This Week
Coming up this week
Through Nov 17
St. Martin Lantern Parades in Frankfurt and Rhine-Main
Kids carry lanterns through dark Frankfurt streets behind brass bands, sometimes following St. Martin on horseback, and sing their way to a big Martin's fire.
Mon Nov 9
Kissen sonst nix: Pillow and Feather Theater at Kinderverein Kalbach
Two performers and a mountain of pillows turn an empty room into a feather-filled game of make-believe, signed for deaf and hearing kids alike.
Mon-Wed Nov 9-11
Augen. Blick. Weiter. Schauen: Interactive Dance for Ages 3+
Belgian dancers and a set of odd viewing objects turn looking into a game, and halfway through, the kids are invited to join in.
- FestivalSt. Martin's Lantern Procession in Höchst: Ökumenische MartinsfeierTue Nov 10, Free
- FestivalSt. Martin's Lantern Walks in FrankfurtTue Nov 10 & Wed Nov 11 & Fri Nov 13, Free
- FestivalMartinsfeuer in GünthersburgparkWed Nov 11, Free
- PerformancePop-Up, Pirat!: Puppet Theater at Haus am DomFri Nov 13, Kids €2, adults €4
- Guided VisitLantern Walk to the Animals at Opel-ZooSat Nov 14, Zoo admission, tour free
- PerformanceWo ist Feenland? Movement Theater for ToddlersSat Nov 14, Kids €7, adults €10
- WorkshopAir Pressure and Rockets: Science Workshop at EXPERIMINTASun Nov 15, €35 per child
- PerformanceHänsel und Gretel at Oper FrankfurtMultiple Dates Nov-Dec
- ExhibitionDragons: Myth and Reality Exhibition in DarmstadtThrough Jan 17, 2027, Free up to 18, adults €12
- FestivalMartinsfeier in Zeilsheim: St. Martin's Play and Lantern ProcessionMon Nov 16, Free
- PerformanceDe Grüffelo auf Hessisch: Henni Nachtsheim Reading and Book Signing at SpielzeuxFri Nov 20
- PerformanceFredrik Vahle Children's Song Concert at the PalmengartenSat Nov 21, €10 per person
- PerformanceGrand Hotel Federspiel: Wordless Family Concert at the Alte OperSun Nov 22, €16
- PerformanceMinimal Animal: Music Theater for Kids 3+Sun-Wed Nov 22-25, Kids €7, adults €10
- WorkshopHanukkah Card Printing Workshop for Families at Museum JudengasseSun Nov 29, Kids €10, adults €15
- PerformanceDie unsichtbare Stadt: Pop-Up Picture Book TheaterFri Dec 4 & Sun Dec 6 & Mon Dec 7, Pay what you choose, €8-36
- PerformanceNight at the Museum: Christmas Science Show at EXPERIMINTAFri Dec 4, €20 per ticket
- WorkshopDinosaur Workshop at the Senckenberg: Skin or Feathers?Sat Dec 5, €15, members €12
- OutdoorsNikolaus Express: Steam Train from Wiesbaden to Frankfurt-HöchstSat-Sun Dec 5-6, From €14
- WorkshopAdvent Crafts at Zoo FrankfurtSun Dec 6, From €6
- PerformanceFairy-Tale Family Breakfast Cruise: The Hare and the HedgehogSun Dec 6, Kids €15, adults €25.50
- WorkshopFamily Baking Workshop: Hanukkah Sufganiyot at the Jewish Museum FrankfurtSun Dec 6, Kids €10, adults €15
- PerformanceLarifari x Tonstudio 13: Sing-Along Family ConcertSun Dec 6, From €12
- OutdoorsNikolaus Train Day at the Frankfurt FeldbahnmuseumSun Dec 6, From €5
- PerformanceSchneekönigin: The Snow Queen Musical at Jahrhunderthalle FrankfurtSun Dec 6, From €30
- WorkshopWarten aufs Christkind: Christmas Eve Workshop at Zoo FrankfurtThu Dec 24, Regular zoo admission
- PerformanceEhrlich Brothers Wonderworld: Magic Show at Festhalle FrankfurtSun Dec 27, From €57.25
- FestivalSachsenhausen Christmas Market at the GoetheturmDaily Nov 16 - Dec 20, Free
- FestivalFairy-Tale Christmas Market in HanauDaily Nov 23 - Dec 22, Free
- FestivalFrankfurt Christmas MarketDaily Nov 23 - Dec 22, Free
- FestivalChristmas Market at Bad Homburg PalaceMultiple Dates Nov-Dec, Free
- FestivalAdvent im Museum: Christmas Weekends at HessenparkSat Nov 28 - Sun Dec 13, Kids free, adults €14
- FestivalMedieval Christmas Market at Burg RonneburgMultiple Dates Nov-Dec, From €7
Tue Nov 10
St. Martin's Lantern Procession in Höchst: Ökumenische Martinsfeier
A St. Martin service at St. Josef in Höchst, then kids carry their lanterns in a procession to Schlossplatz. Bring one and wrap up warm.
