In December 2026 Eindhoven has the free Winter Market in the Muziekgebouw on Saturday 12 December, one-day Christmas markets on 6, 12 and 13 December, skating at the IJssportcentrum from €10.25 and New Years EHVE, a free countdown with fireworks on the Stadhuisplein on 31 December. Christmas concerts fill the Muziekgebouw and the Effenaar, and the Kerstwintercircus plays from Christmas Day. An ice rink, a Ferris wheel and a Christmas market are reserved on the Markt from 4 December to 3 January in the city's event calendar, but no organiser has announced them. The school holiday runs from Saturday 19 December to Sunday 3 January.
Checked 28 October 2026. Not announced yet: whether the rink, Ferris wheel and Christmas market on the Markt go ahead, and their hours and prices; the New Years EHVE line-up; the IJssportcentrum's holiday hours; the shops' extra December evenings.
Eindhoven in December 2026 at a glance
| What | When | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| FeelGood Christmas Market | Sunday 6 December | Klokgebouw, Strijp-S | Free entry |
| Winter Market | Saturday 12 December, 11:00–16:00 | Muziekgebouw | Free |
| IJssportcentrum Eindhoven | Open for the season since 17 October | Antoon Coolenlaan 3 | €10.25, skate hire from €6.50 |
| Eindhovense Kerstborrel (18+) | Friday 18 December, 18:00–00:00 | Klokgebouw | From €25 |
| Christmas Sing-a-Long | Saturday 19 December, 21:00 | Effenaar | €27.50 |
| Fakkeltocht (torch walk) | Thursday 24 December, gather from 18:30 | Wilhelminaplein | €2 for a torch, €2.50 on the night |
| De Nieuwe Nachtmis | Thursday 24 December, 20:15 | Muziekgebouw | €15 |
| Kerstwintercircus | Friday 25 December – Sunday 3 January | Parktheater | From €22.50 |
| Liquicity Winterfestival | Sunday 27 December, 14:00–00:00 | Klokgebouw | From €44.99 |
| New Years EHVE | Thursday 31 December, from 21:00 | Stadhuisplein | Free |
Evenitto collects the season's events on Christmas markets in Brabant, New Year's Eve in Eindhoven and Sinterklaas in Eindhoven, with concerts on classical music in Brabant, shows on theatre in Brabant and films on cinema in Eindhoven.
Things to do in Eindhoven in December, week by week
December 2026 in Eindhoven runs from the Mega Sintshow on 1 December to New Years EHVE on 31 December, with one-day Christmas markets on 6, 12 and 13 December, Christmas concerts from 15 December and the school holiday from 19 December.
| Week | Highlights | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 1 – Sunday 6 December | The Mega Sintshow (1 December), pakjesavond, the Sinterklaas gift evening (Saturday 5 December), the FeelGood Christmas Market in the Klokgebouw (6 December) | The FeelGood Market's Christmas edition is indoors in 2026 |
| Monday 7 – Sunday 13 December | The Winter Market in the Muziekgebouw and AI For Kids in the Philips Museum (12–13 December), the Christmas markets in Winkelcentrum Woensel (12–13 December) and Woensel West (13 December) | Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December have markets in three parts of the city |
| Monday 14 – Sunday 20 December | Bach's Magnificat (15 December), An Irish Christmas and De Kersthaas (16 December), the Eindhovense Kerstborrel (18 December), the school holiday starts and the Christmas Sing-a-Long (19 December), a pancake concert and ABBA Gold's Christmas show (20 December) | The Kerstborrel is for over-18s only |
| Monday 21 – Sunday 27 December | The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge and Kerstvlokjes (22 December), the Fakkeltocht and De Nieuwe Nachtmis (24 December), the Kerstwintercircus (from 25 December), the Liquicity Winterfestival (27 December) | On Christmas Eve the torch walk sets off from the Wilhelminaplein at 19:00 |
| Monday 28 December – Sunday 3 January | New Years EHVE, the Effenaar's New Year's Eve party and Verknipt NYE (31 December), the circus's last day (3 January) | Consumer fireworks are banned nationwide in 2026; sparklers are allowed |
GLOW, Eindhoven's light art festival, ends before December: GLOW 2026 runs from Saturday 7 to Saturday 14 November (see our light festivals guide).
Is there a Christmas market in Eindhoven in 2026?
Eindhoven has no big Christmas market confirmed for December 2026: the city has one-day markets on Sunday 6, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, and a Christmas market with an ice rink and a Ferris wheel is only reserved on the Markt.
