Deutsche Schule Melbourne German Christmas Market

In 2017, the Weihnachtsmarkt will be held on Friday, November 24, from 5-9 pm, followed by bilingual Carols by Candlelight at 9pm. Come to shop or just to enjoy Bratwurst, Sauerkraut and of course a delicious cup of hot or iced Glühwein.

Weihnachtsmarkt FAQs

What is the Weihnachtsmarkt?
The Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) is a mix of Australian and German Christmas market traditions in North Fitzroy! At its heart, it is a community event run by parents at the Deutsche Schule Melbourne (DSM), which is a bilingual German-English primary school. It is the school’s opportunity to share some Christmas spirit with the community, while also raising funds for the school. Previous Christmas markets have helped fund a sports ground, improvements to the library and musical instruments. This year we are focusing on a project that benefits the environment, and will use funds raised to install a solar system for the school.

What is the best time to arrive?
Those who are keen to ensure they have first choice of the homemade produce tend to arrive right on 5pm! But the market will continue until 9pm, so feel free to come at whatever time suits you, particularly if you’re heading over for a beer and sausage after work. With a few Christmas stalls thrown in, it’s a great way to start the weekend!

What kind of food will be available at the market?
We will have a wonderful array of sweet and savoury options. In keeping with our Australian and European culture, options include range from German sausages, pizza, Turkish Gözleme, European cheeses and French crêpes. In addition to a street full of food trucks, there are pretzels and sausages for sale in the market itself. For dessert there are homemade cookies, Gingerbread Houses, crepes, cakes and fairy floss. Drinks are certainly not forgotten; the Christmas Market is fully licensed with a bar selling a range of German beers, plus Glühwein for those who like to imagine a cold white European Christmas!
We have responded to the huge demand last year by increasing the number of food stalls and also the amount of food that will be available.

I would really like to buy some baked goods and a gingerbread house. Can I pre-order them?
Some of the most popular items at the Christmas market are our wonderful homemade baked goods, such as our beautifully decorated gingerbread houses, German Christmas biscuits, authentic Stollen and Panneforte. Unfortunately we are not able to reserve any of these items; they are sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. The biscuits and cakes do tend to sell very quickly, so we recommend that you come early to avoid disappointment. Every year we try to increase the supply of the homemade goodies, but there is only so much a small school parent community can bake!

What kinds of activities are offered for kids?
As this is essentially a school event, we are definitely keen to ensure there is plenty on offer for children. A big hit every year is the enormous inflatable jumping obstacle course. Buying a wristband will allow your child unlimited turns! We also have a sandpit treasure hunt, face painting, glitter tattoos, arts and crafts, and a special visit from St Nikolas, his donkey and his helpers!
The music and entertainment are also designed to be family-friendly, including some acoustic covers, a band and Christmas carols sessions.

What kind of market is it? Can you give some examples of the stalls?
A large number of market-stall holders book a table for the Weihnachtsmarkt and offer a diverse range of items – just in time for some early Christmas shopping. Overall the idea of the market is too support Victorian craftspeople and artists. For example, there are stalls selling handmade cards, wooden toys, jewelry, natural cosmetics, leather goods, Christmas decorations, clothing and-authored books.

What about car parking?
Car parking at the Weihnachtsmarkt is very limited – only off-street parking is available in the surrounding streets, and there are often restrictions. It is strongly recommended that you walk, ride a bike or catch public transport (the 96 or 11 trams are both very close, as are a number of bus routes).

We’re thinking of the school for our child’s education. Will there be someone to talk to about the school itself?

Many of our families had their first experience of the Deutsche Schule Melbourne (DSM) by attending an event such as the Weihnachtsmarkt. While attending an Open Day is the best way to see the school in action, the Christmas Market allows you to get a sense of the school’s parent community, which fully-organizes the event. There will also be a stall providing information about the DSM on the night, staffed by both by students and teachers who will be able to answer any DSM-related questions. You can, of course, also check out our website for more information: http://www.dsm.org.au/en/

Are there credit card or Eftpos facilities?
Some of the stallholders and the food trucks will have facilities for credit cards or Eftpos, but many stalls are cash only. We will have a few Eftpos machines at the front entrance where you can get some cash out if needed, but to avoid any queues it might be best to come with cash already in your wallet 