A month after the end of Brno Christmas 2024, TIC Brno has reported the most successful year ever for the city’s Christmas markets. Besides taking place for the first time ever as the European Capital of Christmas, the markets scored high on feedback from both traders and visitors, as well as economically.
A crowd-pleasing, European Brno
“We completed the most successful year of Christmas markets, thanks to the European Capital of Christmas 2024 title,” said Kristýna Černá, the City of Brno’s representative for tourism. “Brno Christmas resonates beyond borders. For the continuous development of the TIC Brno municipal contributory organization, which has long been building their good reputation and promotes Brno in the field of tourism, Brno Christmas has become one of the key products. It also inspires other cities, as evidenced by visits from organizers of similar events from the Czech Republic and abroad.”
Visitor satisfaction is shown by data from a survey carried out by the Focus agency. “The survey found that 74% of 1,000 respondents would recommend Brno Christmas to their friends. The resulting NPS (Net Promoter Score), the basic indicator of satisfaction, reached a very high value of 71, which is a significant improvement compared to 51 in 2019. In addition, the number of people who came to Brno specifically for this event increased by 14%, which confirms the growing attractiveness of Christmas markets,” said Černá. Other results of the survey found that three-quarters of non-Brno visitors to Brno Christmas were Czechs, usually coming for one day, and with a partner, family or friends.
As well as operating the markets, TIC Brno also promotes the City of Brno as a Christmas destination within the Czech Republic and abroad.
“We perceive Brno Christmas as a major tourism product with great destination potential,” said CzechTourism director František Reismüller. “The City of Brno’s Christmas campaign had a significant response abroad. TIC Brno, in cooperation with CzechTourism, contacted journalists from neighboring countries and organized a number of press trips. This is a great example of promoting a destination through a city festival.”
Brno was visited by 25 journalists and influencers from Germany, Poland, Austria and Hungary. One huge piece of media coverage was an article by a German press agency that appeared in more than 80 German online dailies with a total range of over 66 million readers. The German radio campaign was also successful, broadcast by 83 stations.
There was also increased interest in the online environment – the Facebook profile of Brno Christmas showed 3.4 million users, and Instagram 1.7 million.
Positive feedback from sellers
TIC Brno organizes Christmas markets on namesti Svobody, Dominikanske namesti, and in the courtyard of the Old Town Hall. In total, 78 sales stalls remained open for 32 days of Brno Christmas (with the exception of the Winter Bar and the Ježíšek Bar, which were open until 7 January).
“The task of our organization is to provide the highest quality public services in the field of tourism and culture,” said Jana Janulíková, director of TIC Brno. “That’s why all revenues from the rental of stalls, which this year amounted to CZK 19.6 million, are put back into the organization of Brno Christmas. We plan Brno Christmas with a maximum spending of revenues, but nevertheless this year we achieved a profit of CZK 35,371, which will be transferred to the investment fund to cover long-term investments, mainly to improve the Brno Christmas product.”
Investment in the expansion of accompanying programs and cultivation of the squares has been received positively by both visitors and the traders themselves. “This year’s Christmas markets on Svobody Square were successful in my view – thanks to a good organization, sophisticated promotion and a varied program,” said one long-time operator of one of the most popular stalls, a Christmas bar. “This year, there were many more visitors to the market, and many tourists from abroad were noticeable, especially from Slovakia, Poland and Austria. I liked the illuminated dragon eggs, swings, illuminated inscription Brno with the video link, but also the garlands over stalls and evening DJ productions, which created a pleasant atmosphere.”
For the second time, a gourmet market graced the courtyard of the Old Town Hall, which became a shop window for notable Brno gastronomy, with nine Brno companies in the courtyard. “We see Gourmet Christmas in the courtyard of the Old Town Hall as a great expansion of cooperation with the Gourmet Brno project,” said Ron Winkler of Eggo BreakFeast Bistro. “We now have the opportunity to present Brno gastronomy in the winter season at a prestigious frequently visited festival and in a very pleasant environment. Such a concept was definitely missing among Brno’s gastro events.”
Over a hundred concerts and light installations
Throughout Brno Christmas, 124 concerts, performances and events took place on the stage on namesti Svobody. Among the main stars were Michal Hrůza, Hana Holišová, Sebastian, and P/\ST, while the younger audiences were particularly drawn to Pam Rabbit, NobodyListen and Aiko. There was also a rich program offered on Zelný trh, whose markets were organized by the Brno-střed district.
In addition to music, TIC Brno also focused on the visual aspect of the markets, with 12 light installations in the squares themselves and on adjacent streets, in local churches, and even in the Zluty Kopec water reservoirs, from nine renowned Brno artists and studios. One of them was a successful novelty last year – the Brno dragon in the sweater, which won 1st place in the Grand Tourism Prize 2024 in the category of innovative marketing communication, and received significant media attention.
“I greatly appreciate the efforts of organizers to cultivate public space and establish the markets as a contemporary aesthetic and cultural experience for all age groups of the population,” said Janica Šipulová, an architect from the Consequence forma studio, who were behind the design of the village on Zelny trh. “The involvement of local artists, architects and designers gives the markets a zest and an authentic touch, which can entertain visitors much more and involve them in non-commercial activities. In addition, they managed to promote Brno’s identity and specific humour, whether it was the Brno dragon in a red and white sweater, the Dragon’s Egg, or the children’s village with the Golden Wood.”
“In cooperation with our partners, we have built a strong Brno Christmas brand, thanks to which Brno ranks among the first-class European Christmas destinations,” concluded Janulíková. “At the same time, thanks to year-round communication with partners, we manage to maintain the local character of the event, so that not only market visitors but also Brno residents themselves feel good here. And we consider this to be key to the long-term sustainability of the event. We all benefit from the multiplier effects of Brno Christmas, especially economic and marketing, in the form of significantly increased numbers of people in the city. The profitability of the event allows us to bring new products and improvements every year for the best possible experience for Brno residents and visitors. This year, we introduced a number of new products – Dragon Eggs on Freedom Square, light installations in the city, a much more progressive musical program… we are on top! Obviously, our approach is working, and we want to continue in it in the years to come, we have a lot of ideas!”
- Brno Daily is an official media partner of Brno Christmas.
