of Bratislava, in various cultural venues, and in the individual city districts, many of which also have their own Christmas markets. Advent concerts, quizzes, garage sales, readings, theatre performances and exhibitions are in preparation. The programme will also be extended by the partners registered through our Open Call," says Katarína Hulíková, Director of BKIS.

Thursdays will be devoted to readings by Slovak actors and actresses, with a translation into Slovak sign language. The Thursday live readings are prepared in association with the City Library. Fridays and Saturdays will have a pleasant ambience in the form of concerts performed by Slovak musicians, and the Sunday offer will be tailored for families with children. However, the programme will take place not only on the Main and Franciscan Squares, but also in the Klariska concert and exhibition hall, where Advent concerts and popular swaps will be organised for the people of Bratislava. "The events will be charity-oriented. Clothes, toys and books that visitors do not exchange at the swaps will go to people in need. In association with the city's Social Affairs Department, we will also organise a collection for homeless people to collect sleeping bags, thermos flasks and mattresses," adds Katarína Hulíková.

The Christmas spirit will this year again be topped up by the Christmas Forest on Primate's Square organised by BKIS in cooperation with partners from the Centre for Folk Art Production (ÚĽUV) and Bauhaus. Primary and special primary school children from Bratislava will decorate the Christmas trees in the square with their own original decorations made from natural materials. The Christmas trees will later go to charitable organisations, associations for homeless people or families in a difficult social situation. The decorated Christmas tree together with the nativity scene will also be located in the Primate's Palace's entrance hall.

The Bratislava Christmas with the Christmas Central Market will open on Thursday 24 November and end on 22 December. The stalls will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. All important information will be published on the website Christmas Central Market ↗︎.