Whether it’s Pelham in Ontario or Brussels in Belgium, December includes a local Christmas Market which provides a festive seasonal makeover and enough food, drink, entertainment, and gift inspiration to cajole even the most determined Scrooges into the Christmas spirit.
In Europe, Christmas Markets are street fairs traditionally held proximal to the town square during the weeks of Advent leading up to Christmas. These harbingers of good cheer trace their existence back to Vienna’s December Market in 1298, and Munich’s first Christmas Market in 1310.
During the Middle Ages, German-speaking regions featured fairs which provided an opportunity for the inhabitants to stock up on necessities, like meat, for the impending winter. Frankfurt, Cologne, and Dresden carried on the tradition of Wintermarkte, and a host of other vendors joined in, providing seasonal treats, children’s wood-carved toys, and other homecrafts to augment the butchers’ meats and other food staples.
Today, Brussels, Budapest, and Gdańsk offer some of the best Christmas Markets in Europe, with Geneva, Zurich, Prague, Zagreb, and many other cities showcasing their own festive flair, replete with dazzling light shows, native foods, and centuries-old traditions.
Belgians are amiable people, always eager to connect with friends for dining, music, and general socializing. Come December, they flock to the festive hotspots in Brussels, Liege, Bruges, Ghent, and Antwerp which feature Christmas Markets. Brussels' Winter Wonders Christmas Market—called “Plaisirs D’Hiver” in French and “Winterpret” in Dutch (Flemish)—is the largest seasonal event in Belgium, attracting approximately four million visitors to the city centre, of whom 1.5 million are from outside Belgium. The festival runs from late November to early January.
The Brussels Christmas Market is composed of a number of distinct areas: the Grand-Place, or main square (a UNESCO World Heritage Site); Marché aux Poissons (a former fish market); Place de la Monnaie; and Place Sainte-Catherine. Attractions include a huge Ferris Wheel with panoramic views, vintage Jules Verne-inspired carousels, ice skating and curling rinks, a virtual reality dome, concerts and parades, an igloo-style Champagne Bar, and a pyramid-shaped Tower Bar.
Hundreds of small wooden chalets, clustered along 2.5 kilometres of historic cobblestone streets in Brussels, offer unique Christmas gifts like wreaths, ornaments, candles, and nutcrackers, plus and an array of gastronomic favorites.
Scrumptious Belgian treats like waffles, chocolate, and frites with mayonnaise (don’t dare call them French Fries!) are in high demand. A savoury delight called tartiflette, which is a hearty dish with potatoes, cheese, and bacon, served piping hot, is another perennial hit. Also on offer are molten cheese raclettes, smoked salmon baguettes, oysters and champagne, trappist beers brewed by Catholic monks in monasteries throughout the region, hot mulled wine (glühwein), and a traditional Belgian gin called jenever.
In the middle of the Grand-Place is a 20-metre tall illuminated Christmas tree, along with a nativity scene replete with real animals. There is a free Sound and Light show each evening, illuminating the surrounding buildings in a magical display of festive spirit. St. Nick makes a nightly appearance from a building window in the Grand-Place, high above the crowd below.
Click play button below for a short video look at the market. Video will begin after ad.
A first-time visitor to Brussels’ Christmas Market? Here are a few tips.
Just because there is no snow doesn't mean that the wind and cold temperatures won’t chill to the bone, so be sure to bundle up appropriately. Gloves and a hat are advised, as is warm footwear with a grippy sole for walking on uneven stonework streets.
You’ll want to keep your hands free to hold your fries and beer, so carry a backpack or shoulder bag. Pickpockets abound in close quarters, eager to take advantage of distracted market visitors amid the hustle and bustle, so keep your valuables zipped safely away. The atmosphere is enhanced at night by the millions of decorative lights, and accordingly the crowds are thickest during the evenings, especially on the weekends. If you have kids, an afternoon visit on a weekday may be the most prudent course.
Parking is a nightmare in the city centre, so best to use public transit, with the Metro (subway) making several stops in the Christmas Market area. Finally, keep your cellphone charged so that you don’t miss a photo opp.
And, of course, no trip to Brussels is complete without a visit to see the Manneken Pis (“Little Pissing Man”), a 22-inch bronze fountain sculpture not far from the Grand-Place. The landmark statue, which was crafted in the early 1600s, depicts a naked boy urinating into the fountain's basin. He is garbed in Santa-style finery during the Christmas Market period.
Don Rickers is a former writer for Pelham Today, who relocated to Brussels in January of 2024. As an anglophone, he appreciates that English is widely-spoken due to the vast number of resident expats, though French is dominant in the south of the country (Wallonia) while Flemish (a Dutch dialect) is the main language in the north (Flanders). He reports that Belgium is steeped in history and culture, with beautiful architecture and scenery. The food is excellent, and grocery stores stock a selection of wines, beers, and other potent potables that would make the LCBO envious. The medical system is well-developed and more responsive than in Canada. An efficient rail system transports masses of people into the major urban centre of Brussels and home in reasonable time. On the negative side, he laments that traffic can be maddening, akin to Toronto’s vehicular congestion. Taxation and the cost of living are higher than in Canada, payable in euros (worth a loonie and a half). There is only a dusting of winter snow, but the weather can often be wet and grey….which is fine if you are a duck (or “canard,” as the French say) but hard to handle for someone who formerly called sunny Niagara home. With climate change, of course, and the increasing ability of our air to retain moisture, cloudy winter skies are rapidly becoming the norm over our peninsula as well. You want winter sun, Don, head to to the Caribbean!
