Szeged Christmas Market 2022 - all you need to know
Read about the 2023 Szeged Christmas Market here
The 2022 Szeged Christmas Market will be open between November 25 and December 24.
Christmas Market at Dóm Square
Christmas markets at Dóm Square have been organized since 2000 and have become a firm favorite of locals and tourists over the years. A magical Christmas decor and various stalls await visitors in front of Szeged's most famous building, with a wide variety of handmade souvenirs, from wooden and textile toys to unique ceramics, hand-stitched clothes and bags, handmade soaps, and much more.
Food and drink stalls dot the square offering fried sausages, chestnuts, chimney cake, mulled wine, and other delicious winter treats.
Handcrafted gifts, food and drink stalls, Szeged's Christmas tree, Instagram spot - locations of the 2022 Szeged Christmas Market
The 2022 Christmas Fair, with 60 different stalls and other attractions, takes place at three locations this year. The artisan market with handcrafted gifts, most of the food and drink stalls, the 50 m tall Ferris wheel, and the city's giant Advent wreath await visitors at Dóm Square. The kids' favorite straw labyrinth and the fairy tale house offering handicraft workshops also return to the main location of the Fair.
Klauzál Square, another popular spot of downtown Szeged, hosts the city's Christmas tree, a 12-m high silver fir. Apart from a stall offering hot tea, mulled wine and other drinks, a small stand with roasted chestnuts also awaits visitors here.
As in previous years, Dugonics Square serves as a popular Instagram spot with a large lit-up deer on top of the closed-down fountain, and a Santa Clause installation in front of the Rector's Building of the University of Szeged. Dugonics Square hosts a food and drink stall too, offering alcoholic and non-alcoholic hot drinks, as well as typical winter food like fried sausages in different versions, fried blood with onions (hagymás sült vér), and more.
Opening of the 2022 Szeged Christmas Fair
The 2022 Christmas Fair opens on Friday, November 25. Celebrations kick off at Dugonics Square with a kids' concert by the Habakuk Band, starting at 15:45 (3:45 p.m.). Radio 88 will also be there and at approximately 16:10 (4:10 p.m.), someone from the audience can switch on the Christmas lights of the city, starting with the deer in the middle of Dugonics Square.
A parade, led by giant puppets of the Kövér Béla Puppet Theater, and accompanied by the Guiro Percussion Band, will start from Klauzál Square at 16:30 (4:30 p.m.). Anyone can join the parade that first heads to Dugonics Square and finally arrives at Dóm Square.
Another program of the afternoon, the Fire Legends show by Fire Fantasy Szeged, starts at 18:00 (6 p.m.). The spectacular fire juggling show features diverse fire costumes, special devices, and pyrotechnic effects and will be repeated every Friday until Christmas.
Update: the last two fire juggler shows have different start schedule:
Dec. 16.: 19:00 (7 p.m.)
Dec. 23.: 17:00 (5 p.m.)
Advent in Szeged
The Szeged Christmas Market - also called Szeged Christmas Weeks - awaits visitors through the whole Advent period, and will be open until December 24. During this time, various programs will take place at Dóm Square, follow Szegedify on Instagram for the latest updates.
On November 27, Mayor Dr. László Botka and Bishop Dr. László Kiss-Rigó will light the first candle on the city's Advent wreath at Dóm Square at 17:00 (5 p.m.). The other three candles will be lit on the following three Sundays.
Around 200,000 LED lights will light up the locations of the Christmas Market, as well as other parts of the city, including the City Hall, the central part of Tisza Lajos Boulevard, the Belvárosi Bridge, and some of the trams too. The festive lights will be switched off daily at 22:00 (10 p.m.) and according to the measures to cut down the city's utility costs, will stay on only until January 1.
The Szeged Christmas Weeks (Szegedi Karácsonyi Hetek) are organized by SZVP - Szegedi Városkép és Piac.
Images: Szilvia Molnar / Szegedify
