The Christmas markets in North Rhine-Westphalia have again attracted many people in the weeks before Christmas Eve. The showmen were happy with the business and the number of visitors. “The markets were well filled and are still very popular with many people,” said Albert Ritter, President of the German Showmen’s Association and First Chairman of the Working Group of Showmen’s Associations in North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to Ritter, business was only slightly weaker than in 2022 due to the weather. There were more rainy days than in the previous year. However, visitor numbers and sales were good, especially on dry days. “We felt nothing of the crisis,” said Ritter. The families didn’t let themselves be deterred from taking a leisurely stroll through the Christmas market. The showmen benefited from the fact that many company Christmas parties were still being moved to the local Christmas market. Many people from the Netherlands and Belgium also came to NRW again.
According to Ritter, the classics such as mulled wine, eggnog, bratwurst and currywurst were particularly popular with market visitors, and there was also great interest in handicraft items that are often given as gifts at Christmas. According to the German Showmen’s Association, there are a total of around 3,000 Christmas markets in Germany, more than 800 of them in North Rhine-Westphalia. “The trend is increasing,” says Ritter.
The most visited Christmas markets in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2023 were again those in Dortmund, Cologne, Essen, Aachen and Düsseldorf. “However, many people are also drawn to smaller markets with a special atmosphere, such as in Hattingen,” said Ritter. Forest Christmas markets are a new trend. These offer romantic flair in the countryside.
