After a disastrous 2020, Christmas market planners in the German capital city of Berlin are hoping for a more successful 2021, and have begun putting plans together to host stalls for the iconic Christmas market in December.
Organisers of the event are optimistic that Berlin’s Christmas market will be able to open and accommodate tourists and Berliners alike, as it has done for many years in the past.
The planners charged with putting the market together told DPA news agency that, although they have not heard from the local authorities that the markets will be cancelled or restricted, they are prepared for the possibility of extra protective measures due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.
An event spokesperson added that the organisers would feel "a gross disappointment" if the event were to be cancelled two years in a row.
After the cancellation of 2020’s festive events, many of the market’s operators are concerned about the financial impact of another possible cancellation in December 2021. Though alternative jobs were found for some of those impacted by last year’s cancellation, not all were able to find work in the difficult economic conditions.
Organiser Arnold Bergmann, added: "I don't know whether we would have survived the past year economically if there hadn't been government aid”.