Bonifacio Christmas Market

The Bonifacio Christmas market goes by the name Festi di Natali. It takes over the Pisan quarter, in the Haute-Ville, the upper town at the southern tip of Corsica. The municipal tourist office organises it with the town hall. The 2026 edition has its dates: 9 to 20 December 2026, twelve days from a Wednesday to a Sunday, with 40 wooden chalets and a fireworks display on opening night.

Forty chalets in the Pisan quarter

The 2026 rules set out the market plan. The Pisan quarter receives 40 wooden chalets: 20 for food and drink, 20 for craftspeople, designers, local producers and gift ideas. The Loggia de l’Arsenal, next door, adds three food pitches. Stalls stay open until at least 8pm every evening.

The market has grown fast. Corse Net Infos counted 27 chalets in 2022, 35 in 2023 and 40 since 2024. It was called Natali in Bunifazziu before becoming Festi di Natali in 2024. Each year it draws around 4,000 visitors, according to the same newspaper.

In 2025, 41 exhibitors took part: a chocolatier, a caterer, jewellery, knives, a farm. For 2026, the selection grid in the rules favours local or regional handmade products, and origin in Bonifacio or southern Corsica.

2026 dates and opening hours of the Bonifacio Christmas market

The market opens on Wednesday 9 December 2026 and closes on Sunday 20 December. Opening hours vary by day:

• 11am to midnight on Wednesday 9, Fridays 11 and 18, and Saturdays 12 and 19 December.
• 11am to 10.30pm on Wednesday 16 December.
• 11am to 9pm on Thursdays 10 and 17, Sundays 13 and 20, Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 December.
• Stalls stay open until at least 8pm, whatever the day.

A fireworks display opens the market. The rules also announce shows and children’s entertainment at weekends and on Wednesdays, music on some lunchtimes and evenings, and a photo area with Santa.

The 2025 programme

The 2026 programme has not been published yet. In 2025, the town hall had announced a Christmas cinema at the Espace Saint-Jacques, craft workshops around mischievous elves, a music quiz, a Christmas jumper contest, a treasure hunt, pony rides and a closing parade. The fireworks lit up the ramparts, and the concerts took place under the Arsenal hall.

In 2022, the market offered a nativity scene trail through the churches of the Haute-Ville and living nativities. We have not rechecked this for 2026.

Grilled figatellu and oysters below the ramparts

Half the chalets serve food. In 2025, Corse Net Infos mentioned grilled figatellu, fresh oysters, charcuterie, cheeses and seasonal sweet treats. The Loggia de l’Arsenal rounds off the offer with its three food pitches.

Getting to Bonifacio in December

Bonifacio has no railway station: the Chemins de fer de la Corse network reaches neither Bonifacio nor Porto-Vecchio. Figari Sud Corse airport is 21 km away, about 25 minutes by road. Porto-Vecchio is 30 km away, allow around forty minutes. From Ajaccio, the road is 130 km: allow more than two hours. These times come from a route calculation without traffic, and Corsican roads call for some leeway.

Public service flights link Paris-Orly, Marseille and Nice to Figari all year round. For the ferry, the nearest port on Corsica Ferries routes is Porto-Vecchio: around 14 hours from Toulon, around 13 hours from Nice. These are typical crossing times; check the sailing days in December before you book.

• The Porto-Vecchio Christmas market opens from 8 to 31 December 2026, 40 minutes away by road: the two markets can be visited in the same day.
• The Ajaccio Christmas market, from 4 to 24 December 2026, lined up 58 chalets and an ice rink in 2025.
• If you sail from Toulon or Nice, the Christmas markets of Toulon and Nice are on your way.