Wintergoud, Winterstad and WinterWelVaart 2025: Groningen’s Christmas market
The Christmas markets in Germany are famous for their craft stalls, gluwein and generally Christmassy atmosphere. I’ve gone to several in past years; the ones in Oldenburg and Bremen aren’t far from my home here in Groningen. Hamburg is a joy if you like Christmas markets – I visited 13 of them in four days!
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Though they’re much less well-known, Dutch cities, including Groningen, also run Christmas markets.
Update as of October 6, 2025
I’ll give much more detail about each of the elements of these Christmas festivities below, but here is the general schedule:
WINTERGOUD: November 28, 2025 until January 4, 2026. (Skip to Wintergoud section below.) It includes Winterstad and WinterWelVaart and a whole calendar of other events too. (Skip to the list of other events.)
WINTERSTAD: November 28, 2025 until January 5, 2026 on the Grote Markt in Groningen. (Skip to Winterstad section below.) These were the hours in 2024, which I’ll update for 2025 when they’re published:
- The ice skating rink: 10:00-22:00.
- Food and drink stalls: 10:00-midnight.
- The “winter chalets” selling crafts, etc.: 11:00-21:00
- The attractions (giant slide, ferris wheel, and several rides for children): 11:00-21:00.
WINTERWELVAART: December 19-December 21 in Groningen. (Skip to WinterWelVaart section below.) Here are the planned hours for 2025:
- Friday, December 19: 17:00-midnight (art route only until 20:00 and market only until 22:00.
- Saturday, December 20: 12:00-midnight (art route only until 18:00 and market until 22:00.
- Sunday, December 21: 12:00-18:00 (including the art route and market)
WinterWelVaart will also happen in Zoutkamp on December 12 and 13 and in Sappemeer on December 13.
Wintergoud
Wintergoud (which translates as “winter gold”) just debuted last year: a combination of many different Christmas events. The two parts of Wintergoud that get the most attention and the most visitors are Winterstad and WinterWelVaart.
Winterstad
For five weeks, the central market square, called the Grote Markt, will host a German-style Christmas market called Winterstad (“winter city”) as well as a huge Ferris wheel and various other rides. There will be a skating rink and German-style “chalets” selling food or various crafts. A range of local musical groups and clubs will perform among the trees at one end of the square.
Sinterklaas and Christmas
In 2025, Winterstad will start before the Dutch holiday of Sinterklaas (December 5), so its theme, for the first week, will be Sinterklaas, switching to a Christmas theme on December 6. Sinterklaas is a Dutch holiday focused on children, and that’s when many families exchange gifts.
You may see images of Sinterklaas – a tall man with a beard in robes and miter like a bishop – and his Pieten (plural of Piet). Traditionally depicted as Zwarte Piet (“Black Pete”) by people dressed in blackface, these days they are Roetpieten – “Sooty Petes.” They’re sooty because they deliver gifts down chimneys. Clownish characters in colorful Moorish outfits these days, in the past children were told that Zwarte Piet punished kids who were badly behaved, or even kidnapped them to take back to Spain! You can read more about the Zwarte Piet blackface controversy in my article from five years ago.
Christmas is more of a religious holiday, though these days more and more people exchange small gifts at Christmas as well. In the Netherlands, the Christmas season doesn’t traditionally start until the day after Sinterklaas: December 6. In 2025, that’s the day the huge Christmas tree on the Grote Markt will be lit up to start the season.
WinterWelVaart
Groningen’s original Christmas market is called WinterWelVaart, and it adds a unique twist on the usual Christmas market, but only lasts for a few days. It takes place along the most picturesque canals in Groningen, on the Lage der A, the Hoge der A and the Kleine der A.
This is a beautiful part of town: historic buildings front the canals, undamaged in the wartime bombing that left its mark on other parts of the city center. Many are former warehouses, identifiable by the vertical line of large doors and the mechanism on the gable that used to be used to lift cargo into and out of the building. Some are rather grand former homes of the wealthier merchants, many of which are now offices or divided into apartments.
Book a room in Groningen so you can relax and enjoy the market, walking “home” afterwards! The 3.5-star Hotel Miss Blanche is right around the corner from WinterWelVaart. The 4.5-star Market Hotel is right on the Grote Markt. While it’s brand new so I would guess it’s pretty soundproof, it might be safest to request a room that doesn’t face the Grote Markt.
For the first time in 2024, instead of only taking place along the canal, WinterWelVaart linked up to Winterstad. There were market stalls along the canal as usual, but also along a very pretty route, taking visitors from there right to the center of town and Winterstad on the Grote Markt.
