Prague's Old Town Christmas market: What's new and what to expect in 2024

Prague’s Christmas markets are returning this Saturday, Nov. 30, marking the official start of the Advent season in the heart of the Czech capital. The Old Town Square market, the largest in the country, and its sister market on Wenceslas Square are set to showcase centuries-old Czech holiday traditions, bringing food and drink, live music and performances, and hundreds of vendors and stalls to the city through Jan. 6, 2025.

With security concerns surrounding large crowds, the city has opted for a more discreet approach this year. Instead of a single lighting event, the giant Christmas tree will feature hourly light animations synchronized to Czech composer Bedřich Smetana’s Vltava, played from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily, marking the bicentennial of his birth.

These two-minute animations are designed to be viewed anytime during the market’s opening hours, allowing visitors to catch the show without gathering in large crowds.

“There are so many of us living here and so many visitors coming that the security risk outweighs the desire to gather en masse under the tree,” said Tomáš Jílek, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Technology of the City of Prague.

The 22-meter-tall tree, a 53-year-old spruce transported from the village of Krompach in the Liberec region, will be adorned with over 12 kilometers of lights and 110,000 LED bulbs. It arrived on Tuesday and will be decorated on Saturday.

This year, organizers have placed an even greater emphasis on showcasing Czech-made products. Visitors will sip Pálava wine, which is used to produce the popular mulled wine (svařák), and shop for ornaments made from blown beads from Poniklá, ceramics and candles from Štěchovice, handmade wooden nativity scenes from Ostroměř in the Podkrkonoší region, and handcrafted wooden blankets and tablecloths.

Holiday fare, such as Czech sausages, traditional treats like potato pancakes and grilled hermelín, and international options, including oysters and vegetarian snacks, will be a bit more expensive this year, with prices increasing by an average of five percent.

In line with the city’s sustainability efforts, the organizers have revamped market aesthetics replacing plastics with eco-friendly materials like canvas and lowering roof stalls roofs to enhance visibility of the square and PET cups to minimize reduce waste, an investment of CZK 6 million.

This year’s market will expand the cultural program, with daily performances on a large stage near the Jan Hus statue. Folklore groups, choirs, dance performances, and charity events with highlights including the Advent and Christmas Music Festival, the Czech Christmas Mass, and the Three Kings Parade on Jan. 3. Children’s workshops, where young visitors can create Christmas cards and small gifts, will be held every weekend. See the full program of events here.

A refurbished Nativity scene near the Marian Column (Mariánský sloup) will add to the festive atmosphere; a regular blacksmith’s workshop will take place at Wenceslas Square, and a charity market offering crafts from on Náměstí Republiky will take place from Dec 2. organized by The Association of New Town of Prague.

International news outlets such as USA Today, CNN Travel, and The Times have named Prague's markets among the world's top Christmas markets. Speaking of the markets' global appeal, Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda said that "foreign visitors' high ratings [of the markets] are a guarantee of their quality."

The Independent magazine recently wrote a feature article that included the Old Town's Christmas market, calling it among the world's "most authentic" Christmas markets.