From 4 to 6 December 2026, the Geretsried Christmas market fills the Karl-Lederer-Platz on the second weekend of Advent. Here are the dates, programme highlights, activities for children and tips for combining the whole weekend – just about 15 minutes from the Schlossquelle in Königsdorf.
Published 7 November 2026 · approx. 5 min read
Geretsried traditionally holds its Christmas market on the second weekend of Advent – in 2026 that is Friday 4 December to Sunday 6 December. According to the town of Geretsried, the opening Friday also brings a late-night shopping evening (“Lange Shoppingnacht”) in the town centre. The market is organised by the town together with local clubs and businesses and has a genuinely local, family feel – visitors find themselves right in the middle of things.
At the time of writing, the town had not yet published the exact opening hours for 2026. As a guide: last year the market was open Friday 4 pm to 10 pm, Saturday 2 pm to 10 pm and Sunday 2 pm to 7 pm. Please check the current times on the town of Geretsried's website shortly before your visit.
The wooden huts stand close together around the little stream on the Karl-Lederer-Platz. In 2025 the town counted 36 stalls – with crafts, local treats and the classics from mulled wine and children's punch to crêpes and bratwurst. Music traditionally comes from music-school ensembles, brass bands and alphorn and hunting-horn players, whose sound drifts across the square once darkness falls.
The 2026 programme is usually published shortly before the market. In previous years it included:
For families the Geretsried market is a real tip because it stays manageable and offers plenty for little ones. In 2025 a Christmas train did its rounds, and there were carriage rides, face painting, beeswax candle making for children aged ten and over, a letter box for the Christ Child and crafts with the “witch” in her hut. St Nicholas came on Sunday afternoon. The town will confirm whether 2026 looks the same when it publishes the programme – as the Sunday falls exactly on St Nicholas' Day in 2026, it is especially worth a look.
Hardly any weekend of the year offers this much at once in the Tölzer Land. Besides Geretsried, according to Tölzer Land Tourismus and the organisers, the calendar includes:
If you need some exercise in between: the Brauneck gondola is due to run from 5 December – our post on the Brauneck ski season 2026/27 sums up the details. More ideas for cold days are in our rainy-day guide.
Back at the Schlossquelle, your car stays in our free car park and electric cars can charge overnight at our charging point. Your dog is very welcome with us; on busy market evenings a short lead helps – more in our guide for holidays with a dog.
After an evening of mulled wine and fairy lights it's lovely to come back to a warm wooden house. Families are well looked after in our wooden chalet with two bedrooms, a play and reading gallery and a south-facing terrace; couples will enjoy the apartment with its 40 m² south-west terrace. Read what other guests say in our reviews, and find tips for children in our family holiday guide.
See available dates for 4 to 6 December and all of Advent and your direct price – no platform fee.