Sandau (Elbe) Christmas Market

Small, Fine, on the Elbe

The Sandau (Elbe) Christmas Market is a true village Advent tradition. Sandau has only around 900 inhabitants and belongs to the Verbandsgemeinde Elbe-Havel-Land in the Stendal district. The market takes place on the 1st Advent (November 28, 2026) — at and in the Town Hall as well as in the St. Laurentius Town Church, a medieval brick building that is one of the most beautiful village churches in the Altmark.

In the church, the Christmas program begins at 2 p.m. — the primary school performs, the Advent wreath is blessed, and there's punch, stollen, and gingerbread. On the Town Hall square and in the surrounding alleys, vendors set up their stalls: craftspeople with nativity scenes and candles, the art association with handmade items, the local baker, the fire department with their warming fires.

Most Beautifully Decorated Christmas Tree

A Sandau specialty: The competition for the most beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Associations, families, and businesses decorate small fir trees throughout the town, and visitors vote. A lovely tradition that turns the festival into a town-wide competition. Plus a craft market, a tombola, and of course, mulled wine at the fire department's warming station.

Sandau and the Altmark

Sandau is one of the oldest towns in the Altmark and is located directly on the Elbe dike. The medieval townscape with its brick church, market square, and half-timbered houses has been preserved almost unchanged. The Christmas market fits the town: small, honest, without pretense. Anyone looking for the atmosphere of a Central German village Advent will find it here — far from the hustle and bustle of the big Christmas markets.