Riga Christmas market 2026: dates, times

The Christmas market in Riga stands in the middle of the old town, on Dome Square (Doma laukums) beside the cathedral. The short answer for 2026: the Old Town Christmas Market runs from Friday 27 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. It stays open between Christmas and New Year, and until 02:00 on New Year's Eve.

Riga Christmas market 2026: dates and opening times

The dates come from the market's organiser and from Live Riga, the city's tourism site; the hours come from Live Riga's Christmas page (see sources). The city's tender for the square required a market from 27 November 2026 to at least 1 January 2027, so the organiser's closing date of 3 January goes slightly beyond that.

At 38 days the season is about as long as Prague's and shorter than Tallinn's:

Season: calendar days from the first to the last day.

What to expect on Dome Square

Wooden stalls and a Christmas tree fill the square, with Riga Cathedral on one side and the spire of St Peter's Church above the rooftops. According to Live Riga, you will find one-of-a-kind gifts, traditional and street food and speciality cocktails, and mulled wine is the drink of choice. Folklore ensembles, musical groups and DJs perform, and there are workshops with Santa's helpers. Entry to the square is free; you pay for what you buy.

Riga also has a story to go with the season: a popular legend says one of the very first decorated Christmas trees stood here. Tallinn tells a similar story about itself, which makes a Baltic trip a good way to compare the two.

When to go

• Weekday afternoons are the calmest time to look at the stalls, and it gets dark early in December, so the lights are on before evening.
• Friday and Saturday evenings are the busiest; the market closes at 22:00 on those days.
• 24 to 26 December the market stays open, unlike many markets in Germany. Check the table above for the hours.
• New Year's Eve is the longest day of the season, until 02:00. The market then opens again at 12:00 on 1 January.

There is a second date worth knowing: the Baltic Expo Christmas Market runs for three days from 11 to 13 December 2026 (Friday 12:00–20:00, Saturday 09:00–20:00, Sunday 09:00–19:00, according to Live Riga). If you are in town that weekend, it brings together participants from across the Baltic states.

Getting there

Dome Square is in the pedestrian centre of the old town, and everything around it is easy to reach on foot. Riga Central Station and the bus station are at the edge of the old town. If you combine Riga with Tallinn or Vilnius, you can compare bus and train connections in the Baltics^* on Omio. On the day you leave, luggage storage in Riga^* (Radical Storage) saves you from carrying bags over the cobbles.

Where to stay

The old town puts you a few minutes from the market, but it can be loud in the evenings. The Art Nouveau district and the streets of the centre beyond the canal are calmer and still walkable. For the weekends in December, book early.

More than the market: a winter weekend in Riga

The House of the Blackheads and Town Hall Square are a short walk from the market, and St Peter's Church, the Three Brothers and the Central Market in its old zeppelin hangars fill a day. Tickets for museums and tours in Riga^* are on Tiqets. Our guide on how many days you need in Riga helps you plan the rest of the trip.

Weather in December

Riga is cold in December: on average about 2.1 °C by day and -1.7 °C at night, with 50 mm of rain and snow over the month (2015–2024). The cobbles can be icy, so shoes with a good grip matter as much as a warm coat. Days are short, and it is dark by the middle of the afternoon.

How YesTrip helps

In YesTrip, the Riga plan puts the old town, the Art Nouveau streets and the Central Market into a walking order on a map, with room for an evening at the market. You see the forecast for your travel days and a packing list to match. Latvia is in the EU and uses the euro, so EU mobile plans work there without extra roaming charges; travelling from outside the EU, a travel eSIM for Latvia^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming.

For more ideas, see our guide to the best Christmas markets in Europe and the Prague Christmas markets 2026.

Riga trip planDay by day, with map and tips

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