Siena’s quirkiest Christmas event is back for 2025! On Friday, December 12, the Magical Christmas Friday – market and Secret Santa, will welcome visitors and the simply curious from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. As every year, the event is free to attend and open to everyone, regardless of nationality, age, or belief!
Magical Christmas Friday: full program of the event
🕺 4:30 p.m. — Magical Christmas Friday begins!
Toast with some mulled wine or a glass of fruit juice, stroll through the Hidden Garden at night, or listen to SART’s Christmas playlist! But above all, let yourself be swept up in the Christmas atmosphere at Siena Art!
👯♀️ 5:00 p.m. — Become a Secret Santa!
Bring your mystery gift and pick one of the gifts brought by the other guests! At 5:00 p.m. we’ll open them all together to choose the best gift, the worst one, and the strangest!
Not sure how a Secret Santa works? Keep scrolling to find out more!
🙆🏼 5:30–7:00 p.m. — Visit the stalls
Browse a wide selection of handmade items created by the SART staff and find the perfect gift! Our market runs entirely on donations. As always, all donations support the Siena Art Institute, helping us continue to bring projects, initiatives, and free events open to everyone here in Siena.
If you prefer artisan goods created by professional artists, don’t miss the stands of local craftspeople, offering unique, top-quality products. As every year, for Magical Christmas Friday we host a small group of local artisans because we believe in the value of local craftsmanship and are committed to supporting it by giving it a showcase! Are you a local artisan and would like to take part in the event with your own stand? Contact us!
🎄 All evening: stop by our PERSONALIZATION STATION and make your Christmas gifts truly unique!
You can customize both the items you buy at our market stalls and gifts you bring from home!
Bring your gift to the personalization station and choose from lots of original designs created by Irene Lupi in collaboration with SART, inspired by the little animals of the Hidden Garden and other quirky fantastical creatures, or personalize your gifts with a name or a special message. Our experts will take care of the rest!
Don’t forget to share your creation on social media by tagging @sienaart and using the hashtag #magicalchristmasfriday!
The Magical Christmas Friday Secret Santa — How does it work?
Secret Santa is a fun tradition from the English-speaking world where people exchange gifts without knowing who the recipient will be. Besides being a playful Christmas activity, it’s also a great way to re-purpose items at home that are no longer used. Just find an item you don’t need anymore (the stranger, the better!), wrap it carefully to keep it a “secret,” and swap it with someone else’s gift! At 5:00 p.m., we’ll open all the packages together to see what’s inside the Secret Santa!
Discover other initiatives from SART, click here!
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