Quick answer
Milan’s main Christmas market sets up around the Duomo from 1 December to 6 January, open every day from 9am to 9pm (2025 dates, 78 wooden huts). The Oh Bej! Oh Bej! fair fills the streets around Sforza Castle for four days around 7 December, and the Duomo Christmas tree is lit in the first week of December. The 2026 dates had not been announced on 5 October 2026; this guide will be updated when they are.
Dates, hours and closures below were checked on 5 October 2026 with the organisers, the City of Milan and the ATM transit company. Where only 2025 dates exist, they are labelled as 2025.
Milan Christmas market dates for 2026
Most events follow the same calendar every year, but the organisers announce the exact days in autumn. This is where things stood on 5 October 2026.
| Event | Where | Last edition | 2026 dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piazza Duomo Christmas market | Around the Duomo, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II | 1 Dec 2025 to 6 Jan 2026, 9am to 9pm | Not announced yet |
| Oh Bej! Oh Bej! fair | Around Sforza Castle | 5 to 8 Dec 2025 | Not announced yet (around 7 Dec) |
| Duomo Christmas tree | Piazza del Duomo | Lit 6 Dec 2025, 6pm | Not announced yet |
| Villaggio delle Meraviglie | Indro Montanelli gardens | 15 Nov 2025 to 6 Jan 2026 | November 2026 to January 2027 |
| Artigiano in Fiera | Fiera Milano, Rho | 30th edition, December 2025 | 5 to 13 Dec 2026 |
| La Scala opening night | Teatro alla Scala | 7 Dec 2025 | 7 Dec 2026 (Verdi’s Otello) |
If the usual pattern holds, a trip between about 5 and 13 December 2026 catches all of them at once: the markets, the lit tree, Oh Bej! Oh Bej!, Artigiano in Fiera and La Scala’s opening night.
The Piazza Duomo Christmas market
This is the city’s main Christmas market. In 2025 it had 78 wooden huts on three sides of the cathedral: along the side of the DuomoMap (Via ex Camposanto), on Via Carlo Maria Martini and on the first stretch of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. It was open every day from 9am to 9pm, from 1 December 2025 to 6 January 2026, and the city held the official opening on 2 December.
The Christmas tree in Piazza del Duomo, with the cathedral lit up at night.
The stalls sell nativity scenes, decorations, blown-glass baubles, wooden toys, tableware, jewellery and natural cosmetics, plus food from across Italy: cheeses, nougat, smoked meats and regional pastries. It is run by Confcommercio Milano and its partner associations, and it is free to walk around.
With 78 huts it is much smaller than the big Alpine markets, so treat it as part of an evening in the center. Go after dark, when the tree and the cathedral are lit, then walk through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele IIMap to Piazza della Scala. To see the square from above, go up to the Duomo terraces; our guide to Duomo tickets explains which ticket includes the roof.
Oh Bej! Oh Bej! at Sforza Castle
Oh Bej! Oh Bej! is Milan’s own traditional Christmas fair, tied to Sant’Ambrogio, the city’s patron saint, whose feast is on 7 December. The name is Milanese dialect, roughly “oh how beautiful”. It is the most traditional and popular event of Sant’Ambrogio week.
Castello Sforzesco, where the Oh Bej! Oh Bej! stalls set up around Piazza Castello.
In 2025 it ran from 5 to 8 December around Castello Sforzesco (Sforza Castle)Map and Piazza Castello. Expect crafts, toys, flowers, books and prints, honey, copper and wrought iron, roasted chestnuts and “firunatt”, smoked chestnuts strung into necklaces. The 2026 dates are not official yet, so check them before you plan around them. Take the metro to Cairoli (M1) or Lanza (M2), and see our Sforza Castle guide if you want to visit the museums the same day. They close on Mondays, and on Sunday 6 December 2026, the first Sunday of the month, entry is free.
Villaggio delle Meraviglie: the Christmas village with ice skating
The Villaggio delle Meraviglie is a Christmas village inside the Indro Montanelli public gardensMap, near Porta Venezia. The 2025 edition ran from 15 November 2025 to 6 January 2026; the organisers’ site announces the next one for “November 2026 to January 2027” without exact days.
