The New Year's fair was opened at 22nd of November in the very heart of Bulgaria. It's also known a Deutscher Weihnachtsmarkt Sofia 2019 or «Немски Коледен Базар». The event takes place in the central park of Sofia city, near the square «Prince Alexander I» / «Княз Александър I». The fair is opened daily from November 22 till December 22, from 11 am — 10 pm.
There are about 20 trading booths in the park, decorated with pine branches and lights. Traditional German fast food is on the menu: hot dogs, pork ribs, waffles, fried potatoes, strudel, almonds in caramel, shaped chocolate. Craft beer (draft and bottled), raspberry-flavored hot wine and non-alcoholic punch are among the offered drinks. Certainly, in addition to snacks there are plenty of handmade Christmas toys and decorations. The entrance is free, however prices for food and souvenirs are quite high, comparing to local.
Christmas market location on the map
Unfortunately, we have to note that the event is quite half-baked and incomplete: there is not enough space for walking around and no garbage cans. Moreover, there are almost no tables, people who bought food have nowhere to sit or stand. The passages between shop booth are too tight, while the rest of the park is pretty empty. The stage platform is poorly designed and the performance is quite chaotic. Therefore, considering Bulgarian mentality, Sofia's New Year bazaar is very remotely resembles the Christmas market in Germany.
Probably the organizers didn't expect to see such a large number of visitors at the fair, although it has been happening for the ninth year (since 2010). Nevertheless, despite all of these disadvantages, mentioned above, the Christmas market in Sofia definitely sets the holiday atmosphere (especially if it starts to snow instead of rain, or after 3-4 cups of hot wine). So, walking around the city center, you can stop by here for an hour or two, for the lack of alternatives.
Do you know the other cities in Bulgaria where the Christmas market taking place?