The 2025 version will be more extensive, and will be called the Wintergoud Markt. Market stalls will line the same route, but then also one side of the Vismarkt, Brugstraat and Akerkhof. What that means is that you can make a circle: walking by the stalls from WinterWelVaart to Winterstad, then taking the other route back to WinterWelVaart.
Judging by the 2024 version, the stalls are much like you’d find at a German market, but the proportion of crafts to food and drink stalls is different than in Germany. The German markets have far more food and drink on offer, perhaps as many as 40-50 percent of the stalls, I’d guess. Here I don’t think it’s more than about 20 percent.
If you’re going to be in Groningen, take a look at my walking tour of the city. Also, there’s plenty to see in the Groningen area all year round. Read my article on 46 things to see and do in Groningen province!
A maritime theme
The twist, though – what makes WinterWelVaart different and special – is that the canal itself is lined with moored historical ships (On the Lage der A, Hoge der A, Kleine der A, Pottebakkersrijge and the Sluiskade). For WinterWelVaart, they’re all lit up with strings of light up their masts and spars. It’s a beautiful sight.
For the 2025 edition, about 20 ships are expected – many more than in 2024 when a bridge was under repair and its temporary replacement could not be raised to let them in.
For WinterWelVaart visitors, the ships are available to board and explore. Some become venues for all sorts of activities: musical performances, art exhibits, and storytelling, to name the most common. Others are just open for people to visit. Never mind exploring all the craft stalls; it would be easy to spend hours hopping from one ship to the next, enjoying the coziness and the entertainment.
An art route is also part of the festivities – artists in the area will open their studios to visitors. Other maritime-themed events are scheduled for venues like the Museum aan de A (Brugstraat 24), the Akerk (the old church at Akerkhof 2), the A-Theater (Akerkstraat 11) and Podium Pomphuis (Kleine der A 7).
WinterWelVaart has its own website where all of their events will eventually be listed.
Schedule of other Wintergoud events
Besides Winterstad and WinterWelVaart, there are many other events that are part of Wintergoud. I’ve taken all of the information below from the schedule on Wintergoud’s website, which is only in Dutch. I’ll add more details as they are published.
November 28-December 28: STERREN OP DE STER (Stars on the Star). The star is a star-shaped space under the trees on the Grote Markt. Local musicians will perform there throughout the month.
November 28 and 29: WINTERGOUD HOOGKERK, a small Christmas market in the village of Hoogkerk.
December 6: CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING on the Grote Markt. This is the day after Sinterklaas: the day when the Christmas season traditionally begins in the Netherlands.
December 12: STADSPARK NIGHTRUN. This nighttime run in the City Park starts at 20:00 and can be done in two distances: 5-6 or 10-11 kilometers. Along the route will be musical performances and light shows and such. You have to sign up ahead though on their website, and it will cost you €27.50. Or you could just go and cheer the runners on!
December 12: CARILLON CONCERT on the 17th-century bells in the Martinitoren on the Grote Markt.
December 13-28: A PLACE FOR MOURNING. On the Waagplein, which is just behind the city hall from the Grote Markt, there will be a place where you can light a candle in memory of a loved one you’ve lost.
December 13-14, 10:00-17:00: SWEDISH CHRISTMAS MARKET on the Suikerlaan in the old sugar factory building, with lots of handicrafts for sale, along with activities, workshops and musical performances. There will be an admission charge; check their website.
December 19: HET KERST MEEZINGCAFE (Christmas sing-along) in the Forum (just off the Grote Markt). Ugly Christmas sweaters encouraged!
December 20-21: CHRISTMAS MARKET in the nearby village of Haren.
December 31-January 1: NEW YEAR’S EVE on the Grote Markt, with DJs and other performances and a countdown at midnight. Be warned: though the event is meant to be fireworks-free, if this one is anything like last year, many people will bring their own fireworks along and light them even among the crowd!
January 1: NEW YEAR’S DAY SWIM. At noon at the Hoornseplas lake, gluttons for punishment (in my view) will take part in the annual New Year’s Day plunge. The event is sponsored, so it’s free, but you have to sign up here ahead of time. After your plunge, you’ll get a free winter hat and a sweet treat, as well as a certificate.
More information about WinterWelVaart
In case you’re curious, here’s some extra information about WinterWelVaart in particular.
Ships? In Groningen?
You might be wondering, if you have ever spotted Groningen on a map of the Netherlands, why a maritime theme was chosen for WinterWelVaart. It’s not on a coast, after all. It was, however, one of the Hanseatic League cities. Later it became a very important center of trade in peat, the dominant fuel in the 16th and 17th century. As the legal market town for the province, ships came here to load and unload all sorts of goods.