Entry is free and you do not need to book. The ice rink, the baby rink and the rides are paid; a 30-minute private skating lesson costs €25 including 30 minutes of free skating. There are free shows, Santa’s house and a small market of stalls. It suits families more than the Duomo market. The nearest metro stops are Palestro and Porta Venezia on the red M1 line.
Artigiano in Fiera: the big craft fair
Artigiano in Fiera is a huge craft and food fair at the Fiera MilanoMap exhibition center in Rho, outside the city. The 2025 edition drew about a million visitors and 2,800 exhibitors from 90 countries. The organisers have announced 5 to 13 December 2026 for the next winter edition, with free entry using a pass you download from the Artigiano in Fiera website.
It fills several exhibition halls, so treat it as a half day or more rather than a quick stop. Take the red M1 metro to Rho Fieramilano, which our Milan metro guide covers with ticket prices.
The Duomo Christmas tree and the city lights
The tree in Piazza del Duomo is lit in the first week of December. In 2025 it was a 29 metre spruce from Dimaro Folgarida in Trentino with more than 100,000 micro-LEDs, lit on Saturday 6 December at 6pm. Each year the City of Milan’s “Natale degli Alberi” adds sponsored trees in squares across the city and lights over the main shopping streets, usually until 6 January.
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II at night, a short walk from the Duomo Christmas tree.
In 2025 the trees and lights included:
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II: its own tree and the glass vault lit up.
- Piazza della Scala, Piazza Cordusio and Piazza San Babila: one tree each, close to the Duomo.
- Piazza Gae Aulenti and CityLife: installations in the newer business districts, including a 12 metre tree at CityLife.
- Shopping streets: lights over Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Via Dante, Via Orefici, Via Mercanti and the whole of Corso Buenos Aires, from Porta Venezia to Piazzale Loreto.
The sponsors and designs change every year, so the list for 2026 will differ. For an evening walk, start at the Duomo, go through the Galleria to Piazza della Scala and finish on Via Montenapoleone, where the shop windows are decorated too. Our shopping in Milan guide covers the streets and the tax-free rules if you buy presents, and our outlets near Milan guide has the shuttle buses to the designer outlets.
7 December: Sant’Ambrogio and La Scala’s opening night
7 December is Milan’s local holiday for Sant’Ambrogio, and the date the opera season opens at Teatro alla ScalaMap. On 7 December 2026 the season opens with Verdi’s Otello, conducted by Myung-Whun Chung in his first season as music director and directed by Damiano Michieletto. Further performances run on 10, 13, 16, 19, 22 and 29 December 2026 and 2 and 5 January 2027.
Opening-night tickets cost from €50 to €3,500 and go on sale on 7 October 2026 at 1pm; the other Otello dates follow on 14 October. In December the theatre also stages The Nutcracker ballet, from 17 December 2026 to 16 January 2027. In 2025 the City of Milan screened the opening live and free in more than 30 places around the city, including the octagon at the center of the Galleria, from 6pm; some venues needed booking. Check the city’s “Prima Diffusa” programme in late November. Our La Scala guide explains how to book seats and the museum, which closes on 7, 25 and 26 December and 1 January.
What closes over Christmas in Milan
8 December (Immaculate Conception), 25 and 26 December, 1 January and 6 January are national holidays, and 7 December is a local holiday in Milan. The Duomo market opened every day in 2025, holidays included, but on 25 December most shops, museums and many restaurants close.
| Date | What to expect |
|---|---|
| 7 Dec (Sant’Ambrogio) | Local holiday; La Scala opening night; La Scala Museum closed |
| 8 Dec (Immaculate Conception) | National holiday; markets open |
| 24 Dec | ATM runs a Saturday timetable (2025); Christmas Eve vigil in the Duomo at 10:30pm (2025) |
| 25 Dec | Last Supper, Sforza Castle museums, Pinacoteca di Brera and La Scala Museum closed; ATM 7am to 7:30pm (2025); no night buses |
| 26 Dec (Santo Stefano) | National holiday; ATM holiday timetable |
| 31 Dec | Metro on a Saturday timetable, then night buses (2025) |
| 1 Jan | Last Supper, Sforza Castle museums and Brera closed |
Book any restaurant for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day well ahead, because many close. The Duomo celebrates Christmas Mass with the Archbishop at 11am on 25 December (2025 times). For its tourist opening hours on 24 and 25 December, look at the Duomo’s website. If the Last Supper is on your list, book early: December dates sell out fast, and it is closed on Mondays as well as 25 December and 1 January.
