While the social distance is still a priority of every event, we could see the essence of Christmas shines at the Christmas market in Germany’s Bavaria. Before the pandemic, Germany’s well-known Christmas markets was a symbol of life this time of year.
Though, with COVID-19 cases setting record highs again, as the reports say, many of Germany’s holiday markets are facing cancelation. Even the oldest market in Nuremberg announced it will not open for the first time since World War II.
Patrick Schmidt the owner and chef of Zollhaus Brauereigaststätte in Landshut, in Bavaria, the Christmas market continues to bring Christmas back and he has promised to keep it safe. A drive-thru market was the idea. There! People of Germany could still have the tradition they always had even though we have a joy killer monster in the streets.
The market includes all the essential Christmas market eats, like sausages with sauerkraut, goulash, crepes, and of course, mulled wine and punch. Schmidt already knew how to pull off a drive-thru event, since he had performed one for the Bavarian festival of Auer Dult in the summer.
Surly at first it seemed spontaneous due to the second lockdown Germany faced but the Dult drive-in worked, so why not a Christmas market drive-in? Schmidt told Reuters that “We don’t just sell a crepe or a pack of roasted almonds, we sell an experience.”
The market will be open Thursdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Dec. 20, 2020. As of now, travelers from the U.S. to Germany are required to fill out an online form and quarantine for 10 days. The German National Tourist Board is promising international travelers to embrace the country’s holiday traditions through the Christmas Sparkle campaign.
During the lockdown, Germany has not just been communicating empathy because of this unprecedented condition, but also an inspiration to welcome many visitors back to Germany next year.