Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm Christmas Market

The Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm Christmas market takes over the Hauptplatz, the long cobbled square stretching out in front of the town hall, about fifty kilometres north of Munich. Its local name, “Pfaffenhofener Wichtelzeit und Weihnachtszauber”, promises elf season and Christmas magic in a Bavarian town of 27,228 people (end of 2025), with none of the crowds you get in Nuremberg or on Munich’s Marienplatz. One thing to know before going further. As of 1 October 2026, the town has not published any dates for the coming edition: everything below describes the 2025 edition, the only one documented on the official website.

The Hauptplatz, setting of the Pfaffenhofen Christmas market

The market sets up in front of the Rathaus, the 1868 town hall that closes off the square to the east. At the opposite end, the church of St. Johannes Baptist and its massive bell tower hold the west side. In between, the Hauptplatz lines up gabled houses on the south side and eaves-fronted façades on the north, most of them rebuilt or remodelled after 1800: the whole square is a listed ensemble and the historic heart of the town. The market’s official address is, fittingly, the entire square: Hauptplatz 1-47, 85276 Pfaffenhofen a. d. Ilm.

One thing the town doesn’t publish is the number of stalls. Neither the event page nor the events calendar gives a figure. Nor does the town name a single organiser: the event contact is the managing director of the town’s economic development company, and the children’s programme is run by the Lebendige Innenstadt Pfaffenhofen association. What is certain is that it fits on a single square, 300 metres long and 40 wide, with the Spitalkirche Heilig Geist, built in 1717, on the north side of its upper end. The old town walls once had seventeen towers and four gates, of which the Pfänderturm survives, and the 1926 Kreuzkirche is a few minutes’ walk away.

The 2025 edition: dates, opening hours and programme

The market ran from 27 November to 23 December 2025, with hours that got longer towards the weekend: 4pm to 9pm Monday to Wednesday, 4pm to 10pm on Thursdays and Fridays, and from noon to 10pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The official opening took place on Friday 28 November at around 6pm.

The programme announced for 2025 was built around a handful of fixed dates:

• The Engelsspiel, the angels’ play, every Sunday at 6pm.
• A light and fire show by MadHias, on 28 November at 7pm.
• An ice sculpting demonstration, plus two acts billed as new in 2025, the band Strawanzer and the duo Lissa and Vince, with no dates published.
• A musical fireworks display on 5 December at 8pm.
• A closing concert on 23 December at 8pm, the market’s last evening.
• A living nativity scene, listed by the town among the events on the square.

On the food side, the official description stays brief: a hot drink, Schmankerln (Bavarian treats) and decorated stalls, with no list of products. One speciality does get a name, though: Feuerzangenbowle, mulled wine poured over a flaming sugarloaf. The town sits in the middle of the Hallertau, Germany’s big hop-growing region, but no municipal source links the market to any particular local product.

Carriage rides, torches and activities for children

This is where the market stands apart from the big city markets. Children’s activities, a craft tent and story readings, were announced as free in 2025, materials and supervision included, with a limited number of places. Horse-drawn carriage rides left from the main entrance of the market on Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm, and on Sundays from 3pm. A Bavarian curling rink was set up too, and the curling stones (Eisstöcke) could be hired for a fee, with booking required for groups.

The Pfaffenhofen elf is more than a decoration. In 2025, it moved into its little house on the Hauptplatz on the market’s first day and doubled as a gift courier: anything bought at the market or in a participating shop in the town centre was delivered free within a 20 km radius, wrapped in an elf sack and dropped off overnight, with delivery before Christmas guaranteed for anything handed in by 18 December. The little house opened from 4pm to 7pm Monday to Friday, and from noon to 7pm at weekends.

The torchlight guided tours ran on Mondays and Wednesdays, meeting at 6pm in front of the town hall, at €7 per person, with registration required. Their 2025 schedule didn’t match the market’s, as they ran from 24 November to 22 December. If you have your eye on this tour, check both calendars when you book.

2026 dates: nothing published so far

Three sources were checked on 1 October 2026: the event page on the town’s website, the cultural events calendar and the event’s own website, wichtelzeitundweihnachtszauber.de. None of the three announces the 2026 edition, whether dates, hours or programme. The cultural calendar page just offers a general invitation to visit the Christkindlmarkt during Advent.

For a town of this size, the announcement often comes in the autumn: the town’s page and the event website are the places to keep an eye on.

Getting there from Munich, Ingolstadt or by train

Pfaffenhofen lies in the Munich-Ingolstadt-Augsburg triangle, in Upper Bavaria, at an altitude of 428 metres. By car, allow about 54 km and 45 minutes from central Munich, and 40 km and around thirty minutes from Ingolstadt (road route calculated without traffic). The A9 Munich-Ingolstadt-Nuremberg and the A93 towards Regensburg serve the town, backed up by the B13; the B300 passes about eight kilometres to the north. Munich airport is 45 km away, Nuremberg airport 110 km.

By train, Pfaffenhofen station is on the Munich-Treuchtlingen line, opened between Munich and Ingolstadt in 1867 and doubled in 1891. Regional trains link it to Munich and Ingolstadt: check timetables and frequencies on the operator’s website, as they aren’t listed here. One last useful point once you arrive: the town runs a free urban bus network, along with regional lines and an on-demand bus between the station and the different neighbourhoods.

• For a big Bavarian market on the same day’s drive, the Munich Christmas market is less than an hour away by car.
• Further north, the Nuremberg Christmas market plays in another league, and pairs well with Pfaffenhofen on a trip along the A9.
• With children, Christmas at Legoland Deutschland rounds off a weekend in Bavaria nicely.