There’s no place like home
Christmas is a time when people like to return to their loved ones and to the place that feels like home. For queerSalzburg.at editor Sebastian, that was the reason to take a break from his semester abroad in Rotterdam and fly back to the Alps after four months. Because nowhere is as beautiful as home – especially at Christmas and especially for someone from Salzburg.
Visit to the Salzburg Christmas market
One of the first things on my personal to-do list was a visit to the Salzburg Christmas market. As beautiful as Rotterdam is, nothing there can hold a candle to the unique Christmas market in Salzburg’s old town. The little stalls with handmade and homemade goods, the smell of biscuits and the festive brass band music. After a few cups of punch with friends, I finally got into the Christmas spirit. I have never enjoyed walking around this Christmas market as much as I did this year.
The Ö3 Christmas miracle returns to Salzburg
After our QueerSalzburg.at article about this year’s Ö3 Christmas miracle at Salzburg’s Kapitelplatz – back in my city after eleven years – I naturally had to see the event for myself. So I grabbed my partner Flo and headed to Kapitelplatz. Despite the really cold temperatures, lots of people gathered to listen to the music and commentary from the glass studio with us. Of course, we took an Ö3 donation card with us. A wonderful event celebrating Christmas charity in Salzburg.
Baking biscuits with Heublumen
Of course, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without biscuits. How fortunate that I flew back in time to join in with the Heublumen biscuit baking. In a lively atmosphere, over five kilos of dough were rolled out, cut out and baked in the oven into little delicacies. Eggnog, punch and mulled wine simmered continuously on the stove. Condensed into a few hours, it was the Christmas feeling I had been missing during my last few weeks in the Netherlands.
As wonderful as my semester abroad in Rotterdam is, it’s especially during the Christmas season that you realise what makes Salzburg so special. It’s not just your loved ones who are waiting for you here. It’s also the picturesque city, which becomes a relaxing paradise for me and other returnees during this contemplative time of year. There’s simply no place like home.
Sebastian Brandstätter
Priscilla – Queen of the Desert
The film and musical ‘Priscilla – Queen of the Desert’ tell the story of two drag queens, Mitzi and Felicia, and a trans woman, Bernadette, who travel through the Australian outback in an ageing bus called ‘Priscilla’ to put on a show in Alice Springs. The musical will premiere at the Salzburg State Theatre on 6 December 2025, directed by Ramesh Nair. [Read more]
A plea for human tenacity
The fourth tip in our Christmas series takes us to the Volksgarten in Salzburg. From 26 November to 6 January, the Winterfest, the largest circus festival in the German-speaking world, will take place here. Since 2001, the Volksgarten has regularly been the venue for a colourful circus ring as part of the Winterfest. International and local artists enchant audiences with poetry, drama and, of course, lots of acrobatics. [Read more]
Salzburg and winter sportsWhether as a winter sports instructor in Flachau or as …
Den Salzburg Queer Guide für die LGBT community gibt‘s in gedruckter Form in den Brunos Stores in Berlin, Hamburg, Köln und München. Oder hier bestellen und per Post ins Haus kommen lassen. Hier geht‘s zum E-paper.
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