The annual German Christmas market typically opens on the first Thursday of November – but not this year
Opening day of the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Markets in 2024(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
An open date has been set for this year’s Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market and it might require a change of plans for some of those planning to head down on opening day.
The annual event sees Birmingham’s Victoria Square and New Street filled with wooden stalls selling tankards of beer, gluhwein, bratwurst hotdogs and traditional gifts and has been a key feature of the city’s festive calendar for decades.
Typically, the German market opens to merry makers on the first Thursday of November, though it opened on the first Friday of the month last year.
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It’s become something of a yearly tradition for many Brummies to head down to the market for a pint and a bratwurst after work on opening day – but that won’t be possible for some people this year.
According to the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market’s official website, this year’s event will start on a weekend, on Saturday, November 1.
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It’s then set to run until Christmas Eve (Wednesday, December 24), opening daily.
The opening hours listed are Mondays to Thursdays from 11am to 9pm, Fridays from 11am to 9.30pm, Saturdays between 10am and 9.30pm and Sundays from 10am to 9pm.
As usual, the market will launch later in the day on Remembrance Sunday on November 10, when stands will open up for 1pm.
The Frankfurt Christmas Market attracts millions of people to Birmingham city centre every year, including visitors from all over the country, and is regularly ranked among the best festive markets in the UK.
In 2024, market organisers upped their prices, with the cost of a regular bratwurst and a full pint of beer rising from £12.50 in 2023 to an all-time high of £13.50.
The dates for the Christmas in Cathedral Square Craft Market have also been shared online, with 40 days of trading planned for this year and an earlier start date scheduled on Friday, November 7.
The market, which is made up of independent traders and entrepreneurs, will then run until Christmas Eve.
Christmas in Cathedral Square will again be located within the grounds of Birmingham Cathedral, with stalls operating from 11am to 9pm Monday to Wednesday, 11am to 9.30pm Thursday to Saturday and from noon until 9pm on Sundays.