Rheinfelden Christmas Market

Rheinfelden Christmas Market — Hochrhein Advent at Kirchplatz

When the Kirchplatz in Rheinfelden (Baden) is bathed in the glow of lights on the first Advent weekend, the Advent season begins for the Hochrhein region. From November 27 to 29, 2026, the Rheinfelden Christmas Market will be held — three days of cozy Baden hut charm, festive displays, and culinary delights. The date is classic — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the first Advent weekend — and is a firm fixture in the Advent calendar of the town on the Hochrhein.

Around 40 Exhibitor Huts

Around 40 decorated huts are set up on the Kirchplatz around the historic church. Associations, craftspeople, regional producers, and retailers from Rheinfelden and the Hochrhein present their products:

• Handmade Advent decorations and Advent wreaths
• Arts and crafts — carved wood items, ceramics, felt and knitted goods
• Honey and beeswax products from Hochrhein beekeepers
• Local foods — sausage and cheese specialties, regionally distilled spirits
• Handcrafted chocolate and gingerbread
• Christmas tree ornaments in traditional Hochrhein style

Culinary Delights — Mulled Wine, Black Forest Ham, and Crêpes

The catering combines Baden and Hochrhein specialties:

• Mulled wine according to Rheinfelden's house recipe, warmed in a cauldron
• Hot apple juice and children's punch for the little ones
• Bratwurst from a charcoal grill
• Black Forest ham from the nearby Black Forest
• Cheese specialties from Hochrhein cheese producers
• Crêpes with chocolate or cherry jam
• Maultaschen in broth
• Gingerbread and almonds for a sweet treat

Daily Santa Claus Visits

On each of the three market days, Santa Claus visits the market — usually in the late afternoon — and distributes small gifts to the children. The atmosphere of encounter is classic German Advent tradition. Additionally, a small nativity scene service takes place in the nearby church on one of the days, organized by the local parish.

Musical Accompaniment

Several local music groups accompany the market: trombone choirs from the Protestant and Catholic parishes, the Rheinfelden music association with Advent songs, and occasionally school choirs and kindergarten groups. The musical accompaniment is classically contemplative, not a modern mass program.

Rheinfelden (Baden) — the Town on the Hochrhein Border

Rheinfelden (Baden), a town with around 33,000 inhabitants in the Lörrach district, is located on the Hochrhein directly opposite the Swiss sister city of Rheinfelden (Aargau). The twin city is one of the few Central European constellations where two cities with the same name lie directly on a national border — a bridge (the Alte Rheinbrücke) connects them. Both share a common history: until 1330, it was one imperial city, then the Rhine divided the city between Baden (German Empire) and the Swiss Confederation. Today, both cities maintain intensive cooperation and joint events — many Swiss visit the German Christmas market and vice versa. Worth seeing are the Old Town, the Salt Museum, and the Tüllinger Höhe viewpoint.