From November 30 to January 5, downtown Dijon will be punctuated by its Christmas market. This 2024 edition is a continuation of the previous ones with a few new features to stand out.
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The temperatures in Dijon and the first decorations going up in town are there to remind us: the end of year celebrations are fast approaching. This Tuesday, November 19, ten days before the start of the Dijon Christmas market, the assistant for shops and crafts, Nadjoua Belhadef, provided the details of the 2024 edition.
Warm, in a café on the Place de la Libération, Nadjoua Belhadef speaks. A few meters away, an immense iron structure sits on the square, opposite the Palace of the Dukes. In the coming days, 361 fir trees will be stacked on top to form the giant and iconic tree of each Christmas market in Dijon for several years now.
“Our tree will be more beautiful than the one in Times Square!”says enthusiastically, the assistant. She warns, the people of Dijon will not be helpless during their Christmas market. “We are on the same principle as in other years, with around forty chalets distributed between the Places de la Libération, de la République, du Théâtre, Place Darcy and Rue de la Liberté.”
The 2024 edition will be marked by the appearance of half-timbered chalets.
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© EMA Events
Except that these chalets will sport a more local color this year. Gone are the wooden chalets well known to lovers of local crafts and mulled wine: make way for half-timbered ones. “We really want to create a Christmas market that is different from the others. The Christmas markets of Strasbourg and Colmar have their identity. We want to have our own”aims Sylvain Camos, president of EMA Events, the agency in charge of the festivities.
These chalets, in red and beige colors, modeled on the shops on Rue de la Liberté, will be installed on the night of November 19 to 20, before the market opens on the 30th. Inside, artisans will offer their local products. “There will be a rotation among the artisans. From week to week, you will be able to see different artisanal productions”announces Yves Bard, president of the Chamber of Trades and Crafts, which will have three dedicated chalets.
An association chalet will also be installed as well as another with several local artists who will offer their works, potential Christmas gifts under the tree at the end of December. Among the other must-sees, the Ferris wheel on Place de la République is being installed and the ice rink on the same square will be inaugurated on Saturday November 30 by freestyle skater David Guillemot.
More than 600 decorations will light up the Burgundian capital over the coming weeks.
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© Flavien Gagnepain / France Télévisions
In total, more than 600 decorations will light up the city of Dukes at the end of the year, and not just in the city center. The districts of Fontaine-d'Ouche, Grésilles and Bourroches will also be in the spotlight. “The end-of-year holidays are for everyone”insists Nadjoua Belhadef.
An Instagram account dedicated to the Christmas market must also be updated in the coming days, throughout the festivities. The highlight of this market will also take place on December 24 at 6:30 p.m., when Santa Claus will come down from the Philippe Le Bon tower, like every year.
The Dijon Christmas market will be held from November 30, 2024 to January 5, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., except Mondays when the chalets will open at 2 p.m. On December 24, 25, 31 and January 1, the market will only be open in the afternoons. Finally, evening events will take place until 10 p.m. every Friday and Saturday on Place de la République.