That reservation, from Friday 4 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, is in Eindhoven247's event reservation calendar, last updated on 5 January 2026. Eindhoven247 runs the city's events desk, and each event in its calendar is still tested against the city's permit policy. No organiser had announced the Markt plan on 28 October.
Last year the Markt had no Christmas market: the city centre's Keep on Giving campaign put a 12-metre advent calendar there instead.
| Market | When | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| FeelGood Christmas Market | Sunday 6 December | Indoors in the Klokgebouw, Strijp-S | Free entry |
| Winter Market | Saturday 12 December, 11:00–16:00 | Muziekgebouw, Heuvel 140 | Free |
| Christmas market Winkelcentrum Woensel | Saturday 12 December 10:00–17:00, Sunday 13 December 12:00–17:00 | Winkelcentrum Woensel | No entry price listed |
| Kerstmarkt Tongelre | Saturday 12 December, times not announced yet | Groendomein Wasven | Not announced yet |
| Christmas market Woensel West | Sunday 13 December, 10:00–16:00 | Celsiusplein, Woensel West | Free |
| The Winter Art Expo & Fair | Sunday 20 December, from 09:00 | The Social Hub | Free, register first |
The Winter Market fills several floors of the Muziekgebouw on Saturday 12 December with more than 80 stalls of handmade gifts, local products and food from many cuisines, plus free workshops, music and dance. Holland Expat Center South and TIEC organise it for locals and internationals alike, and entry is free.
The FeelGood Market is a monthly market of handmade, sustainable and local products on Strijp-S. Its Christmas edition on Sunday 6 December moves inside the Klokgebouw; there is no FeelGood Market in November, January or February. Entry is free, according to the FeelGood Market itself; the Christmas edition's hours are not on its agenda yet.
In Woensel, the Christmas market fills the whole Winkelcentrum Woensel shopping centre on 12 and 13 December, with stalls selling only new and Christmas goods. On Sunday 13 December the Woensel West market on the Celsiusplein has new and second-hand stalls, food, workshops and children's activities, and a children's market where children can sell their own things. The Kerstmarkt Tongelre in Groendomein Wasven is in the city's event calendar for 12 December, with no times yet.
Nearby: Christmas markets in Brabant covers De Brabantse Winter in Den Bosch, Heusden by candlelight and the Dickens weekend in Drunen; the rest of the country is in our Christmas markets guide.
Ice skating in Eindhoven in December
The IJssportcentrum on the Antoon Coolenlaan is the place to skate in Eindhoven in December 2026: it opened for the season on Saturday 17 October, with a 400-metre track and an indoor rink.
| Ticket | Price | Who and when |
|---|---|---|
| Entry, ages 4–64 | €10.25 | Sold only at the desk |
| Entry, 65 and over | €8.80 | Sold only at the desk |
| Under 4 | Free | Sold only at the desk |
| Family ticket | €36.50 | Four people, at least one aged 21 or over |
| 12-ride card | €102.50 | At the desk or in the webshop |
| TU/e ticket | €5 | Tuesday and Thursday 20:00–22:00, with an SSC card and this season's yellow skating sticker |
| High Tech Campus ticket | €7.50 | Staff of the High Tech Campus or NXP, with their work pass |
| Skate hire (Rono Sport) | From €6.50 a pair | A card with your name on it as a deposit |
Prices are from the IJssportcentrum for the 2026–2027 season. For skate hire, any card with your name works as a deposit, such as a driving licence, a public-transport card or a work pass.
The public hours differ per day, and the holiday hours are not on the timetable yet (checked 28 October). Parking is free.
For skating outdoors, Winter Village Eersel puts an ice rink on the town hall square in nearby Eersel from Friday 11 December to Sunday 3 January: €4.95 a day, skates €3.30, and a free rink for the youngest children. A rink on the Markt in Eindhoven is reserved in the city's event calendar from 4 December, but not announced (see the Christmas market section above). Rinks elsewhere in the country are in our ice skating guide.
