• The Christmas Market in Stuttgart is open until December 23. Have you ever noticed that the town hall turns into a huge Advent Calender every December? Each day, a window will be opened, showing one of the coat of arms of the districts of Stuttgart. Along with this a choir representing this quarter will perform for free on the steps in front of the entrance.
• There are SO MANY Christmas markets in the  Stuttgart region that I have decided to introduce my favorite ones in a separate post.
• Get away from the usual hustle around Christmas and dive into the enchanted Christmas Garden at Wilhelma until January 6. Beautiful light installations await you, embedded in the fairytale setting of the botanical garden. To find out more about Christmas Garden, check out my post A visit at Christmas Garden in Stuttgart.
• Shop for very special presents like hand-made jewellery, designer lamps and more at the design fair Schöne Bescherung at Phoenixhalle on November 30 and December 1.
• After Stadtpalais brought the sea to Stuttgart this summer with “Stuttgart am Meer” and helped us fight the heat with the huge outdoor pool the creative minds of the museum have another fun attraction going on this winter: Stuttgart im Schnee/Stuttgart covered in snow is another urban installation with special events and a slope for sleds that will be open until February 29.
• You like to dance and you like cake? Then the social dance event Swing ‘n’ Cake is your thing! You can dance the night away on December 1 and 15 at Weltcafé.
• How about a fun pre-Christmas train ride in a historical U-Bahn while enjoying a glass of Glühwein and some Lebkuchen? Sounds good? Then you should catch the Glühweinexpress on December 1, 15, 21, 22, 26!
• Mamas: Have you ever attended a classical concert with your little one(s)? Probably not. But here comes your chance: At Babykonzert on December 1 everybody is welcome, especially the smallest of listeners.
• Learn more about the North Korea from someone who has been there at the reading Undercover in North Korea on December 2 at Hospitalhof.
• The NEW English American Theater will present It’s a wonderful life – a story of the idealistic George Bailey who considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve – on December 2 at Kulturcafe Merlin and on December 5, 11 and 21 at Theater am Olgaeck.
• Listen to Christmas poems and watch a classic American Christmas movie on December 3 at DAZ.
• Are you feeling like Aperitivo Italiano? Then visit Oh Julia! on December 4!
• This is something for all expecting and new mothers: Meet other moms on December 5 at Karl’s Kitchen at Bumps and Babies Coffee Social.
• On December 5 the spectacular Weltweihnachtszirkus (World Christmas Circus) will open it’s gates again. Even though the show will be in German, you will definitely enjoy the acts even if you don’t speak the language.
• There is a language exchange going on every Thursday at Samay: on December 5, 12 and 19.
• If the super sweet mulled wine at the Christmas markets is not your thing, try Glühweinparty at Wein-Moment on December 6!
• Have you ever tried Raclette? This Swiss dish is a must for cheese-lovers. Picture melted cheese with soft potatoes, mini corn and more… Yuuuuummmmm! Then you should book at table at Café Justus for Raclette Night on December 6, 13 and 20!
• Visit the amazing Chocolate festival in Tübingen and make new friends along the way. Stuttgart Expat Meetups organizes a fun trip to chololART on December 7!
• Watch a British Panto production, performed by the New English American Theater, at Kulturwerk on December 7 and 8: Mother Goose and the Golden Egg 
• TEDWomen is the female version of the famous TED talks. You can follow the conference on December 11 at Cinemaxx.
• More chocolate: The International Student Organization Hohenheim organizes a Ritter Sport Factory Tour on December 12.
• Polarized America: What still unites the US is the title of a discussion that will take place on December 12. Representatives the Democrats Abroad and Republicans Overseas will meet at the DAZ to take a stand on those significant issues.
• Learn how to create an art journal cover, calendar cover, book cover, or bookmarks on December 14 at the DoodleArt workshop at Rudolfs Cafe.
• Shop for creative Christmas gifts at KunstKaufHaus on December 14 and 15 at Wagenhallen. More than 100 artists, start-ups and small labels will be present.
• On December 16 Theater Rampe invites everybody who lives in Stuttgart but doesn’t speak much German to join the language café/Sprachcafé Feierabend, Habibi.
• Be part of an old Russian Christmas tradition on December 19 and 20 at Theater am Faden: Wertep was performed a lot in the 18th century in Russia, Belarus, Poland and Ukraine. A Wertep theater is located in a portable wooden box that holds two mini stages. The story of the three Magi is performed on the upper stage, the story of King Herod on the lower stage with miniature figures. Sounds like a lovely Christmas tradition!
• Visiting this design fair is a tradition with many locals: Holy Shit Shopping is THE place where you can find your last-minute Christmas presents that don’t look like such. Phoenixhalle, December 21 and 22.

