Winter Magic in Groningen

When December arrives in Groningen, the city swaps its usual student buzz for something softer: twinkling lights over the canals, the smell of roasted nuts and glühwein, and music drifting between old brick warehouses. At the heart of all this is Groningen’s Christmas market scene – cosy, atmospheric, and a little bit different from the big, commercial markets you see elsewhere.

Christmas by the Canals

What makes Groningen special is that part of the Christmas market isn’t just on a square, but along the old canals in the A-quarter. Historic ships line the water, strung with lights from mast to mast. On the quays, stalls offer handmade gifts, local treats, and hot drinks. You walk with one hand around a cup of something warm, the other buried deep in your coat pocket, watching the reflections dance in the water.

It feels more like wandering through a winter village than being in the middle of a city. The old warehouses and merchant houses are still there, now lit up and busy again for a few nights each year.

Grote Markt in Winter Mode

In the centre, the Grote Markt turns into Groningen’s winter living room. Wooden chalets, food stalls, an ice rink and rides give it that classic Christmas-market feel – but still on a Groningen scale: lively and busy, yet small enough that you keep running into people you know.

You can:

1. Do a slow lap around the ice rink with friends
2. Warm up with hot chocolate or glühwein under strings of lights
3. Grab a bratwurst or “oliebollen” and eat them standing in the cold, because somehow they taste better that way

From the square you see the Martinitoren watching over everything, lit up against the winter sky. It’s a reminder that you’re not just at “a Christmas market” – you’re in Groningen.

More Than Just Shopping

Of course, you can buy gifts – homemade candles, jewellery, local crafts, Christmas decorations. But the real reason people go isn’t shopping. It’s the atmosphere.

There’s live music, choirs, street performances, and small theatre acts. Families with kids, groups of students, older couples, everyone blends into one big, slow-moving crowd. Strangers share tables, chat for a while, and move on. It’s social in that relaxed Dutch way: no rush, no big programme, just being together outside.

A Winter Walk Through the City

One of the nicest things to do is to turn the Christmas market into an evening walk:

1. Start at the Grote Markt for a drink and a snack.
2. Wander down the small streets towards the canals.
3. Follow the water past the ships, watching the lights and stopping at a stall that smells too good to ignore.
4. Finish in a café or bar to thaw out properly.

You see the city from a different angle: familiar streets suddenly look new with all the decorations and winter events. For many people who live in Groningen, this walk is something they do every year, almost like a ritual.

For Locals and Newcomers Alike

If you’re new to Groningen, the Christmas market is one of the easiest ways to feel part of the city. You don’t need a plan, you don’t need tickets for most things – you just show up, walk around, and let the evening unfold.

For locals and long-term internationals, it’s a marker in the year:

“Oh, the lights are up, the ships are here – okay, winter has really started.”

A Small City with a Big Winter Heart

Groningen will never compete with the huge Christmas markets of Germany, and it doesn’t try to. Instead, it leans into what it already has: historic canals, a compact centre, and a community that actually uses the city streets.

The result is something that feels warm and personal. You might arrive thinking you’ll “just take a look for half an hour” and end up staying for hours, talking, eating, taking photos, and promising yourself you’ll come back again before the season is over.

That’s the Christmas market in Groningen: not perfect, not grand, but charming in exactly the way this northern city does best.