Birmingham German Christmas Market 2024: Open times, prices, drink rules & everything you need to know
It's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas in Birmingham city centre as the annual Frankfurt Christmas Market gets underway
There will be hot gluhwein, crispy crepes and lots of sweet and savoury treats on offer at the Frankfurt Christmas Market, which has been a feature of the festive celebrations in Birmingham since the 90s!
The annual market is opening its doors at 5.30pm this evening - Friday, November 1 - and is expected to welcome thousands of people from near in the lead up and throughout the festive period.
With nearly two months of festive fun to look forward to, we've taken a look at the history, how to get there and what visitors to the Frankfurt Christmas Market can expect.
The market opens today (Friday, November 1) and will run until Tuesday, December 24.
It will be serving customers and entertaining the crowds from Monday to Thursday from 11am to 9pm, on Fridays from 11am to 9.30pm, on Saturdays from 10am to 9.30am and on Sundays from 10am to 9pm
The market will also be closed until 1pm on November 10 for Remembrance Sunday.
The market begins at the end of New Street near to the entrance to the Bull Ring where a bar and area serving sausages and pork sandwiches can be found.
From there, visitors can walk up New Street with the market located in the middle of the street and stalls on each side, stopping just before the junction of New Street and Stephenson Street.
Cross over the road and there is a short walk up to the junction of Temple Street and New Street where one of the biggest outdoor bars can be found and the next chain of stalls begins.
This chain ends at the Victoria Square Steps, alongside Pinfold Street, then begins again with going around the Pinfold Street Metro stop road and alongside Birmingham Town Hall, as well as spreading around Victoria Square, with bars at both ends and in the middle and a range of food stalls.
Visitors can enjoy sweet and savoury treats at the Frankfurt Christmas Market, with bratwursts, schnitzels, pretzels and garlic bread all available, along with hot gluhwein, tankards of beer and hot chocolates.
The price of a pint of beer has risen by 50p from 2023 and now costs £7 a pint, with a half-pint costing £4.50 and a double pint costing £12, while gluhwein is £6.50 a glass.
For those looking to eat, a standard size bratwurst is £6.50 and a half-metre-long bratwurst is £9, while a currywurst is £7, as is a pork steak, and Berliner donuts are £3 each or £10 for four.
The prices are as follows:
Drinks prices
Pint of beer - £7
Half-pint of beer - £4.50
Double pint - £12.50
Wheat beer - £6.50
Shandy pint - £7
Alcohol-free beer - £7
Gluhwein - £6.50
Christmas Aperol Spritz - £7.50
Christmas Prosecco - £6
Hot chocolate with Baileys - £7
Soft drinks - £2.50
Water - £1.50
Food prices
Bratwurst - £6.50
Half-metre-long bratwurst - £9
Frankfurt sausage - £5.50
Currywurst - £7
Vegan bratwurst - £6.50
Burger - £5
Pork steak - £7
Chips - £4
Garlic bread - from £4
Falafel wrap - £6
Pretzels - from £4
Crepes - from £4.50
Roasted almonds (per 100g) - from £4.50
Donuts - £3 for one, four for £10
Chocolate marshmallows - £1.50 each, nine for £10 or 20 for £20
Nuremberg gingerbread - from £3 each, five for £12.90 or £24.90 for 10
Churros - from £4.50
Toffee apple - £3.50
Pick and mix sweets (per 100g) - £2.90
Proffertjes mini pancakes - from £4.50
The Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market has a rule that limits the number of alcoholic drinks that can be purchased per person, which is set at one drink per person.
Stallholders are only permitted to sell one alcoholic beverage to each person and staff must see who drinks are going to.
The organisers said the rule is in place to ensure that underage visitors do not purchase alcoholic drinks.
A message on the Frankfurth Christmas Market website said: "If you are lucky enough to look under 25, you will be asked to prove that you are aged 18 or over when you buy age-restricted products.
"Acceptable forms of ID are a Photographic driving licence or a Passport.
"Please bring the correct form of ID with you as bar staff do not have the discretion to accept any other forms of ID."
There will also be live performances on the bandstand in Victoria Square with Monday ‘open mic’ sessions giving young, up and coming performers and musicians a chance to showcase their talents.
The best two acts will perform in a primetime December slot.
Choirs from local schools, charities and community groups will also feature on the market’s community music programme.
German musicians will perform weekday lunchtimes and evenings daily, with local performers performing between 12pm and 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Frankfurt Christmas Market had a humble beginning, starting in 1997 with a small 10 stall event as part a collaboration between Birmingham and Frankfurt, which are partner cities.
It then returned to the city in 2001 with 24 stalls around Victoria Square and has grown since, with more than 60 stalls now open during the duration of the market.
Where can I find out more information about the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market?
For more information about the city’s Frankfurt Christmas Market, go to the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market website,