  

• Don’t forget that we celebrate Christmas on the 24th here in Germany 🙂 Merry Christmas and Fröhliche Weihnachten everybody!
• As there are many events going on in Stuttgart on New Years Eve I will put them into a separate blog post soon. Stay tuned! 🙂

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• Until November 3 you can find artwork, crafts and food from all around the world at Markt der Völker, located at Phoenixhalle im Römerkastell.
• When you like French Movies you will love the French Movie Days / Französische Filmtage. The festival goes on until November 6.
• How about shopping for Christmas presents at the beginning of November already?! You can do so at the design fair Blickfang between November 1 and 3 at Im Wizemann. Locals designers and creative minds will present their newest products.
• A Student Flea Market will take place on November 2 at Karlsplatz.
• On November 2, art meets party. You can dance the night away at Young Night at Staatsgalerie Stuttgart.
• The only really fun outdoor event that takes place indoors: The European Outdoor Film Tour will be in Stuttgart on November 2.
• When you have just arrived in Stuttgart and have questions like “How can I find a student job?” or “Where can I look for accommodation” you can visit the free event Your start in Stuttgart and the region on November 6 at the city hall, starting at 6 pm.
• Doodle away the stress from the work week on November 10 at the event DoodleART Paint Party at Aloft.
• The Bumps and Babys Playgroup, organized by International Women’s Club, will meet again on November 14 at EKiz.
• This year, Christmas will start on November 14. Why? Because that’s when the Christmas Garden Stuttgart at Wilhelma will open its gates. Let yourself be enchanted and see the Wilhelma like you’ve never seen it before and enjoy the llluminated fairy-tale setting with breath-taking plays of light in the former royal park. I’ve visited this special event last year and really enjoyed it.
• Feeling like a jamming session? Then Live Band Night on November 16 at Aloft is your thing!
• When you’re a foodie you should mark November 16 and 17 in your calendar. At the food fair kulinart you will be able to eat yourself around the world.

  

• Wintertraum, the pre-Christmas Market at Schlossplatz opens again on November 20. The earliest way to enjoy Glühwein this November in Stuttgart.
• Join the Wintertraum meet up, organized by Stuttgart Expat Meetups, on November 20 and have a glass of Glühwein with new friends from all around the world.
• If you like gin you don’t want to miss the event Gin A Fair at Im Wizemann on November 22 and 23.
• A great fair for all lovers of meat-free cuisine (me! 🙂 is Veggi – frei von. It will be in town between November 22 and 24. There will be cooking events, smoothie workshops and more.
• An there is another food fair going on at Messe Stuttgart between November 22 and 24: eat&STYLE. Here you will discover new food trends and can participate in fun workshops.
• This is a special treat for all wine lovers: At the wine tasting fair Stuttgarts Beste Weine/Best Wines of Stuttgart you can try wines from local vineyards in a very classy atmosphere on November 23.
• The Christmas Markets are opening their doors again! The Baroque Christmas Market in Ludwigsburg and the Medieval Christmas Market in Esslingen are the first ones on November 26, the huge Christmas Market in Stuttgart will follow on November 27. It’s time for Glühwein again! Find out more about these three Christmas Markets in this blog post. And on November 29 the alternative Christmas Market Wouahou will open it’s gates… or better: it’s tipi for you!
• Do your Christmas shopping between November 30 and December 1 at the fair Schöne Bescherung at Phoenixhalle. Here you will find creative presents from small, local producers.
• Join Stuttgart Expat Meetup on November 30 for a fun trip to Esslinger Weihnachtsmarkt.

The post November in Stuttgart appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

• On Saturday, a very special fitness challenge is waiting for you: at Hyrox Stuttgart you have to finish 8 workouts and 8 x 1000m running. At the end you will get your individual time which you can compare to competitors worldwide.
• Women who want to practise their German can visit a reading circle at the library in Feuerbach on December 15 for free.
• On December 15 you can watch Stuttgart’s major soccer club VfB Stuttgart play against Herta BSC live in Stuttgart.
• Next to Mercedes-Benz-Museum you can enjoy traditional fondue at Cannstatter Hütte on December 15.
• Celebrate Christmas Latin style with Feliz Navidad and great songs from Latin America at Liederhalle on December 15.
• On December 15 you can shop ’till you drop because it’s Long Shopping Night in Stuttgart again! Many shops will be open until midnight.
• Get into the right swing for Christmas at the Swinging Christmas Party on December 16 at Kulturwerk.
• A lovely little Christmas market you shouldn’t miss is Adventszauber at Mozartplatz on December 16. Kids will love the fire show, the fresh popcorn and more. And adults the live music and food stands in general 🙂
• At the fair for design and craftmanship Kunstkaufhaus you can shop for Christmas presents or the one or other treasure for yourself. The fair is going on between December 15 and 16 in Stuttgart at Wagenhallen.
• If you want to watch a great show you should consider visiting Grand Revue at Friedrichsbau. World class singers, dancers and acrobats await you on December 15 at 8 pm and on December 16 at 6 pm.
• The Christmas Market in Stuttgart is still going on this weekend.
• If you want to enjoy a  visit at Christmas Garden in Stuttgart you can do so on December 15 and 16.
  
