This year’s Christmas tree, the symbol of Bratislava Christmas, will be lit up on 28 November 2025

The stalls in the marketplace on Hlavné námestie will be awaiting visitors from Thursday, 27 November. The ceremonial opening of Bratislava Christmas is scheduled for Friday, 28 November, at 6:00 p.m. The moment of lighting this year’s Christmas tree for the first time awaits us at 6:15 p.m. The visual opening of the festival will be followed by the traditional opening concert – the musical guests will be the eight-member brass band The Turnels together with Slovak singers and the Bratislava Children’s Choir from the Miloš Ruppeldt Primary School of the Arts. Sixteen city districts as well as several city organisations will take part in the Bratislava Christmas programme, and the Old Town Christmas Market will also open on Friday.    

Carols and Cigánski diabli

The Bratislava Christmas musical programme, compiled thanks to the Programme Christmas Challenge, is bringing more than 40 concerts and other accompanying events. The stage will be filled with Christmas melodies every Friday, Saturday and Sunday by folklore groups, choirs and folk music from various regions of Slovakia. Carols and Christmas greetings will be interwoven with musical guests, such as the group Le Payaco, Katka Koščová or the band Cigánski diabli.       Says Katarína Hulíková, director of the Bratislava Cultural and Information Centre (BKIS):

“The last Friday in November will be the culmination of our several months of preparations, and we’ll stand together by the Christmas tree. This year, too, we have not forgotten the main message of Bratislava Christmas – to create an inclusive, community and safe space. We invite friends, families, neighbours and colleagues from work to the very heart of the city to experience pleasant moments together."   The Elf Krémeš will again be hiding in the streets of the Old Town this winter. The interactive “The Elf’s Magic” game, which is about finding the elf’s home, will make the time spent at the markets more enjoyable for children and will lead little curious people to 8 fairy-tale windows. The game is free; all you need to play is a mobile phone and a downloaded application.    

Seasonal cuisine and artisans

A total of 74 stalls will be set up on Hlavné námestie and a Primaciálne námestie, with 45 vendors offering food and drinks. The stalls will not only offer sought-after holiday specialties and drinks; 25 of them will offer hand-crafted decorations, beeswax products, ceramics, leather goods and other traditional craft products. Nine non-profit organisations will present their activities and projects in four of the stalls. The prices for renting a stall did not increase compared to last year.    This year the stalls will also offer a so-called “Christmas Tip” – food, menus, combinations of meals or drinks or gift items at a discounted price. This is intended to make local cuisine more accessible, to keep the Christmas markets attractive to the general public and ensure an affordable offer of selected dishes or a bargain menu, so that more people can enjoy the festive atmosphere. Each stall will offer something different, most often traditional Christmas specialties and popular dishes – a menu in the form of traditional cabbage soup, garlic langoš together with cake, potato dishes with sausages or fried latkes (potato pancakes). The menu will also include soft drinks and various packaged foods.   

The inclusive “Welcome Zone” and the charity Christmas Forest

For several years now, BKIS has been trying to create conditions during Bratislava Christmas that allow people with disabilities, for whom movement in the crowd at the Main Christmas Market is difficult, to enjoy the atmosphere, too. This year, thanks to a partnership with IKEA, the Welcome Zone will be created for the third time in close proximity to the Main Christmas Market on Primaciálne námestie – a pleasant place for families with children, seniors and vulnerable groups. The space will be covered and barrier-free and will offer pleasant seating in close proximity to the Christmas Forest.     A Christmas Forest made up of 40 trees will also grow on Primaciálne námestie. The trees will be decorated with handmade ornaments made by pupils of Bratislava’s primary, art and special schools in various city districts. Then, right before Christmas, they will travel to charity organisations, social service homes, associations for the homeless and families in more difficult social situations.  

All information about Bratislava Christmas is available at Bratislavské Vianoce ↗︎. Partners are Bratislava – the capital of the Slovak Republic, Staré Mesto [Old Town], the Bratislava Tourist Board, IKEA, ÚĽUV, Slovenská sporiteľňa, ORANGE, Stará tržnica and Technické siete Bratislava. Bratislava Christmas is realised with the financial support of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic.