In Nancy, the Saint Nicholas Festivities have kicked off the season in style, transforming the city center into a magical setting filled with lights, treats, and reinvented traditions. Three villages and four hamlets line the streets, turning each square into an enchanting scene where visitors stroll, taste, and marvel.

A city transformed

From November 21, 2025, to January 4, 2026, the pedestrian streets become a true winter wonderland: wooden chalets, spiced aromas, twinkling decorations, and festive music create an immersive seasonal atmosphere. Each square offers its own identity, from cosy corners perfect for enjoying mulled wine to lively evenings filled with rides, brass bands, and street performances.

Three signature villages

On Place Charles-III, the Grand Saint Nicholas Village showcases rows of chalets offering gift ideas, seasonal delicacies, and family-friendly activities amid a swirl of lights. On Place de la Carrière, a natural-ice skating rink and a towering Ferris wheel overlook a gourmet village where crêpes, waffles, raclette, tartiflette, and a festive bubbles bar keep visitors warm. The third village, run by the association Le Grenier de Callot, celebrates local gastronomy with culinary highlights and weekend food-focused events.

Four hamlets for food lovers

Spread across the city, the hamlets offer warm, flavourful stops along the way. The Saint Nicholas Gourmet Hamlet and the Craffe Hamlet invite visitors to enjoy regional specialties beneath historic illuminated façades. The Festive Fondue Hamlet—created notably by Le Petit Bodiem and the Speakeasy—recreates the feel of a mountain chalet, with wooden floors, soft lighting, a bubbles bar, and fondues to share. The Petit Hameau by Nico et Mouja returns in an expanded version, featuring an extra chalet and a rich selection of winter street food: oysters, soups, mulled wine, crêpes, paninis, and Asian dishes, perfect for leaving warmed up and well-fed.

The Place Stanislas video mapping show

Each evening, Place Stanislas becomes the stage for a spectacular visual performance. For about twenty minutes, an original video mapping show animates the façades with lights and graphic effects that rethink the city’s stories and symbols.
The projections take place every evening:

• from Sunday to Thursday at 6 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. and during school holidays. 

Free and open to everyone, the show draws large crowds each year and stands out as one of the most anticipated moments of the festivities.

A glowing winter setting

Throughout the city, the magic continues: the Ferris wheel near the Héré arch, the illuminated Christmas tree in the historic center, and a creators’ market beneath the Héré arch on the opening weekend all contribute to a luminous winter backdrop. With its villages, hamlets, festive food, skating, and light shows, Nancy offers a full winter experience where every step sparks a little more wonder.