Tue Nov 10 & Wed Nov 11 & Fri Nov 13
St. Martin's Lantern Walks in Frankfurt
Lanterns, old German songs and, at some parishes, a bonfire: Frankfurt's St. Martin walks are short, free and close to home. Here's where kids can join this year.
Wed Nov 11
Martinsfeuer in Günthersburgpark
Frankfurt's 30-year-old St. Martin's bonfire lights up a meadow in the park, with a kids' shadow play of the Martin story, a brass choir and crêpes by the fire.
Fri Nov 13
Pop-Up, Pirat!: Puppet Theater at Haus am Dom
A pirate and a tapir dig through an old steamer trunk, and every paper world they pull out turns into a new rhyme or tongue twister.
Sat Nov 14
Lantern Walk to the Animals at Opel-Zoo
Families walk through Opel-Zoo at dusk with lanterns, visiting the animals as it gets dark. Bring your own lantern and join in the lantern songs if you like.
Sat Nov 14
Wo ist Feenland? Movement Theater for Toddlers
Two fairies lose their wings' power and have to learn how life on the ground works, told in movement with hardly a word spoken.
Sun Nov 15
Air Pressure and Rockets: Science Workshop at EXPERIMINTA
Kids build recoil rockets, time falling objects and pop chocolate marshmallow treats while working out how a metal plane stays in the air.
Multiple Dates Nov-Dec
Hänsel und Gretel at Oper Frankfurt
A real opera house, a full orchestra and the witch from the gingerbread house, in the weeks before Christmas.
Through Jan 17, 2027
Dragons: Myth and Reality Exhibition in Darmstadt
Why are dragons villains in Europe but bringers of luck in China? A Darmstadt museum answers with art, fossils and a kids' trail led by its own dragon.
Mon Nov 16
Martinsfeier in Zeilsheim: St. Martin's Play and Lantern Procession
An ecumenical St. Martin's service in Zeilsheim with a Martinsspiel, then the whole crowd heads out on a lantern procession. Bring your own lantern.
Fri Nov 20
De Grüffelo auf Hessisch: Henni Nachtsheim Reading and Book Signing at Spielzeux
Henni Nachtsheim reads the Gruffalo in Hessian dialect, then signs books. Each reading takes only 24 people, and few places are left.
Sat Nov 21
Fredrik Vahle Children's Song Concert at the Palmengarten
The German songwriter behind "Anne Kaffeekanne" brings his band to the Palmengarten's grand Festsaal for a sing-and-dance concert that sells out most years.
Sun Nov 22
Grand Hotel Federspiel: Wordless Family Concert at the Alte Oper
Four musicians lose their instruments in a hotel full of odd staff, and the Federspiel ensemble plays out the whole mystery with music and not a single word.
Sun-Wed Nov 22-25
Minimal Animal: Music Theater for Kids 3+
Two odd characters, a room full of things you shouldn't touch, and four pieces by Steve Reich and Terry Riley that turn into birds, boots and a watering hole.
Sun Nov 29
Hanukkah Card Printing Workshop for Families at Museum Judengasse
Kids and parents print menorahs and candles side by side, then head home with a stack of handmade Hanukkah cards.
