Europe’s Christmas markets will open this year amid heightened security and rising operating costs, as officials across Germany, France and other parts of Europe respond to what authorities describe as heightened threats to public safety.
In Germany, spending on security for public events – including Christmas markets – has increased by around 44% over the past three years, according to a new study by the Federal Association of City and Urban Marketing. Berlin’s main market emerged this season behind concrete barriers, enhanced video surveillance and an extensive private security presence. Several smaller municipalities are warning that the additional requirements could force them to scale back or cancel markets next year.
“The requirements have become increasingly strict,” David Russ, head of production at Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt, told Reuters. The increased measures allow visitors to feel safe, he said: “I can just let go of everything here – I feel safe.”
Heavily armed police officers are seen at the Christmas market in Essen, Germany. (Roland Weihrauch/Photo Alliance via Getty Images)
While many cities receive some public funding to operate holiday markets, smaller municipalities and private organizers often bear the brunt of the costs. Local officials have begun calling on Germany’s 16 states to shoulder a greater share of the financial burden, arguing that counter-terrorism measures extend beyond the responsibility of local event planners.
The upgrades follow last December’s SUV attack on Magdeburg’s Christmas market, which killed six people and injured more than 300. Since then, many German cities have strengthened infrastructure, revised crowd control plans and tightened supervision of large seasonal gatherings.
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Police officers patrol the annual Christmas market on November 20, 2025 in Magdeburg, Germany. On December 20, 2024, Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, who is currently on trial, drove a car into the busy open-air market, killing six people and injuring more than 300. Christmas markets will soon open nationwide. Many are facing high costs as a result of increased security measures following the attack in Magdeburg. (Photo by Ronny Hartmann/Getty Images) (Ronny Hartmann/Getty Images)
France has moved in a similar direction. Authorities canceled the annual New Year’s Eve concert on the Champs-Élysées after police raised concerns about crowd management and what the Interior Ministry described as a “very high” level of terror threat. The ministry has classified Christmas markets and other winter festivities as “high-risk” events, prompting cities to deploy extra officers, introduce new screening points and impose entry restrictions where necessary.
Visitors walk through the Magdeburg Christmas Market after its opening in Magdeburg, Germany, Thursday, November 20, 2025. (Matthias Bein/dpa via AP)
“Europe needs an aggressive strategy that targets the radicals – jailing them and deporting them if they are not citizens – because you can’t get out of this forever,” Mendoza continued. “Security will increase every year unless the root causes are addressed. Europeans are increasingly fed up with what is happening to their societies, and if today’s leaders do not bring about transformative change, voters will ultimately elect leaders who will.”
Other European countries are also strengthening their holiday activities. According to The Sunthe iconic Christmas market in Salzburg, Austria – which attracts around 1.5 million visitors annually – is now monitored 24 hours a day by private security and a network of 33 special cameras. Elsewhere in Austria, including Arnold Schwarzenegger’s home region of Styria, some markets have been canceled entirely as organizers say they cannot afford mandatory safety measures.
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A security guard observes visitors walking among nativity scenes on the opening day of the annual Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz on November 24, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. Christmas markets open today in the city and in many other cities in Germany. (Photo by Maryam Majd/Getty Images) (Maryam Majd/Getty Images)
In Prague, large concrete blocks have been placed along popular embankments and around key pedestrian areas, while police have stepped up patrols to keep an eye on potential targets. In Budapest, additional plainclothes officers circulate through crowds to identify suspicious behavior and improve response speed.
“More broadly,” he added, “both Christian and Jewish festivals are seen as soft targets by jihadists, as evidenced by the attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur in October. Christmas and Easter carry the same risks and so extra vigilance and a strong but discreet armed police presence is certainly justified.”
An aerial view shows the traditional 45-meter-high Dortmund Christmas tree, one of the largest in the world, at the Dortmund Christmas market on December 5, 2025. (Photo by Ina Fassebender/AFP via Getty Images))
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Despite the adjustments, many markets in Europe remain open and continue to attract significant footfall, albeit under noticeably stricter safety conditions. Officials in several countries say the measures are likely to remain in place as long as threat levels remain high.
Reuters contributed to this story.
