Weihnachtsmarkt Hannover Altstadt

In the organizer's words:

The motto of last year's Christmas market was "hannoverzaubert" (Hanover enchanted), which was also the slogan on the posters. Around the Marktkirche church and up to the Platz der Weltausstellung square, 125 festively decorated stalls from the Erzgebirge and South Tyrol offered wooden toys, arts and crafts, ceramics and household goods, among other things. Guests were catered for with Christmas food and drinks.

The market had a total of 188 stall units, divided into the traditional market (125 units), Finnish village (four units), wishing well forest (two units) and historical market (45 units). There were also carousels and offers from local residents.

Finnish village and medieval market

Ballhofplatz was once again transformed into a Finnish Christmas village with a genuine Lappish tent. Finnish specialties and handicrafts were offered there.

A historical Christmas village with 45 stalls demonstrated medieval town life in all its tranquillity and extended around the Historical Museum along Burgstraße, Roßmühle, Klostergang and Pferdestraße as well as an area between the adult education center and Leine. Craft demonstrations and activities of various kinds were held in a "craft alley" to encourage visitors to join in. There, visitors could try their hand at felting or forging, for example. There was also music, juggling and a show program on all days.

Wishing well forest

On the wood market in front of the Leibnizhaus, 50 fir trees stood on an area of around 400 square meters. The Oskar Winter fountain can be found in the middle of the trees, with the "wishing ring" on its wrought-iron grate. According to legend, wishes come true when this ring is turned. The forester's house and two forest huts in the wishing well forest are sure to fulfill culinary wishes.

Fun for the little ones

The activities for children are an integral part of the event. They range from the Punch and Judy show to the large carousel and the small Ferris wheel.

Christmas tree in profile

The Christmas tree at the Marktkirche...

• is a spruce and weighs 4.3 tons
• comes from the Solling region
• is 21 meters high
• has a total of 3,000 light bulbs
• Length of fairy lights: 1.5 kilometers
• Duration of the stand: until the Three Wise Men on January 6, 2025

Program

Due to the change in GEMA's billing practice (the total area [11,000 square meters] of an event rather than the direct area in front of the stage is used as the basis for calculating the fees), the city decided to redesign the program for 2024 as well. Twelve of the 20 days with a stage program were filled with GEMA-free music and/or other performances. The other eight days featured music subject to GEMA fees. The stage was not used on Friday and Saturday due to the high number of visitors.