When are the Christmas markets in Bologna?
Bologna’s Christmas markets run from 6 November 2026, when the Antica Fiera di Santa Lucia opens on Strada Maggiore, to 6 January 2027, when the Epiphany fair closes. Most of the others open in late November or early December. Bologna Welcome, the city’s tourist board, published the 2026 dates in September.
Bologna Christmas market dates for 2026
| Market | Where | 2026 dates | Walk from Piazza Maggiore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antica Fiera di Santa Lucia | Portico of Santa Maria dei Servi, Strada Maggiore | 6 November to 27 December | 922 m, about 12 min |
| Natale a Porta Galliera | Piazza XX Settembre | 19 November to 6 January 2027 | 1,217 m, about 16 min |
| Fiera di Natale | Via Altabella, by the Cathedral of San Pietro | 20 November to 6 January 2027 | About 4 min |
| Craft markets San Giuseppe Color and DecomelArt | Via San Giuseppe | 4 to 24 December | Not measured |
| Kurbis craft market | Via Righi | 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 21 and 22 December | Not measured |
| French Christmas village | Piazza Minghetti | 5 to 8 December | 383 m, about 5 min |
| Christmas tree market | Piazza Trento e Trieste | 6 to 24 December | 1,917 m, about 26 min |
| Antiques fair | Under the Voltone del Podestà, Piazza Maggiore | 12 to 24 December | On the square |
| Nadel dal Cuntaden farmers’ market | Via Rizzoli | 12 and 13 December | Not measured |
| Fiera dell’Epifania | Via dell’Indipendenza, Via Rizzoli and Via Ugo Bassi | 2 to 6 January 2027 | Not measured |
| TerraVerde craft market | Piazza Re Enzo | Dates not yet announced | Beside the square |
| Solidarity Christmas market | Cloister of San Francesco | Dates not yet announced | Not measured |
Checked October 2026 against Bologna Welcome’s Christmas markets list, last updated 16 September 2026. Walking distances are measured on OpenStreetMap. Organizers do shift dates, so confirm on Bologna Welcome before you travel.
When does the Santa Lucia Christmas market open?
On 6 November 2026, and it stays until 27 December. The Antica Fiera di Santa Lucia is Bologna’s oldest Christmas market. Its stalls line the long portico of Santa Maria dei Servi on Strada Maggiore, open from about 9:00 to 20:00.
Its roots go back to the late 16th century. According to Bologna Welcome, it began at the Jesuit church of Santa Lucia on Via Castiglione, stopped during the Napoleonic period and later moved to the Servi portico. Expect nativity figures, decorations, handmade candles, torrone and mistocchine.
The English listing notes that the opening could be brought forward, so if you are arriving in the first days of November, check the Bologna Welcome page first.
Christmas markets near Piazza Maggiore
There is no Christmas market on the square itself (our page on whether there is a Christmas market in Piazza Maggiore has the detail), but four are within a few minutes:
- Antiques fair, 12 to 24 December: under the Voltone, the vaulted passage through Palazzo del Podestà on the north side of the square. Bologna Welcome lists it as an antiques fair rather than a Christmas market.
- Fiera di Natale, 20 November to 6 January 2027: on Via Altabella, beside the Cathedral of San Pietro, about four minutes north. Its listing gives roughly 9:00 to 20:00.
- French Christmas village, 5 to 8 December: on Piazza Minghetti, about five minutes south-east.
- TerraVerde: a craft market in Piazza Re Enzo, next to the entrance of the Modernissimo cinema, just off the square. Its 2026 dates had not been announced when we checked.
When is the Christmas tree lit in Piazza del Nettuno?
The city’s tree goes up in Piazza del Nettuno, next to the Neptune Fountain, and Bologna Welcome says it is usually lit on the last weekend of November. In 2025 that was Saturday 29 November. The 2026 date had not been announced in mid-October.
From Christmas to Epiphany
New Year’s Eve belongs to Piazza Maggiore. On the night of 31 December the Vecchione, a giant effigy of the old year, is burned on the square at midnight. Then the Fiera dell’Epifania takes over Via dell’Indipendenza, Via Rizzoli and Via Ugo Bassi from 2 to 6 January 2027.
For the rest of the year’s events on the square, see what is on in Piazza Maggiore, and for how December compares with other months, the best time to visit guide.
Checked October 2026.
More questions
What are the opening hours of Bologna's Christmas markets?
Bologna Welcome's list gives dates but no daily hours. Its own listings put the Santa Lucia fair on Strada Maggiore and the Fiera di Natale on Via Altabella at roughly 9:00 to 20:00. The smaller craft and farmers' markets keep their own hours, so check each one before making a special trip.
When do Bologna's Christmas markets close?
Most close before Christmas or just after it. The antiques fair under the Voltone and the Christmas tree market end on 24 December 2026, and the Santa Lucia fair on 27 December. The Porta Galliera market and the Via Altabella fair stay open until 6 January 2027, and the Epiphany fair runs from 2 to 6 January.
What is the Vecchione?
A giant effigy of the old year, burned in the middle of Piazza Maggiore at midnight on 31 December. For the night of 31 December 2025 the square opened at 21:30 through checkpoints, with a limit of 9,000 people at once. The arrangements for the night of 31 December 2026 had not been announced in mid-October.
How do I walk to the Santa Lucia fair from Piazza Maggiore?
Head east along Via Rizzoli to the Due Torri, then carry on down Strada Maggiore. The fair is under the portico of Santa Maria dei Servi, about 920 meters from the square, roughly 12 minutes on foot. The stalls stand under the portico, so rain matters less there than at the open-air markets.
More questions: Events in Piazza Maggiore