Wintergoud, Winterstad and WinterWelVaart 2026: 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! Though they’re much less well-known, Dutch cities, including Groningen, also run Christmas markets. Groningen, my home town, does a lovely one.

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[Last updated September 19, 2026]

Wintergoud

Wintergoud (which translates as “winter gold”) is a new umbrella term for a combination of many different Christmas events. The three parts of Wintergoud that get the most attention and the most visitors are Winterstad, WinterWelVaart and Wintergoud Market.

Winterstad

For five weeks, the central market square, called the Grote Markt, hosts a German-style Christmas market called Winterstad (“winter city”) as well as a huge Ferris wheel and various other rides. There’s a skating rink and German-style “chalets” selling food or various crafts. A range of local musical groups and clubs perform among the trees at one end of the square.

WinterWelVaart

Groningen’s much older 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. I would guess it’s pretty soundproof, but it might be safest to request a room that doesn’t face the Grote Markt.

A maritime theme

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 2026 edition, about 20 ships are expected, all prettily lit up. 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 Akerk (the old church at Akerkhof 2), the A-Theater (Akerkstraat 11) and Het Pomphuis (Kleine der A 7).

WinterWelVaart has its own website where all of their events will eventually be listed

Wintergoud Market

For the first time in 2024, WinterWelVaart expanded. Instead of only taking place along the canal, it linked up to Winterstad. There were market stalls along the canal as usual, but also along a very picturesque walking route, taking visitors from the canal right to the center of town and Winterstad on the Grote Markt. It was a huge success, and the route will be longer in 2026, with over 175 market stalls and a new addition: three places along the route where musical groups will perform.

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!

Sinterklaas and Christmas

In 2026, 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” – sooty because they deliver gifts down chimneys. In the past children were told that Zwarte Piet punished kids who were badly behaved, or even kidnapped them to take back to Spain! Fortunately, they’re now presented as friendly, clownish characters. You can read more about the Zwarte Piet blackface controversy in my article about Zwarte Piet.

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 2026, that’ll probably be the day the huge Christmas tree on the Grote Markt will be lit up to start the season.

Other Wintergoud events

Wintergoud includes other events besides Winterstad and WinterWelVaart. When the new schedule is published, I’ll translate it and add it here. If it’s anything like last year’s schedule, it’ll include some smaller markets in other locations, Sinterklaas activities for children, a Christmas tree lighting on the Grote Market (most likely on December 6), musical performances on the Grote Markt and along the route of the Wintergoud Market, and lots more.

What to wear for Groningen’s Christmas Market

The weather in the Netherlands is notoriously changeable. You could get rain or mist, or it could be beautifully clear. Generally, if it’s clear, it’s cold: near freezing. If it’s rainy, it’s a bit warmer, but still feels cold. And the rain could come and go very quickly. It’s unlikely to snow, but it could happen.

In other words, pack layers, including a waterproof jacket. The market won’t be canceled no matter the weather. Bring gloves and a hat too, since you’ll be standing still, browsing a market stall. You can add or remove layers as needed, or if you go inside one of the ships. Waterproof shoes with grippy soles would help too – the cobblestone streets can get slippery when they’re wet.

How to get to Groningen and get around the city during the Christmas market season

It’s easy to get to Groningen by train from Amsterdam or pretty much anywhere else in the Netherlands. The city center is quite small and walkable; it’s about a 10-15 minute walk from the train station to the Grote Markt, and it’s only about a 10-minute walk from the Grote Markt to the canal where WinterWelVaart takes place.

Having said that, on the weekend of WinterWelVaart, the crowds get quite dense, and getting around will take a bit longer.

If you’re planning to drive, don’t even try to park in town, unless you find a hotel with its own parking lot. Instead, park at one of the P+R lots on the edge of town. A shuttle bus is planned this year to take visitors from the P+R lots in Hoogkerk and Meerstad into the city.

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.

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.

Rachel Heller

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.

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