Quick answer
Memmingen's Christkindlesmarkt is a compact, roughly 30-stall Christmas market on the historic Marktplatz, framed by the town's Rathaus and guild houses, opened each year by a torchlight procession led by the mayor and the Christkind. It runs Nov 27 – Dec 20, 2026, free to enter.
- Best for
- Families with young children (puppet theater, St. Nicholas visits, carousel, craft stations) and travelers building a multi-town Allgäu/Swabia Christmas-market circuit who want a quieter, smaller counterpart to Kempten, Ulm, or Lindau.
- Booking urgency
- No ticket needed. Opening night (Nov 27) coincides with the city's "Einkaufen im Lichterglanz" late-shopping event, so expect a bigger crowd than a typical market evening.
A torchlit opening by the mayor and Christkind launches this compact market framed by Memmingen's historic guild houses.
Memmingen's Christkindlesmarkt opens each year with a torchlight ceremony led by the mayor and the Christ Child, then runs about 30 stalls framed by the town's ornate Rathaus, Zunfthaus, and customs house facades. The heated Himmelsstube tent is a nice fallback for warming up between stalls on a cold evening.
The full story
Memmingen's Christkindlesmarkt opens each year with a torchlight procession led jointly by the Lord Mayor and a young woman playing the Christkind — a specific, ceremonial start most small-town markets don't have. Around 30 stalls fill the Marktplatz, enclosed by the town's Rathaus, the ornate Großzunft guild house, and rows of pastel-painted historic townhouses, for a run of November 27 through December 20, 2026, free to enter.
At the market's center sits the Himmelsstube, a heated tent doing double duty as both festive space — the Christkind reads fairy tales to children Saturdays at 15:00 — and a quieter retreat, with local church congregations hosting Advent story hours daily at 17:00. A living nativity with real animals near the main Christmas tree has been a recurring feature in recent years. This is a food-forward market more than a handicraft one: Bratwurst, roasted almonds, Lebkuchen, and Glühwein alongside hot spiced apple wine as a non-Glühwein option.
For a beer pairing beyond the market itself, Barfüßer Hausbrauerei — a working house brewery in the Altstadt, brewing on-site since 1990 — is a short walk away. Memmingen's historic Memminger Brauerei brand is no longer an option: the original brewery went insolvent in 2023 and stopped brewing in town by 2024. Given its modest scale, Memmingen pairs well as a same-day stop alongside Kempten, Ulm, or lakeside Lindau for visitors building a multi-market Allgäu circuit.
Eat & Drink Nearby
- Local specialty
- About 30 stalls make up Memmingen's Christkindlesmarkt, framed by the town's ornate Rathaus, Zunfthaus, and customs house facades.
- Pair it with
- Memmingen's heated Himmelsstube tent for warming up between stalls on a cold evening, or the town's Altstadt restaurants for a sit-down meal.
- Itinerary fit
- Time a visit for opening night, when the mayor and the Christ Child lead a torchlight ceremony to launch the market.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Himmelsstube?
- A heated tent at the center of the market, used for both festive programming (the Christkind reads fairy tales to children Saturdays at 15:00) and quieter Advent story hours hosted by local churches daily at 17:00.
- Is there a brewery nearby?
- Yes — Barfüßer Hausbrauerei, a working house brewery in Memmingen's Altstadt brewing on-site since 1990, a short walk from the Marktplatz. (Memminger Brauerei, the historic local brand, is no longer brewing in Memmingen after a 2023 insolvency — it isn't a visitable option.)
- Is this a large market?
- No — it's intentionally small, around 30 stalls, more food-and-atmosphere-focused than handicraft-heavy. Visitors wanting a bigger selection of handmade goods may prefer nearby Ulm or Kempten.
- Free entry