Christmas concerts and shows in Eindhoven 2026
Most Christmas concerts in Eindhoven in December 2026 are in the Muziekgebouw on the Heuvel and the Effenaar, with the big Christmas party in the Klokgebouw on Strijp-S.
| Concert or show | When | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bach's Magnificat, Nederlandse Bachvereniging | Tuesday 15 December, 20:15 | Muziekgebouw | €29–€65 |
| An Irish Christmas, Celtic Steps | Wednesday 16 December, 20:15 | Muziekgebouw | €39.50–€47 |
| Eindhovense Kerstborrel (18+) | Friday 18 December, 18:00–00:00 | Klokgebouw | From €25 |
| Christmas Sing-a-Long | Saturday 19 December, 21:00 | Effenaar | €27.50 |
| Candlelight Concerts: Christmas Classics | Saturday 19 December 16:15, 18:30 and 20:45; Wednesday 23 December 20:45 | Muziekgebouw | See Fever |
| ABBA Gold: The Christmas Special Show | Sunday 20 December, 20:15 | Effenaar | €22.50; €99 for a group of five |
| The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge | Tuesday 22 December, 20:15 | Muziekgebouw | €25–€45 |
| De Nieuwe Nachtmis | Thursday 24 December, 20:15 | Muziekgebouw | €15 |
In the Muziekgebouw:
- Tickets for Bach's Magnificat, An Irish Christmas and St John's College include a drink in the interval.
- The Nederlandse Bachvereniging pairs Johann Sebastian Bach's Magnificat with the one his son Carl Philipp Emanuel wrote.
- An Irish Christmas brings sixteen dancers and musicians of Celtic Steps, with Irish traditionals and Christmas songs.
- The Choir of St John's College, whose soprano parts are sung by children aged 8 to 13, sings an English Christmas of 20th-century carols and newer music.
- The Candlelight concerts are a string quartet playing Christmas songs by candlelight; Fever sells the tickets.
- De Nieuwe Nachtmis is a modern Christmas Eve celebration with Mike Weerts, Sarah Janneh and others, back for its sixth year.
The Eindhovense Kerstborrel in the Klokgebouw is a Christmas party with Dutch singalong acts: Frans Bauer, Robert van Hemert, Rutger van Barneveld, Lijn7 and DJ Jim Heineman, with more names to follow. It is for over-18s only, and tickets cost from €25.
In the Effenaar, the Christmas Sing-a-Long has a ten-piece band and the lyrics on a big screen; the hall opens at 20:00. ABBA Gold, a tribute band, plays a new Christmas show the next day. More concerts across the country are in our Christmas concerts guide.
Christmas in Eindhoven with children
Eindhoven has children's shows, a pancake concert, the Kerstwintercircus and museum programmes in December 2026, starting with Sinterklaas on 1 December.
- Sinterklaas: The Mega Sintshow plays the Parktheater on Tuesday 1 December at 14:45, and pakjesavond, the evening Sinterklaas brings presents, is on Saturday 5 December. Sint's arrival and shows are on Sinterklaas in Eindhoven.
- De Kersthaas: a Christmas show in the Natlab on Wednesday 16 December, 15:30–16:25, from €9 (see it on Evenitto).
- A pancake concert: in Een kist vol winterliedjes, for children from 2, the duo Apennoten sing winter songs in the Muziekgebouw on Sunday 20 December at 11:00. Tickets cost €12, or €8 for a child, and include a pancake for the children to decorate, served from 10:00.
- Kerstvlokjes: a short Christmas show in Pand P on Tuesday 22 December, 11:00–11:40, from €7.50 (see it on Evenitto).
- Kerstwintercircus: the Parktheater's 54th Christmas circus, from Friday 25 December to Sunday 3 January. Dates and prices are on its show page, and show times in our Christmas circus guide.
- Museums: the Philips Museum runs AI For Kids on 12 and 13 December and its Museum Kids Factory in the Christmas holiday. Museumpark VONK opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–17:00; its holiday hours are not on its site yet. The Van Abbemuseum opens Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00–17:00, is closed on Christmas Day and open on Boxing Day.
What's open for families across the whole holiday is in our Christmas holiday guide.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Eindhoven
The Fakkeltocht, Eindhoven's torch walk for peace and tolerance, leaves the Wilhelminaplein on Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December 2026: walkers gather from 18:30 and set off at 19:00 through De Bergen and Oud Strijp. The walk has been held since 1992. A token for a torch costs €2 in advance or €2.50 on the square (cash, card or QR code), and you swap it for a torch on the evening.
Later that evening De Nieuwe Nachtmis starts in the Muziekgebouw at 20:15 (€15).
On Christmas Day and Boxing Day (Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December) the Kerstwintercircus plays the Parktheater. The Van Abbemuseum is closed on Christmas Day and open on Boxing Day, and the shops in the Heuvel shopping centre are closed on Christmas Day and open from 12:00 to 17:00 on Boxing Day. On Sunday 27 December the Liquicity Winterfestival fills the Klokgebouw with drum and bass from 14:00 to midnight.
