Christmas in Sofia: markets, lights and Bulgarian traditions

The Christmas markets

The German Christmas Market in the City Garden, beside the National Theatre, has opened every year since 2011 and is the oldest in Bulgaria, with wooden chalets of food, mulled wine and crafts, a stage for choirs and concerts, and Santa Claus in the evenings. In 2025 it ran from 14 November to 21 December. Sofia Christmas Fest at the National Palace of Culture ran from 21 November to the end of December, and an artisan market was held on the Largo in mid-December.

Bulgarian traditions

Bulgarians celebrate Christmas on 25 December. On Christmas Eve, Badni vecher, families sit down to a meatless dinner with an odd number of dishes, including beans, stuffed peppers and a round bread with a coin hidden inside. On Christmas night, young men called koledari go from house to house singing carols, and on New Year’s Day children tap their elders on the back with a decorated cornel branch, the survachka, wishing them health.

Snow on Vitosha

In winter, Vitosha is usually covered in snow, and the ski area at Aleko is half an hour from the centre. After a day on the slopes, warm up at the mineral water fountains in the centre or in the pools of Bankya.

Vitosha Mountain →   Hot springs & pools →

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