Panettone and what to eat at the markets
Panettone is Milan’s Christmas bread, and Italian law defines it: natural sourdough, a domed top, at least 4% egg yolk, 16% butterfat and 20% raisins and candied peel. You will find it at every market and in the historic pastry shops. Pasticceria CovaMap on Via Montenapoleone, founded in 1817, counts it as a house classic, and the food hall at PeckMap near the Duomo sells its own.
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A Milanese panettone, the domed Christmas bread made with raisins and candied peel.
At the stalls, look for roasted chestnuts (caldarroste), vin brulé (mulled wine), nougat and cheeses from Italian regions. Our guide to what to eat in Milan has more on the city’s winter dishes, and aperitivo in Milan covers the early-evening drink before you head back out to the lights.
Christmas markets near Milan
If one market is not enough, two easy add-ons are by train:
- Como: the “Città dei Balocchi” festival runs until 6 January, with a market of wooden huts in Piazza Perretta and light projections on the old town. Como is about 40 minutes from Milano Centrale. The 2026 dates were not yet on its website on 5 October 2026.
- Trentino and South Tyrol: the big Alpine markets in 2026: Trento from 20 November 2026 to 7 January 2027, Merano from 26 November and Bolzano and Bressanone from 27 November, all to 6 January 2027. They are a long way from Milan, so plan an overnight stay.
Closer to the center, the antiques market along the Naviglio Grande has a December edition on 20 December 2026, earlier than its usual last-Sunday date; see our Navigli guide. For more ideas, see day trips from Milan.
Weather and planning tips for December
December in Milan is cold and often grey. The 1991-2020 averages at Linate airport are a high of 7.5°C (45°F) and a low of 0.6°C (33°F), with about six rainy days and 14 nights below freezing. Pack a warm coat, gloves and shoes that cope with wet stone.
- Stay central. Most markets and lights are within walking distance of the Duomo, so a hotel in the center saves time on cold evenings. You can compare hotels near the Duomo on Booking.com, or read our guides to where to stay in Milan and the best hotels in Milan.
- Book the big-ticket sights first. La Scala opening-night tickets go on sale on 7 October and Last Supper slots for December go fast.
- Plan 25 December around the closures. Use it for a walk through the lit-up center, and check the reduced transport hours.
For a wider look at the season, our guide to the best time to visit Milan compares December with the rest of the year, and 3 days in Milan gives a plan you can fit around the markets.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Christmas market in Milan?
The main market, around the Duomo, ran from 1 December 2025 to 6 January 2026, every day from 9am to 9pm. The 2026 dates had not been announced on 5 October 2026; the market has followed the same 1 December to 6 January pattern in recent years.
Where is the Christmas market in Milan?
The wooden huts stand along the side of the Duomo (Via ex Camposanto), on Via Carlo Maria Martini and on the first stretch of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. The Oh Bej! Oh Bej! fair is around Sforza Castle, and the Villaggio delle Meraviglie is in the Indro Montanelli public gardens.
When is Oh Bej! Oh Bej! 2026?
The fair is held every year around 7 December, the feast of Sant'Ambrogio. In 2025 it ran from 5 to 8 December around Castello Sforzesco. Check the official 2026 dates before you plan your trip.
When is the Duomo Christmas tree lit?
In the first week of December. In 2025 the tree in Piazza del Duomo, a 29 metre spruce with more than 100,000 LEDs, was lit on 6 December at 6pm.
Is Milan worth visiting at Christmas?
Yes, if you like markets and lights more than snow. December highs average 7.5°C (45°F) and lows 0.6°C (33°F). Plan around 25 December, when the Last Supper and the main museums close and public transport ran only from 7am to 7:30pm in 2025.
What is open in Milan on Christmas Day?
Very little. The Last Supper, the Sforza Castle museums and the Pinacoteca di Brera close on 25 December, and most shops close too. In 2025 ATM buses, trams and metro ran from 7am to 7:30pm that day.
Is there ice skating in Milan at Christmas?
Yes, at the Villaggio delle Meraviglie in the Indro Montanelli gardens, which has a large rink and a baby rink. Entry to the village is free; the rink and rides are paid.