31 December in Eindhoven: New Years EHVE on the Stadhuisplein
New Years EHVE is Eindhoven's free countdown on the Stadhuisplein on Thursday 31 December 2026: live music, light shows and projections from 21:00, the countdown at 23:59 and a fireworks show at midnight. It is free and open to all ages, and Omroep Brabant streams it live. The 2026 line-up is not announced yet (checked 28 October); the site still shows last year's acts.
Consumers may not buy or set off fireworks this New Year's Eve. The national ban has applied since 1 August 2026; only category F1, such as sparklers and knalerwten (bang snaps), is still allowed. What the ban means for you is in our fireworks ban guide.
Parties:
- Effenaar: Oud & Nieuw 2026 runs from 22:00 to 05:00 across several rooms, with pop hits in the main hall, alternative in the small hall and house and disco on a silent disco, a countdown show at midnight and oliebollen. Early-bird tickets cost €27.
- Klokgebouw: Verknipt NYE runs from 20:00 to 08:00, from €60.50.
More parties and shows are on New Year's Eve in Eindhoven, and every New Year's dive is on New Year's dive 2027.
Shopping in Eindhoven in December
Shops in Eindhoven's city centre open seven days a week, on Sundays from 12:00 to 17:00. The regular hours are Monday 13:00–18:00 (some shops from 11:00), Tuesday to Thursday 09:30–18:00, Friday 09:30–20:00 and Saturday 09:30–17:00, with Piazza open until 18:00. Shops on Strijp-S open Wednesday to Saturday.
Over Christmas the Heuvel shopping centre opens 10:00–17:00 on Christmas Eve, closes on Christmas Day, opens 12:00–17:00 on Boxing Day and 10:00–17:00 on New Year's Eve, and closes on New Year's Day; some shops keep their own hours.
The extra shopping evenings for December 2026 are not announced yet (checked 28 October). Last December the city centre's Keep on Giving campaign ran an advent calendar with a new deal from city-centre businesses each day.
What's the weather like in Eindhoven in December?
December in Eindhoven is cold, grey and wet. The KNMI climate table for Eindhoven gives a 1991–2020 December average of 4.1 °C, with an average high of 6.6 °C and low of 1.2 °C. The month brings 75.4 mm of rain and 56.5 hours of sunshine. On average 11.8 nights drop below freezing, and 1.9 days stay below freezing all day. Bring gloves for the ice rink.
Quick answers
Is there a Christmas market in Eindhoven in 2026? No big one is confirmed. There are one-day markets: the FeelGood Christmas Market in the Klokgebouw (Sunday 6 December), the Winter Market in the Muziekgebouw (Saturday 12 December) and the markets in Woensel (12–13 December). A market with an ice rink and a Ferris wheel is reserved on the Markt from 4 December, but not announced.
Where can I ice skate in Eindhoven in December? At the IJssportcentrum on the Antoon Coolenlaan: €10.25, skate hire from €6.50. Outdoors, Winter Village Eersel has a rink from 11 December (€4.95).
What's on in Eindhoven on Christmas Eve? On Thursday 24 December the Fakkeltocht sets off from the Wilhelminaplein at 19:00 (gather from 18:30, a torch costs €2 in advance), and De Nieuwe Nachtmis starts in the Muziekgebouw at 20:15.
What's open in Eindhoven on Christmas Day? The Kerstwintercircus starts in the Parktheater on Friday 25 December. The Van Abbemuseum and the Heuvel shops are closed that day and open again on Boxing Day.
Where do you celebrate New Year's Eve in Eindhoven? At New Years EHVE on the Stadhuisplein: free, from 21:00, with fireworks at midnight. The Effenaar and the Klokgebouw hold ticketed parties.
Can I set off fireworks in Eindhoven this New Year's Eve? No. Consumer fireworks have been banned nationwide since 1 August 2026; sparklers and other F1 fireworks are allowed.
When is the Christmas holiday in 2026? From Saturday 19 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, in every region.
Where can I see everything on in Eindhoven in December? On Evenitto's pages for New Year's Eve in Eindhoven, Christmas markets in Brabant and Sinterklaas in Eindhoven, and the agendas of the Muziekgebouw, Effenaar and Parktheater.
Cover photo: an oliebollen stall on the Markt in Eindhoven in December 2014, FaceMePLS, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.