Brussels Christmas market 2018: What's new this year?

Finland will be the guest of honour at this year's Winter Wonders in downtown Brussels, organisers have confirmed.

More than two million visitors are expected at the 18th edition of the Christmas market, which will open on 30 November.

This year, because of the late timing of school holidays, Winter Wonders will stay open well into the new year, finishing on 6 January.

The Sainte-Catherine, Fish Market, Bourse and Monnaie neighbourhoods will once again be filled with some 250 chalets selling gifts, food and drink, plus the regular ferris wheel and ice rink. The Finnish village will be on Rue Auguste Orts, immediately opposite the stock exchange building.

The Grand-Place will host its regular nativity scene, plus a 22-metre-high Christmas tree offered by the Walloon region and nightly sound-and-light shows on the theme of the northern lights.

A high-tech dome on the pedestrian zone will offer visitors an immersive audiovisual experience, while there will also be video projections on the facade of Sainte-Catherine church and Viage casino on Boulevard Anspach.

And, once again, part of the Winter Wonders experience will travel to other neighbourhoods in the City of Brussels, with pop-up events at weekends in the squares of the EU district, the Marolles, Neder-Over-Heembeek and Laeken.

Brussels mayor Philippe Close said: "About 10 years ago we tried to measure the economic impact that Winter Wonders brings to the city as a whole. We reached a figure in the region of €25 to €30 million. Today our best barometer is the hotel sector, which enjoys high occupancy levels. It's an event that brings energy to the tourism sector and generates major benefits."

Photo: Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga