Christmas should be months away, however Germany’s supermarkets are already brimming with gingerbread, creation calendars and festive decorations. The nation’s iconic Christmas markets are additionally making ready to open quickly.But, a viral declare circulating on social media suggests that each one Christmas markets in Germany have been canceled for 2025. DW Reality test checked the viral declare and the origins behind it.Declare: A video on TikTok with the caption “Christmas is across the nook, Germany is CANCELLING their markets… and it additionally seems to be like different locations in Europe are going to do the identical,” has garnered over 600,000 views. One other broadly shared submit on X (previously Twitter) claims: “HUNDREDS OF CHRISTMAS MARKETS IN GERMANY CANCELLED,” reaching greater than 440,000 views. Some customers have gone as far as to say: “Germany Cancels Christmas”, a phrase seen in viral posts on Instagram and X with over half one million views.DW Reality test: FalseGermany hosts over 2500 Christmas markets yearly, identified domestically as Adventsmarkt, Christkindlmarkt or Weihnachtsmarkt. The Striezelmarkt in Dresden (title image) alone attracts 2.5 million guests annually. Whereas there have been remoted cancellations of smaller native markets, there isn’t a proof nor any official affirmation of widespread closures throughout the nation.Most markets are scheduled to open from late November. Berlin alone will host over 60 markets this 12 months, with quite a few others deliberate in Leipzig, Dresden, Cologne, Frankfurt and Hamburg. Many are already being arrange.German media have reported only some confirmed cancellations up to now.In Rostock, a historic Christmas market , already canceled final 12 months. won’t return in 2025.In Hamburg’s Rahlstedt district, the native market was referred to as off after stallholders opted to not return because of low revenues final season.The romantic Christmas market at Dortmund’s historic Bodelschwingh Fort has been canceled for each 2025 and 2026 because of in depth renovations on the fortress.
What is the supply of the viral declare?
The X submit claiming that “a whole lot of Christmas markets in Germany” have been canceled cites a single supply: Duna Press. An article titled “Germany Cancels Christmas Markets 2025” was revealed on October 18, 2025, by J&M Duna Press, which describes itself as a part of an unbiased communication and training group.The article claims that organizers in smaller cities cite “unaffordable safety prices” as the principle cause for cancellations, allegedly stemming from current terror assaults. Nonetheless, it solely mentions two particular examples: Rheinfeld and Schongau.DW reached out to officers in Schongau, Dormagen (which features a district named Rheinfeld), and Rheinfelden in case Duna Press had misspelled the city’s title. Schongau responded clearly: “The 2025 Christmas market will happen as regular.” “In earlier years, there was no Christmas market within the Dormagen’s district of Rheinfeld and none is deliberate for 2025 both,” the town of Dormagen knowledgeable DW.Rheinfelden had not responded by the point of publication. Nonetheless, the official web site of Rheinfelden confirms that the 2025 Christmas market is scheduled to go forward.The Duna Press article additionally claims shops and public venues are “phasing out pork merchandise” to keep away from offending Muslim residents, a declare unsupported by proof. It concludes with the assertion that worry and lodging are “eroding the material of German heritage.”The writer of the article named Bianca Firenze has no verifiable background, biography or social media presence linked on the location. She started contributing to Duna Press in August 2024, principally writing about well being and horoscopes.In October 2025, she revealed a number of articles targeted on Germany’s alleged decline, utilizing sensationalist language and missing credible sources: “Actual Germany’s safety challenges about cancels Christmas markets 2025”; “Germany’s financial meltdown: How EU insurance policies and geopolitical gambles are crushing Europe’s powerhouse”; “Echoes of a golden period: My nostalgic journey by affluent, safe Germany”; “Financial Fallout: How canceled Christmas markets are hitting Germany’s native economies in 2025.”Taken collectively, these articles paint a somewhat bleak image of Germany. All pictures, together with writer portraits, are AI-generated, elevating questions in regards to the authenticity of the contributors. The one contributor with an actual picture and social media profiles is Paulo Fernando de Barros, listed as managing editor.Duna Press Journal’s social media profiles have only a few followers and their posts obtain minimal interplay, suggesting restricted credibility or viewers belief.
Rising prices, not cancellations
DW Reality test additionally investigated the declare “Germany cancels Christmas.” A reverse picture search revealed it originated from a German-language Fb submit. Nonetheless, the submit merely states that some organizers are involved about rising safety prices following assaults in Berlin (2016) and Magdeburg (2024). The writer provides: “Some markets may be canceled totally this 12 months.”Because the assaults on the Berlin Christmas market and in Magdeburg, safety prices have certainly risen. In Magdeburg, for instance, bills are anticipated to just about double this 12 months from €80,000 to €150,000.Whereas there are not any federal rules, normal safety measures now embrace concrete limitations, bag checks, video surveillance and retractable roadblocks. These are developed by organizers and authorized by native authorities.In smaller cities, municipalities could assist cowl prices. Regardless of rising prices and the necessity to scale back the scale of some markets to accommodate safety measures, there isn’t a indication of widespread cancellations of Christmas markets in Germany.
