Digital Christmas experience brings Christmas in Odense together

Among other things, visitors can experience the popular Tinka Christmas calendar exhibition at TID – Museum for Odense, visit the traditional H.C. Andersen Christmas Market or embark on a visual Christmas journey with the Christmas Express, as the light rail is decorated for the festive season and filled with fun digital competitions for the whole family.
Christmas in Odense begins on 16 November.

As tradition dictates, the festive season in Odense begins when thousands of Christmas lights are switched on on the large Christmas tree at Flakhaven. The atmospheric Christmas tree lighting takes place on 16 November and marks the beginning of a magical Christmas month in Odense, where, just as in H.C. Andersen’s time, the joy of coming together is at the heart of the season. Christmas in Odense is filled with cosy traditions, atmospheric experiences and classic Christmas magic for the whole family.

The Christmas Express returns in brand-new digital style

This year, Odense Light Rail and local sponsors are once again bringing back the successful Christmas Express, where passengers can board the two festively decorated light rail trains and enjoy a visual and digital Christmas journey through Odense throughout December. The Christmas Express is much more than an ordinary transport experience – it is a fun and engaging way to experience the Christmas magic of Odense.

The Christmas Express runs from 18 November to 1 January. Passengers can take part in a digital Christmas competition via an app, with different prizes to be won every day. The city-wide Christmas game can be played from Friday 15 November and can be started and activated at selected locations around the city and on the two festively decorated light rail trains.

The Christmas Express is decorated with beautiful paper cut-outs that bring H.C. Andersen’s fairy tales to life while also highlighting both Odense’s historic and modern architecture. Odense Harbour Bath, Odense Theatre, H.C. Andersen’s House and his childhood home are among the landmarks featured in the beautiful paper cut-outs on the outside of the trains, while robots add an innovative touch symbolising Odense’s position as an international robotics city. The beautiful paper cut-outs therefore symbolise the meeting between past and present, where fairy-tale stories harmonise with several of the city’s iconic buildings and innovative development.

Tinka Christmas calendar exhibition at TID – Museum for Odense

This year, TID – Museum for Odense once again brings Tinka’s magical world to life. With the Christmas calendar exhibition “Tinka through the portal”, the museum welcomes visitors to a sensory exhibition experience for the whole family. Here, you can step through the magical portal into Tinka’s world and play your way through the realm of the Christmas elves. In the exhibition, visitors can see the original costumes and props from the Christmas calendars about Tinka.

The Christmas exhibition at TID opens on 16 November and will be open throughout the festive season until 12 January.

Popular H.C. Andersen Christmas Market and major concert experiences

Christmas in Odense is rich in festive traditions that have been a big hit with both locals and visitors year after year. For the past 17 years, the traditional H.C. Andersen Christmas Market in Odense has welcomed up to 50,000 visitors from Denmark and abroad each season for cosy Christmas moments. Once again this year, the many visitors can look forward to enjoying festive gastronomic treats and browsing the small arts and crafts stalls when the historic Christmas market returns to the romantic Sortebrødre Torv in the heart of the old town.

Odense also offers a wide range of major Christmas concerts. On 24 November, Caroline Henderson can be experienced at an atmospheric Christmas concert in Ansgars Church, while ODEON presents major Christmas concerts with, among others, Phillip Faber on 25 November, Burhan G. and the Danish Entertainment Orchestra on 7 December, Stig Rossen with guest soloist Emmelie de Forest on 8 December, “Sigurd’s Christmas for the whole family” with Sigurd Barrett on 19 December and many more.

Christmas traditions and new favourites in Odense

Visitors can also enjoy a nostalgic Christmas outing to The Funen Village or visit Christmas at Odense ZOO. One of the wonderful things about Odense in December is the many Christmas traditions that can be experienced year after year. The newer outdoor Christmas market at Rosengårdcentret, which debuted last year, can also be experienced again this year on the square between the light rail stop and the Green Entrance. The new Christmas market in Odense can be visited on the following dates: 6–8, 13–15 and 20–23 December.

In the same spirit as the Christmas Express’s beautiful paper cut-outs, which bring H.C. Andersen’s fairy tales to life, the Royal Danish Theatre Ballet School Odense presents the Christmas performance Papirklip. This intense and emotional dance performance lets the scissors guide the audience through H.C. Andersen’s fantastic universe. The performance is for the whole family and is sure to bring out the magic of Christmas, whether you are an adult or a child.

Read more about Christmas in Odense and the individual activities at www.visitodense.dk/jul