Chalets, Carols and Chestnuts Around Sint-Baafsplein
You step off the tram at Korenmarkt and the smell reaches you before the lights do: roasted chestnuts, frying oil, sugar caramelising on a waffle iron. Ahead, the wooden chalets of the Winterfeesten run in a loose chain through the historic centre — Sint-Baafsplein, Emile Braunplein, Goudenleeuwplein, Poeljemarkt, Botermarkt, Klein Turkije, up to Korenmarkt — more than 150 of them, pitched around the bulk of St Bavo's Cathedral. The 2026 edition runs from Thursday 3 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, and this year the season stretches longer than it used to: the Winterfeesten now ends on the last Sunday of the Christmas school holidays rather than on 31 December. On Christmas Eve itself, expect the market to close early — plan your wandering for the afternoon.
Access to the chalets and squares is free; only the attractions charge. Walk the Graslei and Korenlei quays, where garlands are strung along the gabled facades and the lights come back at you off the Lys. Then cut into the Patershol, the old quarter behind the castle, where restaurants and traditional taverns stay open late.
Skate Under the Stadshal, Ride the Wheel Over the Belfry
The two set-piece attractions sit within a few minutes' walk of each other. Under the Stadshal — the contemporary wooden hall on Emile Braunplein — an ice rink is laid out, with skates for hire on site in child and adult sizes and heated benches around the edge. Opposite the cathedral, a big wheel lifts you above the rooftops for a view of the belfry and St Nicholas' Church. St Nicholas' Church itself becomes an "ice world" over the holidays, and Santa meets children there.
If you want the rink to yourself, go on a weekday morning or at opening time at the weekend; late afternoon and evening are the crush. Note that the city picks a different operator between editions, so the attractions can change, and 2026 prices and exact hours are still to be confirmed on gentsewinterfeesten.be. For reference, the previous edition charged roughly €6–€7 per skating session including skates, and €9 for the big wheel, €6 for children under 12.
What to Eat and Drink While You Walk
Most of the eating here is done standing or wandering. Head for the stalls around Korenmarkt and Botermarkt for the core repertoire:
- Liège waffles, fries in paper cones, churros and roasted chestnuts
- Speculoos, gingerbread and artisan chocolates
- Belgian cheeses, charcuterie, honey and jams from East Flanders producers — the chalets are a shopfront for the region's farms
- Mulled wine in a classic or fruit version, served in a deposit mug you keep as a souvenir, and hot fruit jenever
- Trappist beers, including the amber winter pours and hot kriek that city-centre beer bars add to their menus in December
Covered, heated tables are limited to the Stadshal area and a few chalet bars, so dress for standing about. Over on Sint-Veerleplein, near the Castle of the Counts, a vintage carousel dating from 1926 turns beside a fairground tent with a family bar — a good place to park children while you work through the beer list.
Getting There, and What the Weather Will Do
From Paris, Eurostar reaches Brussels-Midi in about 1h25, then an IC train takes roughly 35 minutes to Gent-Sint-Pieters. From Lille it's about 1h15 by train via Kortrijk or Brussels, depending on connections; by car, roughly an hour from Lille or Dunkirk on the motorway, with car parks and P+R sites around the historic centre. Booking train tickets in advance is usually cheaper. The centre is a low emission zone, so check your vehicle's eligibility before driving in.
December in Flanders is damp and windy more often than it is freezing, so bring a waterproof jacket rather than your heaviest coat. The squares are cobbled but level, with no marked slopes between the chalets, and they work for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Fill the Rest of Your Stay: Mystic Lamb, Museums and a Day in Bruges
Christmas Eve is one evening in a city that rewards a longer stay. St Bavo's Cathedral houses the Mystic Lamb, the Van Eyck brothers' 15th-century polyptych, viewable year-round — pair it with the market on the same square. STAM, the city history museum in a former abbey, and the Design Museum Gent fill a wet afternoon, and the Vooruit/Viernulvier arts centre keeps a performance programme going. Ghent is a university city, so student cafés and Trappist beer bars shape the atmosphere well beyond the chalets.
For a day trip, Bruges is 25 minutes away by train, with a smaller medieval core and a similar Flemish market spirit; Brussels, under an hour from Gent-Sint-Pieters, has the Grand-Place Winter Wonders market; Lille is the closest French-side Christmas market. If you fall for the city, note that its summer counterpart, the Gentse Feesten, brings ten days of funfair and free concerts.
Start with the train: book a Eurostar or IC ticket into Gent-Sint-Pieters for the days around 24 December 2026, then check gentsewinterfeesten.be closer to the season for confirmed hours and attraction prices. Base yourself within walking distance of Sint-Baafsplein, and let Christmas Eve be the evening you eat waffles standing up under the cathedral, mug of mulled wine in hand, with the lights of the Graslei behind you.