Transporting cargo all over the Netherlands happened primarily by canal until the mid-20th century, and it’s still common to see long, low cargo ships passing on Holland’s canals serving domestic shipping needs. The truth is, though, that most of the ships at WinterWelVaart are not as old as the peat trade: most stem from the early 20th century.
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The meaning of WinterWelVaart
WinterWelVaart is a great word for this event. Welvaart means “prosperity,” so it can be translated as “winter prosperity.” To take the name apart further, the word vaart can mean something like “making headway” or “speed.” So another translation could be something like “winter good speed,” meaning “traveling well” or “good journey”. That fits nicely with the nautical theme: it’s about a good journey through winter, starting with this market for Christmas.
My travel recommendations
Planning travel
- Skyscanner is where I always start my flight searches.
- Booking.com is the company I use most for finding accommodations. If you prefer, Expedia offers more or less the same.
- Discover Cars offers an easy way to compare prices from all of the major car-rental companies in one place.
- Use Viator or GetYourGuide to find walking tours, day tours, airport pickups, city cards, tickets and whatever else you need at your destination.
- Bookmundi is great when you’re looking for a longer tour of a few days to a few weeks, private or with a group, pretty much anywhere in the world. Lots of different tour companies list their tours here, so you can comparison shop.
- GetTransfer is the place to book your airport-to-hotel transfers (and vice-versa). It’s so reassuring to have this all set up and paid for ahead of time, rather than having to make decisions after a long, tiring flight!
- Buy a GoCity Pass when you’re planning to do a lot of sightseeing on a city trip. It can save you a lot on admissions to museums and other attractions in big cities like New York and Amsterdam.
Other travel-related items
- It’s really awkward to have to rely on WIFI when you travel overseas. I’ve tried several e-sim cards, and GigSky’s e-sim was the one that was easiest to activate and use. You buy it through their app and activate it when you need it. Use the code RACHEL10 to get a 10% discount!
- Another option I just recently tried for the first time is a portable wifi modem by WifiCandy. It supports up to 8 devices and you just carry it along in your pocket or bag! If you’re traveling with a family or group, it might end up cheaper to use than an e-sim. Use the code RACHELSRUMINATIONS for a 10% discount.
- I’m a fan of SCOTTeVEST’s jackets and vests because when I wear one, I don’t have to carry a handbag. I feel like all my stuff is safer when I travel because it’s in inside pockets close to my body.
- I use ExpressVPN on my phone and laptop when I travel. It keeps me safe from hackers when I use public or hotel wifi.
Rachel Heller is a writer living in Groningen, the Netherlands. She is the owner and primary author of this website, Rachel’s Ruminations, a travel blog focused on independent travel with an emphasis on cultural and historical sites/sights. Read more here about her and about this website. All photos in her articles are her own, unless otherwise specified. Rachel also owns and operates a website about World Heritage travel.
WinterWelVaart looks like a wonderful place to visit. I think one could easily wander there for hours, not only to look at the markets, but the boats and the buildings. I really think I should go to Europe next Christmas! The whole winter Christmas is so appealing here in summer Australia. Enjoy the rest of your week. I was happy to meet you here today at Travel Photo Thursday.
A Christmas market trip would be so much fun! Take public transportation so you can drink gluwein! Check out this pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/santafetraveler/christmas-markets-in-europe/ It’s all about Christmas markets!
This is the most interesting Christmas Market I’ve heard of. The fact that it was along the canal was enough for me, but being able to view the ships and their exhibits. I would go each of the three days just to board a different ship and experience them all. Fantastic Rachel.
Go for it! I’ll be there tonight! Last year I didn’t stay for many of the shows in the boats, partly because the most popular ones were so crowded that I got a bit claustrophobic. But between shows you can also just explore the ship itself, which is interesting too!
Rachel, what a great surprise! Like you mentioned, this market is very unique (have not heard of something similar before). I like that you can get on the boats. Who owns the ships? What kind of “entertainment” is available inside the ships?
The boats are mostly privately-owned and used for things like charter sailing, events or bed and breakfasts. The entertainment is mostly music, from rock bands to sea chantey choruses!
Hi Rachel. What a great idea for a Christmas market! Being from Halifax, on the North Atlantic, is definitely one of the reasons it’s so appealing. The navy ships are always lit up in our harbour, and so pretty. I’d be with Jan for the full 3 nights, hopping from ship to ship!
Maybe that’s why it appealed to me so much: I grew up on the coast (of Connecticut) too!