Tønder Christmas Market

The Tønder Christmas Market, Julebyen Tønder, brings six weeks of Christmas to the centre of this South Jutland town, 6 km from the German border, from 7 November to 23 December 2026. Sixteen wooden chalets surround Kristkirken on Kirkepladsen, the streets are lit up, a tree some fifteen metres tall stands over Torvet and, four days a week, a Father Christmas flies over the rooftops of the square. Entry is free. The chalet hosts welcome visitors in Danish, German and English, and in early 2026 the market received the nomination seal of the EECMA, the Excellent European Christmas Market Association.

Tønder Christmas Market 2026: dates and opening hours

Julebyen Tønder opens on Saturday 7 November 2026 and closes on 23 December. The chalets on Kirkepladsen are open every day from noon to 5pm. The town’s shops keep their own hours: Monday to Friday from 10am to 5:30pm, Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 5pm.

The opening ceremony takes place on 7 November at 1pm. Several hundred Father Christmases from the Dansk Julemands Laug parade from the Kvickly store to the town centre, where the town’s tree is lit.

Sixteen chalets around Kristkirken and a whole town decorated

The market stands on Kirkepladsen, the church square, with 16 wooden chalets grouped around Kristkirken. The stalls sell crafts, and several artisans demonstrate bobbin lace, Tønder’s historic speciality. On the food side, gløgg in its classic, apple or alcohol-free versions, waffles, æbleskiver and a Christmas hot dog with red cabbage.

The rest plays out in the streets. On Torvet, the main square, Det Gamle Apotek opens its Julehuset, a house of 46 rooms filled with crafts and Christmas decorations: the idea of a Christmas town was born in this shop. Drøhses Hus, a house dating from 1672 that holds the tourist office and exhibitions on Tønder lace, hangs a tree upside down from its ceiling, free entry. Tønder, whose town charter dates back to 1243, is explored house by house, well beyond the chalets.

Flying Father Christmas, little train and Børnenes jul: the events

Four days a week, a flying Father Christmas crosses the sky above Torvet: on Thursday and Friday at 4pm, on Saturday and Sunday at 2pm and 4pm, until Sunday 20 December. From 23 November, a Father Christmas receives children on Torvet every day at 3pm. The little Christmas train runs on Saturday from 10am and on Sunday from 11am, for 20 DKK (€3) per person.

On Skibbroen, Børnenes jul, the children’s Christmas, brings together a sledging run and the children’s tree. The Saint Lucia procession sets off from Skibbroen for Torvet on Saturday 12 December at 4pm.

A free market and an EECMA nomination seal

Access to the market and the streets is free. Only the little train is charged, 20 DKK per person. Julebyen Tønder is organised by Tønder Handelsstandsforening, the traders’ association, with volunteers, the shopkeepers and Tønder municipality. In early 2026, the market received the nomination seal of the EECMA, which the nomination committee will present officially at the opening on 7 November.

Where to find the Tønder Christmas Market

The market takes place in the centre of Tønder, on Torvet and Kirkepladsen, in South Jutland, 6 km from the German border. The historic centre is covered on foot, from the chalets on Kirkepladsen to the Julehuset on Torvet.

The country’s other listings are gathered on our page on Christmas markets in Denmark. The Ribe Christmas Market, around forty kilometres to the north, combines with Tønder in the same weekend. The Copenhagen Christmas Market remains the gateway to the country for most visitors.