Over the course of 38 days—from November 28, 2025, to January 4—the Riga Christmas Market transformed Dome Square into a festive Christmas fairy tale. Featuring handcrafted goods by Latvian artisans and home producers, a rich cultural program, entertainment for the youngest visitors, and warm togetherness in a holiday atmosphere, the market celebrated its 25th anniversary by welcoming travelers from more than 50 countries.
Data compiled by the market’s organizers and participants show that this season the market was visited by travelers from over 50 countries, including far-flung destinations such as Australia, Bali, Peru, the Philippines, El Salvador, Singapore, Mexico, Venezuela, Namibia, Suriname, Malaysia, Cameroon, and Sri Lanka, as well as neighboring and nearby countries including Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, Romania, Italy, and others. In 2024, the Old Riga Christmas Market attracted more than 200,000 visitors; in 2025, observations by organizers and participants suggest that visitor numbers may be around 10% higher than last year.
In welcoming guests and creating a festive atmosphere, special attention—as always—was paid to the market’s visual design. Alongside the magnificent Christmas tree in the center of Dome Square, more than 65 fir trees were placed throughout the market area. Approximately 400 meters of festive ribbons were used in the decorations, and 42 market stalls were adorned with more than 500 meters of natural evergreen garlands. The largest decorative wreath had a diameter of two meters.
An extensive cultural program on weekends was also an integral part of the market. In total, 13 dance evenings were held with popular Latvian DJs, and 32 concerts took place, featuring choirs, folklore groups, vocal ensembles, bands, and solo performers. Every evening since December 1, the Riga Christmas Market also spread its holiday magic beyond Dome Square by publishing 26 new Christmas fairy tales on social media and the market’s website. These stories were written especially for the market by playwright Klāvs Knuts Sukurs and were read aloud by the market’s organizers and well-known public figures.
The youngest visitors took part in creative workshops and met elves, as well as enjoyed the opportunity to visit Santa Claus’s cottage, where Santa himself welcomed and listened to them. During the market period, Santa’s Cottage at the Riga Christmas Market was visited by more than 4,200 children from 46 countries. A total of 205 letters addressed to Santa were received, and more than 70 kilograms of sweets were distributed.
Throughout the 38 days, market participants and vendors met visitors from all over the world. There was genuine interest in Latvian-made crafts and foods, and visitors were particularly fascinated by the opportunity to watch artisans at work. Many special, memorable moments were experienced—for example, one vendor witnessed a tourist from Australia seeing snow for the first time in his life. Overwhelmed with joy, he photographed every falling snowflake and immediately shared news of this miraculous experience with his relatives.
Another memorable story came from a buyer of Christmas decorations from Germany, who later had the purchased ornament tattooed on his arm and returned to show it to the vendor himself. A particularly pleasant surprise was experienced by a cake vendor, who was visited several times by a writer from New Zealand—an author whose books the vendor herself greatly admires.