• Find out what other fun Christmas Markets are going on in and around Stuttgart here.

The post What’s up this weekend – December 15 and 16 in Stuttgart appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

• The Christmas Market in Stuttgart is always worth a visit. Don’t miss the Finnish Christmas Village at Karlsplatz for some super yummy smoked salmon and Glög, the Finnish version of Glühwein (mulled wine). 
• The alternative Christmas Market the Wouahou at Marienplatz is still going on until on December 8 and 9 in Stuttgart at Marienplatz.
• One of my favorite ballets is performed at Opera House Stuttgart at the moment: Romeo and Julia. You can go see it on December 8 and 9.
• If you want to enjoy a  visit at Christmas Garden in Stuttgart you can do so on December 8 and 9.
• Take a break from roaming through the Weihnahtsmarkt and enjoy a Christmas Organ Concert at Stiftskirche on December 8 at 1:13 pm.
• Laugh the night away at English Comedy Night with stand-up comedian Jack Holmes at Climax Institutes on December 8.
• The vineyard Weinfactum in Bad Cannstatt organizes their very own little Christmas market with high quality Glühwein and more on December 8.
• Visit Waldweihnacht and celebrate a Christmas market in the forest at Haus des Waldes in Degerloch until December 8.
• Shop for pretty used cloth at the Style Flea Market at Kaufhaus Mitte on December 8…
• …or change some of your used cloth at Kleidertausch Party (Cloth Exchange Party) on December 8 at Welthaus.
• The gay community celebrates at Kings Club with mixed music on December 8.
• Get to know the creative hub Wagenhalle on their day of the open door on December 8 and peek into the different ateliers.
• The New English American Theater (NEAT) will perform the Christmas Panto “WOTS, APP, CINDERELLA?“ at Kulturwerk on December 8…
• … and on December 9 they will perform it at Merlin.
• There is a Advent party for kids going on at the ice rink Eiswelt on December 9.
• Watch the Spanish movie “El Rey” on December 9   at Theater am Olgaeck with English subtitles as part of the Festival de Cine Espanol.

The post What’s up this weekend – December 8 and 9 in Stuttgart appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

I’ve heard a lot about Christmas Garden in Stuttgart already and definitely wanted to visit it. Last Sunday I finally went with two friends. When you buy the tickets for Christmas Garden in Stuttgart you also have to choose an entry time. Ours was 6:00 to 7:00 pm. At first I wondered why they are so strict about this but then it made totally sense. Thanks to the different time slots it doesn’t get crowded inside! Of course there are other people there, too, but you can’t compare it to other big events like Lichterfest or Weihnachtsmarkt. It was definitely very relaxed inside.

They have organized a 2 km loop through Wilhelma that passes all the installations and that is easy to follow. Moreover you find food stands after every few hundred meters so you don’t have to be afraid of running out of Glühwein.

Here come some of my favorite light installations:

This one is called “Lights of Damaskus”:

Also extremely beautiful were the shining Water Lilies in the pond:

I could have stood there forever and watched them float around. Luckily there is a Glühwein stand close by so at least you can enjoy a hot drink while watching 🙂

My personal highlight was the “Magical Giants”: illuminated Redwood trees.

Simply stunning.

Of course you also find more playful installations like angels, animals or Santa’s sled for example:

Definitely something for the kids 🙂

Moreover there are many lovely picture opportunities. You can stand in an illuminated frame in front of a Christmas tree for example or underneath a Mistletoe:

And there is one more thing I have to mention: the marshmallows! Oh my god, SO good! There is a stand with gourmet marshmallows. You can choose between flavors like raspberry, popcorn, vanilla, champagne and more, add cookies and real chocolate if you wish and then put it on a stick and hold it above the fire. Have I mentioned already that they are SO good?! 🙂

So here is what I think about Christmas Garden in Stuttgart:

• I loved the relaxed atmosphere! No pushing, no yelling or anything. A visit there is suitable for families, couples or groups of friends who want to enjoy a special evening.
• Christmas Garden in Stuttgart has more than 20 light installations and some of them were truly amazing. Even though the loop is only 2 km long, it took us nearly 2 hours to complete it because we took our time and couldn’t get enough of some of the installations.
• The food stands we got our snacks from were great and the food and Glühwein of very good quality. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I am a huge fan of the marshmallow stand 🙂
• What I didn’t like that much was that at some points you get really close to some of the animals. I would have assumed that they want to sleep at night-time. Well, I guess Wilhelma knows what they are doing but from my personal point of view it would have been nicer to keep a bigger distance to the animals.
• The price is definitely something. Adults pay 17 Euro during the week and 19 on weekends or public holidays. They offer family tickets though which you should check out if you bring the kids.

So altogether: When you want to spend a special evening, like light installations and appreciate a relaxed atmosphere you will enjoy visiting Christmas Garden in Stuttgart. I absolutely did 🙂

Have you been to Christmas Garden in Stuttgart already? What do you think about it? Was there some installation you liked in particular?

More information about:

Christmas Garden Stuttgart

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