© Plan de Saxe / Sylvio Dittrich

Dresden Winter Festival starts on January 21 at the Altmarkt

Dresden is getting a real winter highlight for groups, teams and supporting programs just in time for the start of the year: On Wednesday, January 21, 2026, the 3rd Dresden Winter Festival will open on the Altmarkt - and will run as the city's longest winter event until March 1, 2026. To kick things off, there will be a small parade with the Golden Horsewoman as patron as well as a guest appearance by the ice revue "Cinderella - Musical on Ice".

Optimized grounds and more space for experiences

In the third edition, the area has been reorganized and further refined. A particular eye-catcher is the spectacular Elbepark giant slide, on which guests glide down from a height of 6.40 meters on Icetubes over "textile snow". The slide was rotated this year and now offers a longer run-out - perfect as an action component for the supporting program.

Also particularly interesting for company events: the two curling rinks have been repositioned and can be reserved for family and company events. They are supervised by the new Hüttenzauber après-ski pagoda. This time, the Ferris wheel is located next to the panoramic terrace and creates space for a new, gastronomic meeting point at the Iceway.

700 m² ice surface plus 120 meter Iceway

The centerpiece of the winter festival remains the 700 square meter ice rink, supplemented by a 120 meter long Iceway. Opposite the Kulturpalast, a large panoramic terrace offers the best view of the ice rink, Iceway and the entire area - and is accessible by elevator. Another terrace is located on the east side of the ice rink.

For MICE guests, the event is a great mix of an active program (ice, slide, curling) and a winter atmosphere: 20 pagodas offer culinary delights and merchant stands - ideal for informal networking over mulled wine, eggnog and winter snacks.

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