Brussels' Winter Wonders Christmas market welcomed approximately four million visitors to the city centre for its 2023 edition, the organisation Brussels Major Events announced on Wednesday.
Between 24 November and 31 December 2023, nearly 2.6 million Belgians (of whom nearly 1.5 million were Brussels residents) headed to the city centre for the annual Christmas market. Another 1.4 million visitors came from abroad, mainly France, Spain and the Netherlands.
The figures up to 31 December are even an underestimate of the total number of visitors, as the event was extended to 7 January due to its success.
"Major events once again appear to be a necessity in Brussels. The economic results of Winter Wonders are vital for our companies, especially for the hotel sector, which is an significant source of employment," said Mayor of Brussels City Philippe Close (PS) during a press conference.
Popularity and sustainability
The Brussels hotel sector recorded a 68.3% occupancy rate last year, compared to 59.4% in 2022. The event also took a large step in terms of sustainability: a total of more than 60,970 reusable plates were used at the food stands, as well as 636,050 reusable cups – accounting for a total of about 3.15 tonnes of avoided waste.
"Winter Wonders continues to grow in popularity and sustainability. Traders, the general public and the services of the City of Brussels have successfully completed the test with reusable tableware," said Benoit Hellings (Ecolo), city councillor for Climate and Sport. "We cannot wait to expand this system to the entire event for the next edition."
Adhering to the advice of the city council, many visitors also opted for public transport. For example, the metro stations closest to Winter Wonders saw a tripling in the number of passengers during the event. Several times, the City of Brussels also advised against coming into the city by car.
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Brussels By Lights, which was part of Winter Wonders, also attracted many visitors. A total of 168 shopping streets in various districts of the city were illuminated. The 'Eikosis' interactive light walk drew in around 2,000 people.
"Together with traders, we have been working for months to develop new lighting and fun activities – such as Eikosis – to create the magic that more and more visitors are looking for when they stroll through the city's shopping streets," noted city councillor for Economic Affairs, Fabian Maingain (DéFI).
The 24th edition of Winter Wonders will take place from 29 November 2024 to 5 January 2025.
