24 December: Which stores will be open during Christmas Eve in Hungary?

Did you forget something? Did your bejgli crack and want to remake it for perfection? Don’t worry, you can still buy the necessary ingredients last minute before the holidays. Most supermarkets will be open on 24 December but remember that they will have shortened opening hours.

Which supermarkets will be open?

As Telex writes, the majority of supermarkets will remain open on the 24th of December. However, they will operate with opening hours different from usual. Most of them will be open until noon, thus you should hurry if you forgot something and want to buy it at the last minute! As shops will remain closed during Christmas, 25 and 26 December, they will open on the 27th and operate as usual. On 31 December the shops will most likely close around 2-4 pm.

Auchan stores will operate until noon on 24 December, resume normal opening hours from 27 to 30 December, and close at 4 pm on 31 December.

Penny stores nationwide will close at noon on 24 December but offer extended hours on 19, 20, 21, and 23 December, staying open until 9 pm. From 27 to 30 December, they will follow normal schedules and close at 2 pm on 31 December.

Most Spar and Interspar locations will shut at noon on 24 December, with exceptions for some shopping centre stores. Interspar hypermarkets will operate from 6 am to 10 pm from 20 to 23 December, while select Spar supermarkets will extend hours on 21 and 22 December. Between the holidays, normal schedules will resume, with supermarkets closing at 2 pm and most Interspar hypermarkets at 4 pm on 31 December.

Tesco stores will close at noon on 24 December, operate as usual during the festive period, and shut at 6 pm on 31 December.

Aldi will open until 12 noon on 24 December and close at 4 pm on 31 December.

Which shops will be closed on Christmas Eve?

According to Magyar Nemzet, the following chains will remain closed on 24 December in Hungary:

• Rossmann
• Media Markt
• Praktiker
• Jysk

In addition, Lidl will remain closed on 24 December too but extend hours on 23 December. Between the holidays, Lidl stores will operate as usual and close at 4 pm on 31 December. Two popular chains, CBA and DM still have not shared whether they are planning to be open on Christmas Eve or not. We will provide updates as we gain more information.

24 December is not a public holiday in Hungary (yet)

As we have reported HERE, the Hungarian National Election Committee (NVB) has approved a referendum proposal to designate 24 December as a public holiday, marking a key milestone in the Trade Union of Commercial Employees’ efforts to expand Hungary’s list of recognised holidays. The referendum question, which proposes making 24 December an official holiday from 2025, was endorsed by a 10-2 vote during the NVB’s session. Currently, Hungarian public holidays include 1 January, 15 March, Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May, Whit Monday, 20 August, 23 October, 1 November, and 25–26 December.

Read also:

• SHEIN opens its first Hungarian store in Budapest shopping centre – UPDATED with SHEIN deny
• Hungarian billionaire’s group acquires 47% stake in Auchan Magyarország, takes over management

Featured image: depositphotos.com