Kevelaer Nativity Scene Market

Kevelaer — Germany's Second Largest Marian Pilgrimage Site

Kevelaer is no ordinary town on the Lower Rhine. With around 800,000 pilgrims annually, it is Germany's second-largest Marian pilgrimage site (after Altötting), and the entire city center is geared towards pilgrim traffic — with devotional shops, pilgrim hostels, a magnificent Marian basilica, and the central Kapellenplatz. It is precisely this background that makes the Kevelaerer Krippenmarkt unique: here, Christmas market tradition and religious folk culture merge into something you won't find elsewhere.

The Forum Pax Christi — Heart of the Market

The Forum Pax Christi at Kapellenplatz 35 is a modern, weather-protected multi-purpose hall directly adjacent to the sanctuary. During Advent, it transforms into a Nativity Scene Cabinet: life-size nativity figures, hay, straw, and above all, real live animals — donkeys, sheep, sometimes an ox. This 'living nativity scene' has been a permanent fixture for over 30 years and is a firm part of the Advent rituals for many Lower Rhine families.

Nativity Play with Karl Timmermann

Every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 3:30 PM, a nativity play is performed in the Forum Pax Christi, led by the long-time narrator Karl Timmermann. With music, spoken text, and the live animals, an atmosphere is created that touches children as much as the adults who come with them. The nativity play is one of the most famous in all of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Market Around It

Market stalls extend across Kapellenplatz, Luxemburger Platz, and within the Forum itself. The assortment differs from a classic Christmas market: here, religious-folkloric items dominate — nativity figures in all sizes and styles, ceramics, candles, Advent books, angel figures, Christian artworks. Alongside these are mulled wine, Christmas pastries (especially the Lower Rhine 'Niederrheinischer Weihnachtsstollen'), bratwurst, and vegetarian specialties.

Atmospheric Lighting

The entire city center is framed by elaborate, warm lighting — the Marian basilica is illuminated, Kapellenplatz becomes a backdrop of lights, and the alleys lead from one stall to the next like an Advent calendar. The charm: no disco glitter like at some big-city markets, but a quiet, contemplative atmosphere.

Angel Photo Point and Family Program

Especially for families, there is an Angel Photo Point, craft stations for children, and a stage program with Advent songs. If you are coming with children, you should plan for a Wednesday or Saturday afternoon nativity play — the experience will stay with them for a long time.

Why the Visit is Worthwhile

If you're tired of standard mulled wine from identical wooden huts, Kevelaer is the answer. Here you will experience Christmas with a genuine religious background — without having to be religious yourself to feel the atmosphere. The combination of pilgrimage atmosphere, living nativity scene, and Lower Rhine down-to-earthness makes the Krippenmarkt one of the special Advent destinations in NRW.