Fri Dec 4 & Sun Dec 6 & Mon Dec 7
Die unsichtbare Stadt: Pop-Up Picture Book Theater
A new girl and a missing zebra wander through a city that unfolds around them like a giant pop-up book, told with almost no spoken German.
Fri Dec 4
Night at the Museum: Christmas Science Show at EXPERIMINTA
The Scientastic team brings Christmas-themed experiments to an evening show at Frankfurt's science center, and some kids in the audience get called up on stage to help.
Sat Dec 5
Dinosaur Workshop at the Senckenberg: Skin or Feathers?
Kids study the Senckenberg's dinosaur skeletons with a guide, then build models of their own. Scales or feathers? They decide what the bones can and can't tell us.
Sat-Sun Dec 5-6
Nikolaus Express: Steam Train from Wiesbaden to Frankfurt-Höchst
A real steam train, heated old carriages and St. Nicholas walking the aisles with gifts. Wiesbaden's volunteer railway runs it to Höchst and back, and seats go fast.
Sun Dec 6
Advent Crafts at Zoo Frankfurt
Kids make handmade presents in the zoo's bird halls while parents warm up with mulled wine and cookies, and the animals are a short walk away.
Sun Dec 6
Fairy-Tale Family Breakfast Cruise: The Hare and the Hedgehog
A Sunday breakfast cruise on the Main where a touring fairy-tale company stages The Hare and the Hedgehog on board, and some kids end up in the story.
Sun Dec 6
Family Baking Workshop: Hanukkah Sufganiyot at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt
Fry and fill sweet Hanukkah doughnuts as a family at the Jewish Museum, then go home with the recipe and the story behind the festival of lights.
Sun Dec 6
Larifari x Tonstudio 13: Sing-Along Family Concert
An indie-pop and disco-funk concert where kids and parents dance and sing together in a hall with no seats, plus a quiet room for a break.
Sun Dec 6
Nikolaus Train Day at the Frankfurt Feldbahnmuseum
Historic narrow-gauge trains run all day through Rebstockpark for St. Nicholas, and one ticket buys as many rides as your kids can manage.
Sun Dec 6
Schneekönigin: The Snow Queen Musical at Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt
The Snow Queen as a German-language family musical, one afternoon only at the Jahrhunderthalle. Worth booking if your kids follow German; here's who it suits.
Thu Dec 24
Warten aufs Christkind: Christmas Eve Workshop at Zoo Frankfurt
Kids craft tasty gifts for some of the zoo animals alongside the keepers, then get to watch the animals tuck into their holiday meal.
Sun Dec 27
Ehrlich Brothers Wonderworld: Magic Show at Festhalle Frankfurt
Star magicians Andreas and Chris Ehrlich bring their new illusion show to the Festhalle, traveling from outer space to the ocean depths.
Daily Nov 16 - Dec 20
Sachsenhausen Christmas Market at the Goetheturm
Crepes, hot apple wine and a kids' carousel under string lights at the forest's edge, with a big woodland play park a few steps away.
Daily Nov 23 - Dec 22
Fairy-Tale Christmas Market in Hanau
Lit stalls ring the Brothers Grimm monument in the brothers' hometown, and kids head straight for the Ferris wheel and a two-level carousel.
Daily Nov 23 - Dec 22
Frankfurt Christmas Market
More than 230 stalls stretch from Roßmarkt down to the river, and the riverside end has a kids' market with free crafts and shows on a boat.
Multiple Dates Nov-Dec
Christmas Market at Bad Homburg Palace
Craft stalls and regional food fill the courtyards of a historic palace north of Frankfurt, and down by the White Tower a small steam train is waiting for kids.
Sat Nov 28 - Sun Dec 13
Advent im Museum: Christmas Weekends at Hessenpark
Advent weekends at Hessenpark bring a steam train for kids, a glowing forge and a lit-up village market, plus a way to see the market without a museum ticket.
Multiple Dates Nov-Dec
Medieval Christmas Market at Burg Ronneburg
Stalls fill the rooms of a medieval castle east of Frankfurt, with a costumed market outside the walls and a living nativity play many families make the trip for.